From Marketwatch.com: Last year, 66-year-old Lauren Knoblauch sold or donated nearly everything she owned, from her two-bedroom home on a suburban Seattle lake to her furniture and many of her clothes. She moved everything else, two small carloads’ worth, into her new home: a downtown apartment that, at less than 150 sq. ft., is smaller than the average U.S. master bedroom. Read more.
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From WSJ.com: The supply of senior housing is expanding at a rapid clip in many major metropolitan areas across the Sunbelt and elsewhere, raising concerns that builders are racing ahead of demand. Analysts said the building spree could lead to higher vacancy rates and lower rent increases for real-estate firms that own housing dedicated to seniors. Shares of big U.S. companies that own a lot of senior housing have already tumbled this year as investors fret over rising interest rates. Read more
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Once you’ve paid for your house, how much will it cost you? This is a crucial issue for anyone looking ahead to retirement. The more expensive your home, the more of a drain it’ll likely be in terms of property taxes, maintenance, homeowners insurance and more. Suppose you own a home that, in addition to any mortgage payment, costs $1,000 a month. You then get a fat pay raise, prompting you to trade up to a larger house, which has double the monthly expenses. Read more.
If you stay in the larger home during retirement, you’ll need to come up with $2,000 a month, equal to $24,000 a year. Based on a 4% annual portfolio withdrawal rate, that would mean $600,000 in retirement savings just to pay your housing costs, versus $300,000 for the smaller home.
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