11 Things Retirees Wish They Knew Before They Moved

August 14, 2025 — Retirement can be such an exciting time. Maybe you have picked out a beautiful new place to live, and are set to live the good life there. Unfortunately, it can also turn out to be and experience filled out with regrets and serious financial consequences. In this article we will go over some of the common things that retirees wish they knew before they moved somewhere.

What Retirees Wish They Knew

Even with the best planning it is still possible to make a mistake about where to retire. Fortunately, the more that goes into your preparation, the better the chances of a great and happy retirement. Here are 11 of the biggest regrets Topretirements Members have told us they have had over the years.

I have little in common with my new neighbors. Whether it’s because they are too red or too blue, don’t partake of the same activities and interests, or they make too noise, sometimes your new neighbors can be a bad fit.

“One person’s heaven could be another person’s hell. There is a place for everyone on this planet. Enjoy life where you are at while you can. I don’t remember ever seeing a UHaul truck following a hearse.“

Roland on Topretirements

I should have rented. This is one of the most common regrets. People get excited about a place after a short visit or long term dream, then the realization comes that it was all a big mistake. Renting gives the chance to check out different neighborhoods, communities, and seasons.

Miss my children and they don’t come to visit. Many a retiree (or 1 person in a marriage) misses their children or grandchildren too much. The hope was for lots of visits, but for one reason or another they don’t come very often. The inverse is true too – sometimes being too close to the family can be a big problem.

Everything is too far away – have to drive endlessly. You get excited about the beautiful homes and extensive amenities, and then you have to drive forever to shop, run errands, or visit doctors.

Biking and walking is difficult – roads too big and busy. Related to the above, if you like to bike or walk, you will be very disappointed to discover you are surrounded by busy 4 lane highways or speeding commuters.

No good medical specialists nearby, or can’t get an appointment anyway. Retire too far away from a Metro or university hospital and you won’t like how long and how far it takes to drive to get quality medical care. You might not have any qualified specialists, and if you do they don’t take new patients.

Airports way too far away. Same problem, if you travel a lot of have visitors, being 2 hours away from a good airport can be a pain.

Wasn’t prepared for this heat and humidity. For example, living in Florida or Arizona in the winter is great. In the summer not so much. Similar scenarios go for other regions as well.

The weather is way too scary here. This problem is just getting worse. It’s not just hurricanes, it can be fires, droughts, heat waves, floods, tornadoes, etc.

Insurance is hideously expensive. A huge problem in Florida and near the coasts. Storms are getting stronger and insurance ever more costly – if you can get it!

Beach is over an hour away – we never go there. A top desire among many retirees is to retire near the beach. Since that can be quite expensive, retiring inland can be a compromise. But then the hassle of getting there takes the fun out of it.

Bought a house that is too big (or small). We have seen many examples of people building very large homes with the thought that family and friends will fill it up. And then all those extra rooms sit empty for months at a time. Or, the tiny home, boat or RV becomes too cramped for full time living. Not designing the home for aging is also a problem – too many steps, high counters, narrow doorways, and second floor bedrooms can be a serious problem – sooner than you think.

“The common and recurring theme of most of these mistakes is to visit (as often as possible, as long as possible and at different seasons) before committing to a new lifetime. Deciding on a place to retire should be fun and ideally take place over time. Visits and stays in new places also give you different perspectives on which to base your decision.“

RichPB on Topretirements

Further reading

These Blog articles not only have a lot of useful information, they feature an amazing assortment of interesting and helpful comments.

BIggest Mistakes People Make When Choosing a Place to Retire (36 Comments)

Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This Stuff Before I Retired

10 Years Later – What We’ve Learned About Retirement (105 comments)