Thought I would put another view for people to consider as they reach FI
We were mid fifties when we could both retire, living in the snow/ice belt, and our kids had moved away. We looked at all our options, and visited retirement communities, our hometowns, and many small towns to take a look. DH had gone through three bouts with cancer, three back and two shoulder operations from various mishaps so our criteria for a house was different than most others
We moved to a 55+ community in Florida.
There are many swimming pools, and DH is in a masters swim group. He competes around the state and it has done wonders for his physical and mental health. As an artist I have access to pottery, glass and painting studios. We can walk, bike and swim year round, but you have to watch the heat in the summer. Our large flower beds are gone, and we have a small lot with a nice house, one story. We also have some nice features, like no threshold to access the house from the garage and a Roman shower, very easy access with a built in seat. I play pickle all, water volleyball all kinds of dance and exercise, and use the car once a month at most. Within three flat miles there are two grocery stores, two farmers markets on different days, a library, two drug stores, pools, rec centers with ping pong and billiard tables and my primary md office. DH drives the car more because he loves riding in his dream convertible. There are always fundraiser for the local schools and veterans, animal rescues, and soldiers abroad. Habitat for humanity is very active here as well. Our covenants are very restrictive , but we don't mind. I lived in a planned community up north and we had no problems. Our house value held up well when it was time to sell, not like some of the local towns.
Although we have an amenities fee of $135 per month, we have no state income tax, and our utility bill is about $75 less per month. We have no YMCA fee, which we paid $70 per month to keep DH in the water for his health. Our taxes are 1/4 of what they were back home. I am glad to pay my school tax, much lower here because of more taxpayers per kid, I believe in investing in the local community youth.
So although a majority of people who post here would think no way, I just wanted to give another point of view.
By the way, this weekend we were at a swim meet. A 99 year old guy dove In The pool, swam the crawl four lengths and claimed out on the ladder unassisted. An 87 yo woman started from the blocks and did the butterfly. It was amazing to see such vibrant alive people.
