Those 3 co-communities in Ann Arbor sound delightful. Wish/hope the concepts spread broadly.
Checking out Portland, ME – Condo I would live in — 3 beds 2 baths 1,085 sqft. $338K, property taxes of $5,722 seem high for my low budget needs.
Walkscore is 75.
Brunswick appears to have very low inventory.
I THINK we will wind up someplace on or near the east coast, even though we love the SW, bc most of our family is on the east coast. We are currently in MD, between DC and Baltimore, and pay high taxes, but we like where we live. It’s not at all walkable, and in retirement I want to be able to walk places. We talk about Asheville NC, but it’s gotten pretty expensive. People say Greenville SC is similar, but not as expensive. I’ve been thinking about VA, because I understand taxes are better for retirees than MD. We are “blue people,” and I don’t want to live anyplace that’s too red or too “southern” (I don’t even quite know what I mean by that). We are going to Maine for the first time in September. I expect to love it then, but don’t know that Id love it in the winter. We have no interest in Florida. We like to hike, and Florida is so flat.
I’m paying close attention to this thread.
Re: Maine
Maine does seem to be the kind of place where you may be more prone to get asked where you are from if you are not white.
I was looking at an amortization table and comparing our mortgage balance to how old I will be at several intervals.
Although I don’t really like dealing with a very old home with a yard, it was intriguing to think about refinancing in ten years and having a very low mortgage payment.
I’m not convinced this area will recover sufficiently to get anything much out of this house, come selling time.
Now, if we sold and got $$$, that’s a different story. Then I think I’d want to leverage that into a new smaller place.
We do see very old people in our neighborhood still living in old single family houses. Some of the homes are falling apart, but if those homes are paid off or close to it, I can see why they’d stay since the market is still so depressed.
Lived in Maine for decades. Stand by my statements.
To each his/her own. But to me, those co-housing places sound like a total nightmare. But more importantly to this thread, my guess is they tend to me on the more expensive side which isn’t the point.
I’ll tell you what. Blue states and high taxes go hand in hand. I’d stay away from fixed taxes like property taxes. On a fixed income, they will kill you. Income taxes and sales taxes are much more manageable.
Greenville, SC is charming! Not sure I would want to retire there (too small and too landlocked for this Philly girl), but we very much enjoyed our stay when doing a southern college trip. If Asheville is appealing, I would check it out as an alternative.
I hear what people are saying about wanting to escape a high cost of living area, but housing is expensive by us because that’s where the jobs are. I feel kind of obligated to try to hang on to the house a few more years in case my kids need an affordable place to live in a booming area despite having entry level jobs. It just seems harder for new grads to launch these days.
Co-housing COULD be great or awful. It all depends on who is in the “community.” It would also be tough when a lot of the folks needs extra help. If the folks are a community of friends, it could be fun while everyone likes it. Could get cliquey very quickly and go downhill.
One of my cousins has a 2200 sq ft house in the Kansas City area. $160k! It is gorgeous and has all the important stuff on the main floor, plus an additional master suite, family room, guest room and storage. Was really impressed with the area when I visited. Even has a decent sized Jewish community.
So what happens when the old guy starts walking around without his pants? 
There are only 40 or so units for each village so I think it could get pretty claustrophobic quickly, depending on tolerance and fit. I agree that there would have to be some common agreements about acceptable vs unacceptable behavior and what to do when there is conflicts about this.
I would not be comfortable with other adults “parenting” my kids. I have definite ideas about my values and who knows what the values of others are?
I stayed overnight in the guest house of this co-housing group in Portland, OR. I would love something like this, but ideally a little more more urban. The friend of friends who hosted us was your classic 80 year old Unitarian widow who had joined the Peace Corps after retiring from teaching! https://trilliumhollow.■■■■■■■■■■/
How about this? Build your own co-housing compund with your best frineds! https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/bestie-row-4-couples-built-these-tiny-houses-so-they-could-live-right-next-to-each-other-239077
I think this was posted before (on a different thread), including how the place is rented out to folks wanting a getaway and community kitchen.
You can’t beat Kansas City on housing prices, cost of living, culture, medical, even sports. So what’s the problem? Well, you know what they say, no mountains, no ocean, no problem. And as a former east coaster I know there is a “prestige” issue. But if you only knew what it’s like to live here. PS property taxes are $3400 on a three bedroom, 1 1/2 bath in a nice neighborhood (with a high walk value.) Fortunately it’s not on most folks’ radar.
I would love co housing. The one’s here in Durham are very popular and therefore a bit pricey.
Honestly…I don’t care about the mountains or oceans. Kansas City would be fine with me. So would parts of St. Louis.
If I had my choice about city living, I would go to San Diego or Chicago…if I could afford either. But downtown Chicago is pricey…and so is San Diego!