Author Topic: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?  (Read 11910 times)

Joan-eh?

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would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« on: December 14, 2014, 07:30:43 PM »
How would our MMM community decide?
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« Last Edit: August 05, 2020, 02:57:18 PM by Joan-eh? »

zolotiyeruki

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2014, 09:20:32 PM »
So it's just the two of you rattling around in a 3br? 
If you sell and move, would that accelerate your FI?
When you FIRE, do you plan to stay in the same neighborhood/town/province/country?

$20k AFTER taxes is nothing to sniff at.  How quickly would that part of the equation accelerate your FI?  What's the combined impact on your timeline for FI?  I assume since your kids have flown the nest that you're in your mid 40's to early 50's, so if you already have a good-sized stache that extra contribution wouldn't have a huge impact on your ER timeline.

I guess another question is this:  What's the long-term plan?  Once you're in the apartment, what next?  Wait for a housing crash and buy your house at a discount?  Buy another 2br at a discount?

deborah

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2014, 09:25:18 PM »
I'd find somewhere I liked to live. There is surely more than one place available that gives the same returns.

deborah

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2014, 10:46:47 PM »
Anyone else living in a space they feel is a sacrifice? ... At 50yrs old? -It seemed easier at 20 ;-) Am I selfish for wanting to work downtown a Toronto, live close to transit, a 5 min public transit commute,  walk to grocery store everyday, safe lovely neighbourhood. To me, these are my luxuries.

Please tell me about the sustainability or stress/unhappiness  of perceived sacrifice.
That's why I said that there was surely somewhere else with the same advantages - you clearly would not be happy moving to the appartment, the way you feel about it.

Can you build a granny flat in the back yard (with all the changes that make it easier to stay living there when you get old and decrepit), and live there while renting out the house? If you are FI, does $20,000 a year matter? And when you retire, do you really want to stay where you are (when I retired my answer was yes)?

TerriM

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2014, 11:02:39 PM »
I don't know anything about Toronto RE, but I also believe a correction will come for SF Bay RE, but stock market needs to fall and hiring needs to freeze first.  $20K/yr is a lot.  I'm not sure, though, if I'd sell until I wanted to retire, and then just go somewhere else since you don't need to work.  Selling to move into a rental apartment two doors down on a street that you're not thrilled with doesn't sound like a great idea unless you only need a year or two more years to leave. 

You can also try to rent after you retire and catch the next up market, probably 5-8 years from now.

TerriM

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2014, 11:31:05 PM »
Anyone else living in a space they feel is a sacrifice? ... At 50yrs old? -It seemed easier at 20 ;-) some would call me complainy pants I suppose.  Am I selfish for wanting to work downtown a Toronto, live close to transit, a 5 min public transit commute,  walk to grocery store everyday, safe lovely neighbourhood. To me, these are my luxuries.

Please tell me about the sustainability or stress/unhappiness  of perceived sacrifice.

BTW:  Yes.  We feel the space is a sacrifice in multiple ways.....  It's easier when you don't have the kids.  You sound like you need a break, though.  Why not brainstorm what beautiful cities are nearby that you're going to retire to?  Maybe when you find one, you can tour some homes and decide whether the time is now, or you need to wait.

BigBangWeary

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2014, 11:43:41 PM »
As someone who follows the Canadian real estate situation carefully, I would also suggest you move. The thing is, if prices decline as predicted (even by the BOC now), the issues may not only be loss of equity, but an inability to move at all. In a real estate crash, no one is buying much even if it is a great location. If you needed to move for any reason (healthy, etc) you might be forced to wait a long time. Right now you have options.

My two cents. And good luck!

Dee18

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2014, 05:01:34 PM »
Your place sounds wonderful!  I would stay since yo seem to love it.

Cassie

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2014, 06:09:46 PM »
I would stay because your place is perfectly located & you love it!  Also it is not too big with a hubby that needs a home work space & adult kids that will come to visit/stay overnight.  We live in 1400 sq ft which was a downsize for us & it is perfect.  Also my home is very important to me. It has to be inviting, comfortable, etc.  We need 2 home offices because we each work from home now.  I would really think this through because sometimes other things are more important then having more $.

deborah

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2014, 10:30:25 PM »
It really does sound like the new place would be better for you. How long would the rental agreement be for?

