Everyone always talks about where they are going to retire to, but I always like to know,
Where are you retiring from?
What do I learn? A lot about where they are ORIGINALLY from and what is motivating them to make a change.
In the past few days, we have had clients come in from San Francisco, Denver and Helena, Montana! Now that is quite a testament to Delawares popularity with retiring Baby Boomers. So what is it that makes some people travel to Delaware from so many parts of the country as they contemplate retirement? Read this related post: Coming back home to Delaware?
Let me give you one funny example -
So this couple walked into our office one day and said We just sold our home in Denver and were hoping you can help us find a new home here in Delaware! I looked up, smiled and asked them So, where are you really from in New Jersey?
Of course they were from New Jersey, Wayne as a matter of fact, the town where I went to high school!
That told me so much about them. Our careers do move us around sometimes and this couple had ended up in Denver. But when it comes time to retire, the desire to be close to friends and family becomes more important. And, that is what had happened with this couple. They had family in New Jersey, a much shorter distance than they had been dealing with while they were in Denver, and that became their primary motive for moving back. In our experience, moving back doesnt necessarily mean all the way back. So moving back to New Jersey often morphs into moving to Delaware. So does moving back to be near family in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Long Island and even Connecticut.
When I get a call and see a Florida area code or a call from North or South Carolina, my first question is the So where are you really from? question. Then I follow it up with where do the grandchildren live? Moving away from the children may be no problem, but not being around when there are grandchildren? That can be a game changer. And a call from Southern California? You can bet there are grandchildren involved or why would anyone leave the near perfect weather of San Diego?
For us at Active Adults Realty, over 80% of our real estate clients are Buyers who have come from outside Delaware. Many have never even been here before it appeared on their retirement radar. Most are relocating to Delaware from either surrounding states in the Mid Atlantic or the Northeast. But then there are those like Ted and Sophie whose careers took them to other parts of the country or those lucky ones that retired young and moved to Florida or the Carolinas but now want to come home. If that is you, give us a call or email us. We love to help people come back home.