Winter Escapes for retirees

[dmclone]

My 82 y/o mother is getting sick of northern Iowa winters and is talking about spending a couple of months in a warmer climate.

• She doesn't plan on taking a car so being close to everything is important
• She is very social so being around other retirees is important.
• She's think of spending something like Jan 1 through Mar 1.
• Since she'll still be paying for her apartment in Iowa, she probably won't have a ton to spend. Maybe $1,200 month max.
• She is thinking Arizona but I think she would be open to other areas like Florida, California, Nevada, etc.
• She would be open to an apartment, mobile home, etc.

I've done a little research but it seems like everything focuses on permanent residents. The places I see on AirBNB don't seem to focus on retirees.

Any ideas?

 

[Go2Guy]

I'm in the same experience with Dad; now Mom has passed, he wants outta Iowa during the winters. Looking at Naples, FL and Wimberley, TX.

 

[3GenClone]

My parents are planning on retiring within the next 2 years and they narrowed down their choices to AZ, FL, and TX. It mostly had a lot to do with the tax laws in those states. From what they said, Texas was by far the most tax-friendly, but the vibe my parents got when the spoke with people originally from the Midwest that made the move to TX in the winter months they were all kind of treated like they're wearing scarlet letters when conversing with native-Texans and most wound up back in Iowa.

I think AZ has been pretty welcoming towards Iowans. I had a friend of mine move out there shortly after college and he checked in on his grandpa frequently down there. Lots of great communities, and a surprisingly large number of Iowans are located down there too.

 

[CtownCyclone]

Back when my grandpa was still alive, he and grandma would winter in the south. They had a sweet motor home and stayed in that when they were down there. They went to both Texas and Arizona. I believe they liked Arizona much better than Texas - Grandma always told me how bad it was in Texas when I lived there (although I didn't have a problem with it).

 

[fsanford]

Southern Nevada. things to do, not state taxes, moderate climate in the winter
Henderson, Boulder City, Laughlin. (If you don't want to move to Vegas.)

 

[DeftOne]

My parents are planning on retiring within the next 2 years and they narrowed down their choices to AZ, FL, and TX. It mostly had a lot to do with the tax laws in those states. From what they said, Texas was by far the most tax-friendly, but the vibe my parents got when the spoke with people originally from the Midwest that made the move to TX in the winter months they were all kind of treated like they're wearing scarlet letters when conversing with native-Texans and most wound up back in Iowa.

I think AZ has been pretty welcoming towards Iowans. I had a friend of mine move out there shortly after college and he checked in on his grandpa frequently down there. Lots of great communities, and a surprisingly large number of Iowans are located down there too.

I did a co-op in Dallas when I was in college about 20 years ago. Every time someone asked where I was from and I told them Iowa, the overwhelming response I got was "Well, you ain't nothin' but a Yankee!". Sadly, many of of them were not joking. Don't get me wrong, they were mostly nice otherwise, but that whole North/South thing is still alive and well, apparently. smh

 

[AgronAlum]

My grandparents overwinter in McAllen TX and have a modular that they live in while they're down there. They do own the place so I'm not sure who takes care of it during the other months of the year. I think you might be hard pressed finding a place for a couple months a year. I think most winter birds pay for a place the whole year.

 

[kcbob79clone]

We live fulltime in our RV and travel the country to try and stay in the 70 degree band. While TX and FL are popular the humidity is also higher than AZ. Look in the Phoenix area where there are a lot of Iowans and a lot of retirees. A mega sized park in Mesa would have all the activities and a few offer shuttles to shopping and entertainment.

Hope this helps,

--
Bob & Jo (Full-time RV'ng since 09/10/2009 and loving it!)
Our travel blog: http://bobandjotravelblog.blogspot.com/
Our travel photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobandjotravel/sets/
Our RV - 2015 Lifestyle LS38RS
Our Tow Vehicle - 2010 Ford F-350 DRW

 

[Dr.bannedman]

My 82 y/o mother is getting sick of northern Iowa winters and is talking about spending a couple of months in a warmer climate.

• She doesn't plan on taking a car so being close to everything is important
• She is very social so being around other retirees is important.
• She's think of spending something like Jan 1 through Mar 1.
• Since she'll still be paying for her apartment in Iowa, she probably won't have a ton to spend. Maybe $1,200 month max.
• She is thinking Arizona but I think she would be open to other areas like Florida, California, Nevada, etc.
• She would be open to an apartment, mobile home, etc.

I've done a little research but it seems like everything focuses on permanent residents. The places I see on AirBNB don't seem to focus on retirees.

Any ideas?

I'm in the same experience with Dad; now Mom has passed, he wants outta Iowa during the winters. Looking at Naples, FL and Wimberley, TX.

please hook them up

 

[Bobber]

Just got back from San Diego. Man did I love it there! Arizona and Florida are popular. My folks go to Texas, but some winters can be cold down there.

 

[cyfan92]

They won't be as warm as Arizona, S Texas, and S Florida... But between Gulfport, Mississippi and Panama City, Florida; there are crazy inventories of rental property in that general part of the country.

Weather looks decent
-http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/gulfport/mississippi/united-states/usms0145
-https://www.gulfshores.com/travel-tools/snowbirds/clubs.aspx#sm.00145dx6e11wdf7sytb1fdtvmuvsm

 

[MeanDean]

I'm in FL and love it. Yes it can be humid but the weather in winter is probably the most reliably warm as long as you stay below about the Orlando latitude.

For that money and just during season you may find a smaller older mobile home or a one bedroom condo. Remember that the renters in almost every case must earn enough to pay for taxes, unit upkeep, and HOA's for the entire year if they rent during season only - versus for a whole year. So it may seem 'high' when you think of it as a monthly rent, but they have no renters the rest of the year.

Generally along the Gulf or Atlantic Coast the costs are higher than inland. And the further South you go the higher the rents. Look for places inland. It's also somewhat a decent cultural fit as agriculture is big-time here, even though most people don't think of Florida as an Ag state beyond oranges and grapefruit.

 

[BCClone]

They won't be as warm as Arizona, S Texas, and S Florida... But between Gulfport, Mississippi and Panama City, Florida; there are crazy inventories of rental property in that general part of the country.

Weather looks decent
-http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/gulfport/mississippi/united-states/usms0145
-https://www.gulfshores.com/travel-tools/snowbirds/clubs.aspx#sm.00145dx6e11wdf7sytb1fdtvmuvsm

Katrina probably assisted with the vacancies.

 

[capitalcityguy]

My in-laws went to Phoenix/Mesa area for a few months every winter. They always just leased from someone who owned a park trailer in a retirement community. This happens often where near retirees buy a park trailer prior to retirement, and then lease it out for a few seasons before they are ready to start using it themselves. Worked great for them. AZ is nice too because it is a destination for MANY midwesterns. The east coasters tend to do Florida.