Planning for Retirement? Start Here...

A pending retirement is an exciting time. Whether you look forward to more travel, relaxation, starting a new hobby, or even launching a new career or business, many consider this milestone as an opportunity to “rightsize” their home and consider other locations. Here are some important things to consider before your next big move.

Location

Location is more than a mailing address. You’ll want to consider a home’s proximity to urban centers, which tend to offer a wide variety of cultural activities, recreation, and dining options. It’s also important to note the location relative to an international airport, such as RDU, if you like to travel frequently.

Medical Care

Proximity to great medical care is another important factor to consider when choosing where to retire, such as UNC & Duke Hospitals in addition to their respective clinics.

Living Expenses

When switching to a fixed income, living expenses should be considered as well. These include property taxes (Chatham, for example, is roughly half that of neighboring Counties), HOA dues, membership fees, and utility costs.

Size

The size of a community is an important part of the community experience for residents. For instance, larger communities may offer more activities and amenities (such as Briar Chapel) while smaller ones may be able to offer more comfort and relaxation with the reduced number of residents (like Chapelwood). If you’re interested in maintaining an active lifestyle and making lots of friends, a larger community may be a better choice than a smaller one. 

Active Adult vs. Planned Communities

55+ communities (such as Encore in Briar Chapel or Chatham Park), also known as an active adult or age-restricted communities, are becoming increasingly popular throughout the U.S. With an emphasis on lifestyle, these active adult communities tend to offer resort-style amenities and enrichment programs, but not everyone is ready to restrict who their neighbor might be. 

Get Help

We are standing by to help you determine if there is a community in the Triangle that best suits your changing needs, whether you are planning for retirement in the future or just celebrated your last day of work. We also have a rightsizing specialist that can do a walkthrough of your home, and start putting a plan together to help you prepare... even if you're a year or two away from retirement! 

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