Perfect place to retire to?
Discussion
GetCarter said:
Empty roads 8 months of the year, zero car crime, nobody locks doors (homes or cars), stunning scenery, free healthcare, doctors appointments on the same day, proper clean air, friendly neighbours, no traffic jams, low cost housing, no tuition fees, free hospital car parking, excellent old age social care, virtually no violent crime...
... bugger: can't do 20C I'm afraid. Good luck with the rest
Where are you talking about?... bugger: can't do 20C I'm afraid. Good luck with the rest
CharlesdeGaulle said:
K50 DEL said:
That said, I'm finding DuoLingo really helpful at the moment, for a free language teaching option it's not too bad at all
Thanks, I'll have a look at it. My mum is Portuguese and I understand it better now than ever thanks to Duolingo although I could always get by I couldn’t hold a coherent conversation. Embarrassing at family reunions!
I need a retirement pad near Lisbon, somewhere quiet but not too far from the city...
vixen1700 said:
Wacky Racer said:
Fish & chips at The Magpie in Whitby
Probably the coldest I've ever been in my life was on a Bram Stoker walk in Whitby in late October. The wind from the North Sea literally cut you in half.Jeez, I gauge cold weather against that, and nothing has come close since. f
k me that was cold. k this, it's far too cold.
Well, 24h later and I am overwhelmed - thank you all. Lots have similar needs - access to countryside, friendly natives and low traffic. Portugal wasn't on my radar but is now, I'll go and explore.
Not many have mentioned the US, put off by the cost of healthcare it seems. Let's say that isn't an issue and I can get coverage, where is 'quality' living?
Not many have mentioned the US, put off by the cost of healthcare it seems. Let's say that isn't an issue and I can get coverage, where is 'quality' living?
br d said:
languagetimothy said:
I recently moved to Portugal. Ive had an apartment here for years so a home was already here.
I'm 56 but retired five years ago. With a couple of small pensions that are more than enough to cover all my outgoings (utilities, food etc.,) with quite a bit left over. Could survive on them alone easily.
My London house was sold giving me a good wedge to invest. Of course behing PH I bought new car, Ibiza FR Sport. Food is cheaper as is the vino (I for found a particularly good one that's Eur 6 for five litres!) some places with happy hour I'm paying 80c for a pint of Sagres.
It's a bit chilly here today but sunny. Around Christmas I could be found having a beer in the sun wearing a T-shirt.
Getting to the uk back if needed is easy as is elsewhere in Europe.
Most of December was spent at the GFs place which is only about 20mins drive away on some very good twisties..
Aaaah
Can I just say well done to you mate, you seem to have pretty much nailed it there.I'm 56 but retired five years ago. With a couple of small pensions that are more than enough to cover all my outgoings (utilities, food etc.,) with quite a bit left over. Could survive on them alone easily.
My London house was sold giving me a good wedge to invest. Of course behing PH I bought new car, Ibiza FR Sport. Food is cheaper as is the vino (I for found a particularly good one that's Eur 6 for five litres!) some places with happy hour I'm paying 80c for a pint of Sagres.
It's a bit chilly here today but sunny. Around Christmas I could be found having a beer in the sun wearing a T-shirt.
Getting to the uk back if needed is easy as is elsewhere in Europe.
Most of December was spent at the GFs place which is only about 20mins drive away on some very good twisties..
Aaaah
I'm a similar age to you and could retire now but find I still enjoy my work too much, if I was forced I think I'd look at Cyprus.
I'm immersed in the locals, many of whom do speak a bit of English, but studying myself too.
Anyone interested in PT might want to look north of Lisbon which is where I am, about an hours drive. Great places around here and wonderful coastline.
In the meantime, gratitious pic of the recent purchase:
Devon for me and have every intention of buying a holiday cottage down there at some point.
May not be overly glamorous but living abroad wouldn't do much for me, happy to holiday abroad. I have loved Devon since I was a kid, I would gladly live in a decent sized detached property, space for cars, not overlooked by anyone and out in the countryside.
May not be overly glamorous but living abroad wouldn't do much for me, happy to holiday abroad. I have loved Devon since I was a kid, I would gladly live in a decent sized detached property, space for cars, not overlooked by anyone and out in the countryside.
vindaloo79 said:
GetCarter said:
Empty roads 8 months of the year, zero car crime, nobody locks doors (homes or cars), stunning scenery, free healthcare, doctors appointments on the same day, proper clean air, friendly neighbours, no traffic jams, low cost housing, no tuition fees, free hospital car parking, excellent old age social care, virtually no violent crime...
