I knew someone who owned a Wright home in Oak Park, IL
It’s a labor of love and a bit of an obsession. You buy one because you love the house, the architect and restoration.
He’s no longer with us, a very nice man, gone way too soon. My friend, I’m talking about.
All FLW buildings to me look like that chicken coop in Richard Scarry’s best word book ever. 
But real estate is incredibly personal. Except when it’s impossible…like DS looking for something in NYC.
Nope - different home. Here is Bruce Pearl’s home (and since he recently bought, it seems he is enjoying his home)
Auburn Tigers’ Coach Bruce Pearl Bought A $6.3 Million Home On Lake Martin - Crazy Luxury Homes
I have two HS classmates that have retired to college towns, one in MN and one in IA. We went to HS in WI (small town).
Some do find retirement in a college town is fun for them.
We were homeowners in College Station TX in 1980-1083. DH transferred with his first company to get us out of Houston. We liked Milwaukee (where we went to college) - did not find Houston appealing. I got my MBA while we lived in College Station. There is no appeal for me to live in any college town. But we have the grandchildren ‘magnet’ going, which will pull us from the roots we have in our current city - and will see if things sort out for our move to large city TX in 2026.
It will be a very big move and adjustment for us. A lot of work getting our house cleared out and a little sprucing up. I need to go about a good plan for the whole process.
We bought a place on the water here in WA 10 years ago. It’s wonderful, but there’s no way I could live here full time. People do, but not as many anymore. It’s 20 miles to the nearest full-service grocery, a hardware store, gas station, distillery, and gift shop, plus a few other places. Six miles to a locally well-known oyster place. I have an hour plus a ferry to get to good health care options.
Prices have doubled over 10 years, but the market has really slowed. There’s a home down the street that’s available for ~$1.3M.
Being able to spend time here year round is a joy.
Next month, dh and I are going on vacation with our former neighbors who we haven’t seen in a year when we visited them at their new place in Colorado. We are texting and texting tonight, and I am so excited!
As someone mentioned earlier in the travel thread , we have always planned our itinerary when we traveled before retirement. So much research! In Sept. we are taking our first tour with Tauck to the Canadian Rockies. Happy I didn’t need to do anything but pick a week, anxious about the what the “ group” experience will be like.
Canadian Rockies are my little piece of heaven on earth. 1st trip in July 1980, 2nd trip Christmas 2017 - both seasons are spectacular!
Yes, there was one in our historical neighborhood-- the design intentionally excluded gutters and downspouts, and the owners were continuously dealing with interior leaks and foundation problems.
Metal roof, good gutters, composite deck, and hardiplank siding. Hope to have as little major exterior house maintenance in our golden years as possible. Love to look at real estate “porn” but don’t want to live in one of these houses! 
Were we staying in our home, we would have spent the extra money for a metal roof last year. We did spend extra for composite deck material for the two cantilevered decks (at double the cost) - to me it will help the home ‘show well’ and also be the finishes to have the home sell quickly and at a competitive price.
We go to the Canadian Rockies almost every year to hike in the Lake O’Hara region and in the Banff/Canmore area. ShawWife sometimes does a residency at the Banff Center. And for 15 years or so, we took our kids skiing at Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. One of the nicest parts of the world IMHO.
My favorite Christmas at the Banff Springs Hotel with the kids skiing in 2017 - coldest winter on record for Banff I think - but it was just unbelievebly gorgeous at Christmas time light up at night and walking down main street with fantastic steaks at Chuck’s! So wonderful. Been there in summer as well - both season are increadibly gorgeous.
Just got a 9 month rental of a really nice 3 bedroom two bath house near the beach in the town where I owned a house and raised my kids. At an incredibly reasonable rent. I keep kicking the can down the road for decision-making. At the end of this rental I will be 75. I usually rent small places. This may be my last chance to have kids and partners stay with me. Feel lucky.
@compmom : Jealous! (is there an emoji for that?)
@kjofkw thanks- we’ll see what happens in June but I’ll enjoy in the meantime…
I guess this is about we’ve made it. I took over MIL’s finances (bill-paying and investments and withdrawals etc.) probably a year ago. I had done the same thing for my parents when my dad had a stroke in 2001 and continued until my mother passed away in 2022.
I told her I did not want to be paid for this (she gets very anxious about people taking advantage of her and fires almost all advisors who charge her full price or give her recommendations she doesn’t like). But, she does want to show her thanks. ShawWife suggested she buy a fancy coffee machine for me – I have an 8 year old super-automatic espresso machine that I love but that is on its last legs. So, she said, “Pick what you want and transfer the money from my account.”
I now the proud owner of a Gaggia Accademia. Will need to figure out how to get the espresso to taste the way I like, but just finished a two-shot cappuccino. Makes me very happy. Now, I guess I’ve made it.
I really want to know how you like that machine in a couple of months. I have a Miele Espresso machine that’s coming up on 10 years old, and I may need a new one soon. It’s my indulgence, and it makes me happy every day. If mine “dies” I doubt it’s worth fixing at 10 years old, so will need to get a new one.
Very nice! I guess you’ll need to have some CC pals drop by and do a product review of the grand new espresso machine 
Not a financial investment topic. Just dropping by to say it’s a good idea to have a Primary Care Physician. So if that’s something you’ve been procrastinating on that, put it on your to do list. We have a relative who has been procrastinating on it for several years since retirement, and he now has a serious situation that’s getting complicated because of that.
