We bought a second (vacation) home three years ago in Idaho. We got so fed up with California horrendous governance (taxes, illegals, crime, graffiti, wasteful spending on trains, WOKE crap, etc) we bought in Idaho. Now I’ve got two homes to maintain. Ugh. Fortunately, I do enjoy expunged things in good repair and improvements, but it sure does take time.
Renting sounds great at times!
.....”Renting sounds great at times!”.....
It’s a big decision to change from owner to renter. But I decided doing so decades ago when all on my own again. It was a good call for me since I’ve relocated 20 plus times in my life.
I’ve also learned your kids really don’t want your stuff. So I gave them what the little they did and have rolled on ever since.
Can't blame you for wanting to get out of California. I doubt you're like my cousin though, who ended up dying at 78 a few years ago, and left his widow with a mess. His first wife had died, and he'd remarried a few years later. He had three properties he rented out, and never bothered to explain anything to her in case he dropped dead. He still had mortgages on all three properties, which at his age was a dumb move. He must have thought he was going to live forever.
His widow wasn't even on any of the deeds, as he had purchased them long before they married. However, the lawyer who was handling the estate, told her she needed to go around to collect the rents. Of course, once the tenants found out he was dead, they refused to pay. I told her it wasn't her responsibility to collect the rents since she wasn't connected to the mortgages. It all eventually got straightened out, but she went through hell in the days and months after he passed. He'd named his only daughter as the executrix, and she hated his second wife for no other reason than he'd remarried after her mother died. I felt bad for her, and was glad I'd never had to deal with anything like that.
For somebody my age, renting is the best option. The people who own this small complex, own a bunch of other property too. I've been here 20 years, and they've been good when it comes to fixing, or replacing things when they break. If I told you what my rent was, you'd think I lived on skid row, but the place is well-kept, in a decent section of a small city in central New York State. When they've raised my rent over the years, it's only been in $10 increments once a year. The annex of the community college is just down the street from me, along with a large business park that sprang up when the air base here closed under the Clintons. I've got a 2-bedroom apartment with central air, garbage disposal, dishwasher, fridge, and stove. Two big walk-in closets, and a good sized closet in the spare bedroom, plus a storage unit in the basement. Washer and dryer in the basement as well, but I prefer taking my laundry to the laundromat so I don't have to climb up and down the stairs. There's plenty of room for me, and it's a quiet place. I deliberately picked the top floor because I didn't want to have anyone living over me. Hopefully I can stay here until I die, so all they'll have to do is carry me down the stairs, or slide me down the bannister.