... bugger: can't do 20C I'm afraid. Good luck with the rest
Where are you talking about?... bugger: can't do 20C I'm afraid. Good luck with the rest
It ain't warm though!
bloomen said:
2nd building plots are 5-20x less or near free in the places experiencing depopulation.
Houses also seem to stick around forever and of course you have the French inheritance thing where one shack might be owned by 12 squabbling descendants.
We have a house in rural France (Sarthe/72) - and this is very true. Since the financial collapse in the late 00s the Paris the Parisiens, the Dutch and the Brits all stopped buying, and that was the only reason the market had any buoyancy. Houses also seem to stick around forever and of course you have the French inheritance thing where one shack might be owned by 12 squabbling descendants.
We have a lot of properties nearby which are lying empty. One even has the crockery still on the table from Breakfast. Squabbling families are the main reason.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
K50 DEL said:
That said, I'm finding DuoLingo really helpful at the moment, for a free language teaching option it's not too bad at all
Thanks, I'll have a look at it. But as K50 DEL says, you need to allocate time and just dive in.
Puggit said:
bloomen said:
2nd building plots are 5-20x less or near free in the places experiencing depopulation.
Houses also seem to stick around forever and of course you have the French inheritance thing where one shack might be owned by 12 squabbling descendants.
We have a house in rural France (Sarthe/72) - and this is very true. Since the financial collapse in the late 00s the Paris the Parisiens, the Dutch and the Brits all stopped buying, and that was the only reason the market had any buoyancy. Houses also seem to stick around forever and of course you have the French inheritance thing where one shack might be owned by 12 squabbling descendants.
We have a lot of properties nearby which are lying empty. One even has the crockery still on the table from Breakfast. Squabbling families are the main reason.
Whilst it's frustrating in that sort of circumstance, the inheritance laws insisting on an even split have had far more of an impact on farming there, as French farms are invariably tiny and inefficient as a result.
For anyone considering retiring overseas, I'd ask two questions....
1. Have you thought about what will happen when you're no longer in such good health?
2. Will you be able to afford to keep a property in the UK?
We lived in the South of France for three years when I was a kid, and whilst it was absolutely amazing to have the Med 15 minutes away and the closest ski stations an hour away when you're young, fit and healthy, there were a vast number of people who'd retired out there from the UK, enjoyed the first few years of their retirement, and then become increasingly desperate and miserable as they'd grown older and more frail, because they didn't have access to the same sort of healthcare they would on the NHS (which is doubtless going to become a problem again with Brexit) and couldn't afford to move back home, because they'd sold up here thinking they could always sell up and move back, only to find that English property prices had way outstripped French ones, and they could no longer afford anything back home.
If money was no object, I'd love to have a nice home in the UK, a ski chalet high up in the French Alps and a villa on the North coast of Spain or somewhere in Italy, but I would never consider either of the second options unless I'd got the first one nailed.
1. Have you thought about what will happen when you're no longer in such good health?
2. Will you be able to afford to keep a property in the UK?
We lived in the South of France for three years when I was a kid, and whilst it was absolutely amazing to have the Med 15 minutes away and the closest ski stations an hour away when you're young, fit and healthy, there were a vast number of people who'd retired out there from the UK, enjoyed the first few years of their retirement, and then become increasingly desperate and miserable as they'd grown older and more frail, because they didn't have access to the same sort of healthcare they would on the NHS (which is doubtless going to become a problem again with Brexit) and couldn't afford to move back home, because they'd sold up here thinking they could always sell up and move back, only to find that English property prices had way outstripped French ones, and they could no longer afford anything back home.
If money was no object, I'd love to have a nice home in the UK, a ski chalet high up in the French Alps and a villa on the North coast of Spain or somewhere in Italy, but I would never consider either of the second options unless I'd got the first one nailed.
Alex_225 said:
Devon for me and have every intention of buying a holiday cottage down there at some point.
May not be overly glamorous but living abroad wouldn't do much for me, happy to holiday abroad. I have loved Devon since I was a kid, I would gladly live in a decent sized detached property, space for cars, not overlooked by anyone and out in the countryside.
Cornwall has tightened the policy on homes being bought up as holiday pads although i'm not sure this has yet extended to Devon but worth checking....May not be overly glamorous but living abroad wouldn't do much for me, happy to holiday abroad. I have loved Devon since I was a kid, I would gladly live in a decent sized detached property, space for cars, not overlooked by anyone and out in the countryside.
