In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Home Sweet Home

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

Akaisha and Billy at a Thai resort. Photo by Steve Kramer

The cost of housing is one of the biggest conundrums to face when crafting your personal retirement dream.

Because of this, you could be asking yourself questions such as the following:

Should we keep our current home and all the corresponding expenses like property tax, insurance, repairs and maintenance? Maybe we need to downsize so we can afford the retirement lifestyle we want? Should I relocate someplace different all together; a place with better weather and lower cost of living? How about if we travel part time, snowbird, house sit, or not own a home at all and rent instead?

The good news is that no matter where you are financially and emotionally on this topic, there are more options today than ever before. You are sure to find solutions that will fit your situation.

Take a look below at some of our viable suggestions for the retirement housing challenge.

Keeping your home

If you want to mix travel with keeping your permanent residence, you could do a home exchange with other home owners around the world, or choose to join a house sitting organization. This is a win-win situation, as you will be saving money on lodging while you travel, and your own home will be taken care of while you are away. Each party in the exchange takes care of plants, pets, and other small maintenance requirements like cleaning the pool or hot tub during their stay.

If keeping your home is a priority but finances are a consideration, some people are choosing to rent out a room, a section of their home, or a cottage on their property on a more-or-less permanent basis. This works out especially well if your home town has appealing tourist options like a winery nearby, professional sports stadiums, museums, mountains to climb or a beach. In this way, you could host a tourist and charge for their lodging, or take on a roommate. This idea has become very popular with both sides of the coin in this trade.

If you are single, there are house sharing organizations, living in community networks and groups advertising finding the ideal roommate or flatmate. You no longer need to pay for all the expenses of owning a home if you choose this sharing approach to housing.

Downsizing

If downsizing suits you better, how does one go about it? Do you want to downsize and live in the same town or state? Would you rather find states or countries with better costs of living, better weather, and friendlier tax policies? Maybe you like the urban style, living right in the city with restaurants, gymnasiums and shopping all within walking distance? You might even want to live in an Active Adult Community where social activities are scheduled and you have access to swimming pools, tennis courts, golf memberships, lapidaries, computer rooms and work out equipment.

Travel is for me

If you are one of those who’d like to make up for lost time and travel through your Golden years, you don’t have to give up luxury. As we mentioned, there are countless house sitting opportunities where you could care for a home for weeks or months at a time. Or hit the road in an RV and tour the country or live on a boat or cruise ship! You can even rent an apart/hotel room in various locations around the world, and get to know an exotic city like Chapala, Mexico, Chiangmai, Thailand or Panajachel, Guatemala first hand. These furnished apartment/hotel rooms have kitchens, provide housekeeping, WiFi and all utilities. Some countries offer room rentals in their centrally located homes in cities like London, Singapore or Rome.

The perpetual question

No matter what you choose to do today, time accumulates and life moves on. One day you might find yourself in need of assisted living or long term care. This is the housing consideration years down the road. You could choose to age in place, join communities which provide for progressive care or move to a different, more affordable country as this need presses.

Wherever you find yourself with this perpetual question of housing, enjoy where you are. Take advantage of the options and opportunities that best fit your situation.

There are many ways to live a life. What's your plan?

What's Your Number? - How much money do you need to retire?

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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