Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Neal Templin, Barrons 4 min Read 28 Sept 2025, 08:23 PM IST (Illustration by Lynne Tuttle/Barron’s) Summary Your chance of a successful transition by following some basic rules. Natalie Pine, a financial advisor at College Station, Texas, worked with a couple who moved to Maine. They were not ready for the weather. “It’s nice in the summer, but it was quite brutal in winter, and they were not very prepared for it,” recalls Pine. They eventually moved to North Carolina, which was more to their taste. Each year, hundreds of thousands of retirees move to reduce their living expenses, seek warmer weather or live closer to their children or grandchildren. Many people never look back, and we revealed themselves in their new lives. But sometimes movements do not work out. Some retirees miss the life they left behind or find that their new home is not what they thought it would be. Few even move back to their old community. If you are considering moving in retirement, you may increase a chance of a successful transition by following some basic rules. Make sure you move to the right place for you. Know the true cost of your new home. And have a plan for when your health starts to fall. Look before your Priscilla Brandt, 73, was born and raised on Long Island and lived there in the same house for 45 years, even after her husband passed away 18 years ago. “I was the last one to leave Long Island,” she says. “I was there alone.” A year ago she moved to most of her family Brunswick County, NC, and some friends had already moved there, and she knew the area well before bought a townhouse. “I suspended my last snow in 2024, and I said,” I was done. ” She’s going on. “I’ve had no second thoughts or negativity since I was here. The weather helps. To help friends below help. ‘ In Brandt’s case, she visited the area many times and already had a strong community of friends and family living there. Not everyone has such an option, and many retirees eventually move to a place they don’t know very well. In that case, it is better that you rent for a while to make sure it fits well before you take the dive and buy a home. “Most people make the mistake of not investigating enough on the front,” said Michael Landsberg, a financial advisor in Punta Gorda, Florida. Know all the costs in advance, many people move to Florida, from the northeast, and expect them to lower their cost of living. After all, Florida does not have an income tax, and until recently, house prices have been much cheaper in the Sunshine State. You can eventually save less money than you think. The home insurance that costs several thousand dollars in the northeast can cost a few times in Florida due to hurricanes – if you can find insurance. There are other money traps to avoid. Suppose you are a retired state worker in New York, says Joe Favorito of Melville, NY, the financial adviser of Priscilla Brandt. New York is not taxing government workers pensions, but if you move to North Carolina, who has an income tax, your New York state pension will face your tax. Florida does not have an income tax on the state, so your pension outside the state will not do you harm there. But Favorito, who lives family near Naples, Florida, says many new arrivals are surprised by the cost of property taxes. Long -time residents often pay low property taxes due to the way Florida’s release of the homestead works. If the house is sold to a new buyer, the tax is restored at a higher level. Be prepared for when you need help. Many seniors reach a point in the late 70s or early 80s if they need more help. Sometimes it means moving close to family. But not everyone depends on family. One of Landsberg’s clients, Frank Hoffman, 79, moved to Port Charlotte, Florida, from Kenosha, Wis in 2007. His adult children and grandchildren live far away, and he does not count on them when his health or health of his wife, Terry, refuses. “We’re making plans for it now,” Hoffman says. ‘We are going to an independent care [center]. “Write to NEAL TEMPLIN at neal.templin@barrons.com perform all the business news, market news, break news opportunities and latest news updates on live currency. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More topics #Financial Advisor #Cost of Living #Money #Retirement Read next story
Moving with retirement does not always go as planned. 3 things to keep in mind.
