Retirement Path Getting More Clear – I’m Headed for the Desert

I’m just back from an absolutely wonderful, relaxing vacation in Arizona.  We went down and spent just under a week with my Aunt and Uncle in Lake Havasu.  They have a beautiful house there on a golf course in a gated community that they spend the winters at.  It was better than a 5 star resort.  Our daughter spent hours and hours in their swimming pool while we all sat in the sun with our cocktails.  After being in the Pacific Northwest all winter, it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

When it’s finally time to retire, I don’t think we would pick Lake Havasu as our winter retirement destination simply because it’s a bit of a pain to get there.  We flew in to Las Vegas and then had about 2.5 hours of driving ahead of us to get to Lake Havasu.  I think we will most likely look in the greater Phoenix area for a “winter” retirement home when we finally do retire just because it’s much easier to get to.

While I was there, I couldn’t help but look at real estate.  Prices there have really taken a beating during this recession.  What once sold for $700K is now selling for just over half that.  It’s really kind of shocking to see prices that have dropped that much.  I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for all those people that bought during the peak and are now under water.  While it’s horrible news for them, it’s actually quite an opportunity for us.  I don’t think we’ll buy a place now but it’s good to know that prices are much more reasonable when we do decide to buy.  I’m basically betting that prices won’t go sky high by the time we are ready to buy something down there.

After spending 6 days there, it has become VERY clear to me that I’m going to spend the winters in Arizona.  Even if prices do come up significantly before we are ready to buy, I’ll still spend the winters down there one way or another.  If we are able to meet our retirement goals, it shouldn’t be too tough to afford either a rental there, or a more modest home.  Heck, even a single wide would be okay and they are less than $50K.