Its all about pricing out the locals
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Would you mind providing a few details on this? In particular the average rental yield and does a rental agency handle everything or do you have someone local. I'm asking as I am thinking of buying something in this location - although prices have risen over the past few years.Kermit power said:
For anyone considering retiring overseas, I'd ask two questions....
1. Have you thought about what will happen when you're no longer in such good health?
2. Will you be able to afford to keep a property in the UK?
We lived in the South of France for three years when I was a kid, and whilst it was absolutely amazing to have the Med 15 minutes away and the closest ski stations an hour away when you're young, fit and healthy, there were a vast number of people who'd retired out there from the UK, enjoyed the first few years of their retirement, and then become increasingly desperate and miserable as they'd grown older and more frail, because they didn't have access to the same sort of healthcare they would on the NHS (which is doubtless going to become a problem again with Brexit) and couldn't afford to move back home, because they'd sold up here thinking they could always sell up and move back, only to find that English property prices had way outstripped French ones, and they could no longer afford anything back home.
If money was no object, I'd love to have a nice home in the UK, a ski chalet high up in the French Alps and a villa on the North coast of Spain or somewhere in Italy, but I would never consider either of the second options unless I'd got the first one nailed.
More or less the conclusion we've come to. We'll have a base in the UK and most probably spend the winter on holiday overseas.1. Have you thought about what will happen when you're no longer in such good health?
2. Will you be able to afford to keep a property in the UK?
We lived in the South of France for three years when I was a kid, and whilst it was absolutely amazing to have the Med 15 minutes away and the closest ski stations an hour away when you're young, fit and healthy, there were a vast number of people who'd retired out there from the UK, enjoyed the first few years of their retirement, and then become increasingly desperate and miserable as they'd grown older and more frail, because they didn't have access to the same sort of healthcare they would on the NHS (which is doubtless going to become a problem again with Brexit) and couldn't afford to move back home, because they'd sold up here thinking they could always sell up and move back, only to find that English property prices had way outstripped French ones, and they could no longer afford anything back home.
If money was no object, I'd love to have a nice home in the UK, a ski chalet high up in the French Alps and a villa on the North coast of Spain or somewhere in Italy, but I would never consider either of the second options unless I'd got the first one nailed.
That way we can enjoy different places rather than being confined to our own place abroad.
Yes, we don't have an appreciating asset but we've no kids to worry about so what's left will go to relatives and / or charity.
Steve
SpartacusF said:
Not many have mentioned the US, put off by the cost of healthcare it seems. Let's say that isn't an issue and I can get coverage, where is 'quality' living?
USA - if you ignore health care, lack of decent chocolate, pints and gallons that are too small and that if you are anywhere to the left Jacob Rees-Mogg you’ll be deported for being a commie and higher than most places risk of being shot Lots of places meet the minimum 20C requirement but they are stupidly hot in the summer so you might have to have 2 places, one south (but probably not Florida due to hurricanes) and one north, but even there it gets very hot – was about 100F when I was in New England in summer.
On balance I think there are better to consider!
Kermit power said:
there were a vast number of people who'd retired out there from the UK, enjoyed the first few years of their retirement, and then become increasingly desperate and miserable as they'd grown older and more frail, because they didn't have access to the same sort of healthcare they would on the NHS (which is doubtless going to become a problem again with Brexit) and couldn't afford to move back home, because they'd sold up here thinking they could always sell up and move back, only to find that English property prices had way outstripped French ones, and they could no longer afford anything back home.
I've known lots of British immigrants in France. I've never heard one saying the standard of health provision was lower than the UK. Perhaps it depends on registering yourself correctly which I'm sure a lot didn't bother doing. It's also about family and familiarity of course. I'd say the majority have marooned themselves getting starry eyed about French property and will be stuck there for life. Many of them are in rustic houses without foundations that enjoy splitting down the middle when it gets seriously dry. And they never quite got around to 'finishing them' in the first place.
A few have done it properly and become French citizens but the majority are in limbo and will remain there.
MikeStroud said:
I can think of many places I would love to live but being within an easy commute of kids is the most important factor for me which means I am compromised on where they end up.
I know I am missing a lifestyle I'd love but easy access to my kids is more important.
You just have to hope that the kids will always feel the same.......I know I am missing a lifestyle I'd love but easy access to my kids is more important.
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