BigBangWeary

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2014, 10:40:48 PM »
Thanks Joanie, I thought of it all by myself ;)

As you say, real estate (especially in Canada post 2000) is a very emotional subject. Trying to separate emotion from it is very difficult. I would strongly suggest that based on rent rates, income levels, and personal debt levels, it would be hard to deny that Canadian real estate (especially in Toronto and Vancouver) is way out of whack. The Bank of Canada, the IMF, the Economist magazine, the OECD, Moodys, etc. etc. all now admit this. I highly doubt that interest rates will never rise again, and when they do, the record household debt levels in Canada will take care of this major deviation.

But that doesn't really matter if you love your home and do not want to move. You also state that you do not need the appreciation value to be FI. From what I understand, you are also able to afford the $30,000 per year in housing costs even with your husband retired.

So the question comes down to why you are asking yourself about moving. If you drill down, there is something bothering you about this situation and only you will be able to ultimately decide.


deborah

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2014, 06:56:07 AM »
Places with a lot of common areas (pool, gym...) tend to have horrific condo fees

BPA

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2014, 06:56:47 AM »
My question is do you need to live in Toronto?

If you are FI and your husband is planning to retire soon, why not move to another city?  There are plenty of good places to live outside of Toronto that have GO service to downtown.  I am soooooo glad I got the hell out of Toronto after I finished school.  I like to visit sometimes, but really find it much more pleasant and cheaper to live in the burbs of Hamilton.  Downtown Toronto is only an hour away by train or bus. 

I find walkscore annoying.  The walkscore where I live is 53 and yet I don't own a car and have a pretty fantastic life.  I socialize plenty and have access to all I need.

The way I see it, you have plenty of options.  The barrier is whether or not you want to reframe your wants.


nereo

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2014, 06:58:39 AM »
Hi Joanie

It sounds to me like you are contemplating two things: 1) the chance of a real-estate market 'correction', and 2) whether your current housing situation is ideal for you.
Starting with #1 - this is a classic case of trying to time the market.  Nobody knows if a correction will happen in the next few years, and nobody knows whether it will be minor or major.  There is always a chorus of market doomsayers trying to out-shout a chorus of "happy-days-are-ahead" - sometimes one side yells louder than the others, but that doesn't make them any more likely to be right.  Thankfully, your decision shouldn't be based on market corrections at all, which brings us to ... #2), whether your current housing situation is ideal for you.  You have an ideal situation where you are (or are very close to) FI with your current house.  This means you can evaluate your decision independently from the money factor.  The only thing downsizing will do for you financially is add another level of security to your FI.  This can be nice, but it isn't as important as simply choosing the best housing option for you.

BigBangWeary

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #14 on: December 16, 2014, 12:27:50 PM »
Good point about the Go Train. Toronto is great, and may offer some huge advantages, but if you are looking to downsize and solidify your gains, it doesn't need to mean you lose your access to T.O. and all it has to offer. Lots of great bedroom and retirement communities around the GTA that would allow you and your husband to still enjoy the big city without the headache.

TerriM

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #15 on: December 16, 2014, 10:50:59 PM »
Wow.  That is a pretty nasty Condo fee.  So essentially you pay as much in condo fees as you would in rent if you moved.  In that case, I would sell now and move next door but only if you're ok with the price on that rental going up because once you rent, that will be beyond your control.

How long until you retire?

frugaliknowit

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #16 on: December 17, 2014, 04:40:48 AM »
A couple of thoughts:

"I feel a market correction looming and could lose easily $100,000 to 200,000"

     Well, what if you make a move and am wrong?  RE prices cannot be predicted consistently (though I've got to say, from what I've heard about what's going on North of the border, I tend to agree...).  Furthermore, even if you are "right", you need to be right twice:  When do you get back in?  You're going to try to call the bottom?  South of the border, depending on the market, we are mostly "in recovery".

I think you need to ask yourself how much square footage you want and base your housing decision on that (whether renting or buying).


rmendpara

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #17 on: December 17, 2014, 08:23:28 AM »
How would our MMM community decide?

