House Hunting After 50

Hello friends, and welcome to Notes from the Road! This is the place for news, advice, tools, and inspiration to thrive in your 50s and beyond. In this issue:

• What matters in house hunting over 50.

• Gen X retirement anxiety.

• Tips for new empty nesters.

• Foods to skip after 50.

• What expats wish they had known.

Let’s get started!

Let’s talk about the house hunt, shall we?

(For those of you new to this space, we’ve been sharing our reasons for finding a new “post-empty nest” home, and what you need to think about when making a move).

Last week we spent a day touring houses. In the end, we left empty-handed. But never fear, Dear Readers! I’ve been thinking about what sage advice I can share with you about this process.

First, the big takeaway: our priorities are not the same as they were twenty years ago. Different things matter to us now. (And also, this might not occur to you until you’re actually standing in someone else’s kitchen with your real estate agent).

Here’s what matters when you’re house hunting over 50, and the houses that taught us:

House 1: The Contender—We thought this would be a slam dunk: THE house. The pictures were beautiful, the price was perfect, the yard and view were breathtaking.

In reality? The house was a disappointing mix of penny-pinching builder decisions, ill-informed renovations, and a too-large yard that had been neglected for at least a year. Twenty years ago we would have seen this as a great opportunity to earn some sweat equity. Those days are behind us now. The lesson? Quality Matters.

House 2: Basketball Hoop House—It looked gorgeous in the pictures, and it was. But the road leading to it was littered with kids toys, and young moms were strolling the neighborhood with new babies. The driveway had a portable basketball hoop. This was our dream house in the year 2000, but not today. The lesson? Timing Matters. 

House 3: The Sad Rental House—I didn’t want to look at this one. It had ugly floors. I was prepared to hate it. But we discovered it was in a beautiful neighborhood, had a great floorplan, and had been freshly painted and carpeted. The kitchen had clearly been abused but had new appliances. I said to the agent “I don’t hate it!” And then my husband emerged from the bedroom and said quietly, “I feel sad.” The lesson? Vibes Matter.

Another truth bomb? Being there matters. Online photos and virtual tours can only take you so far. The house we thought we’d love we didn’t like, and the house I thought I’d hate I didn’t mind. With a talented photographer and an investment in some staging, good things can look bad and bad things can look good. Unfortunately for us, it’s a day’s drive to get to our new town. My last piece of advice is to think about those logistics if you’re considering a move more than a couple hours away. More on that another time.

The search continues…

Was this mail forwarded to you?

The Weekly Roundup

Worth your time to watch, read, and listen.

📰 Gen Xers are nearing retirement. About half say they need a miracle. Gen Xers are staring down retirement feeling pretty anxious and unprepared. Their modest 401k balances might not cut it for those golden years, leaving many wondering if they'll ever really get to retire comfortably. (4 min. read)

📺 Top tips for empty nesters. This is an older video, but I really love Marnie Goldberg’s down-to-earth, practical advice on everything. Some solid suggestions here for navigating a challenging transition at any age. (16.25 min watch)

📰 6 foods to skip after 50. These probably won’t surprise you, but I like the interesting data and reasoning to back these up, rather than just a “naughty” list. (9 min. read)

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