If I moved my family from a rare 3 bedroom townhouse to a 2 bedroom apartment on the same street, I could save $20,000 after Canadian tax dollars per year and cash in before a correction in the market. I don't love apartments - they feel figuratively and literally un-grounded to me. Kids are in university and only come back at holidays and summers. I feel a market correction looming and could lose easily $100,000 to 200,000, in that correction, I think - of course all speculation! (this is still above what we paid for it- no capital loss, we would just miss out on the appreciation over the past 10 years). We don't need to save much more for FI.  I've always 'splurged' on living in good locations and nice places, but lived MMM frugal in most other ways now for 30 years.  How would you make your decision?

Would you move to save $20,000/year and keep the current value of the home,  if it felt like a big sacrifice AND you didn't need to save more money.  How would our MMM community decide?

It doesn't seem like a horribly unreasonable cost. The condo fees are a concern, but I don't know what's normal in Toronto.

Also, 600k for 1,000sqft doesn't seem outrageous. Somewhat similar to NYC metro?

Two separate issues:
1) Moving to save costs
2) Moving to avoid a potential drop in real estate value

#1: Nothing wrong with this. Could you get more happiness from an extra 20k per year in some other way while still being happy overall? Seems this could easily pay for one small car plus insurance and city center parking pass to make getting into town easy, while still having 10k+ left to try other things.
#2: You "feel" an impending market slowdown? This is stupid. A home is a place to live, so what do you care what it's worth? The price will no doubt go up and down over the next 10+ years.

Assuming I had met my financial goals, I would only move if I had use(s) for the extra 20k that would give me more happiness overall than the alternative (staying in the existing area).

I don't know your overall financial situation, so hard to judge how significant 20k/yr is. What's your budget if you stay?
« Last Edit: December 17, 2014, 08:29:41 AM by rmendpara »

Bob W

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #18 on: March 04, 2015, 12:37:49 PM »
Here is my take.  Sell while you think the real estate market is hot.  (you'll be wrong of course).   Move to the apartment.  I see this as insurance.

Then when you are ready to really FI, ditch Canada for most of the year.  Sure Toronto is great and you have friends and family there but wouldn't you really rather live somewhere where short sleeve shirts and flip flops worked all year long.   

You can rent a very nice place in any number of southern locals (think Belize, Panama, Ecuador) for a pittance.   The money you make off the interest on you home sale can pay the airfare for the kids to visit as frequent as they like. 

Life is too short for shitty weather. 

rocketman48097

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #19 on: March 04, 2015, 01:01:14 PM »
I would only move IF you promised not to buy another home and invest the difference in stocks.  Often times the very cheapest decision is to stay put.  At some point, I may not have a house payment, and that would be a tax free windfall when that happens.  I currently have a 2.75% five year ARM, so I am not paying extra on my mortgage, with 47% equity in it I am not going to lock up more capital. 

The cost to sell a house far outweighs any benefits of buying a small house, in my opinion. 

Exflyboy

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2015, 01:14:44 PM »
So I resisted colouring the discussion as Joan-eh knows my feelings on the matter.

But yes I would wham it too.. into a small rented apartment and when ready to FIRE go look at other locations.

Actually thats what we are looking at, although thankfully I have no fees apart from $1700 a year RE taxes.


MLKnits

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #21 on: March 04, 2015, 03:45:50 PM »
It blows my mind that anyone is still buying in Toronto--and I think that feeling is growing. Market timing is a bad plan, but man ... you should seriously think about cashing out.

Have you looked in other neighbourhoods for rental options? I ask because I have friends at Lansdowne and Bloor with a GORGEOUS four-floor townhouse rental, with a garage, a big (fairly private) roof patio, and a balcony for $1900/m. They're close to the subway and to pretty much anything else anyone needs. If I were in your position, I'd swap yours for theirs--and for the profit on the sale--in a heartbeat.

TheOldestYoungMan

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #22 on: March 04, 2015, 03:51:54 PM »
Condo fees and their dastardly cousin HOA fees are horrible.  Best of luck to you!

Exflyboy

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Re: would you move to cut costs/cash in, even if FI?
« Reply #23 on: March 04, 2015, 04:01:49 PM »
Move,move,move,move!!!

Sorry that chanting made me sound "American" us Brits don't normally do that..:)

Oh and Rent,rent rent...:)