The state of the economy at the street level

[farmerge]

An example of the costs of downsizing:

Due to advancing years my wife & I recently decided to downsize to a lowest villa in close proximity our son & his family. Luckily, only 5kms from our old home so community and services remain basically unchanged.

The cost of the sale of our home - preparation, advertising, legals & agent’s commission totaled $50,300.

The cost of the purchase of the villa - Stamp Duty, Legals, Registration fees came to $24,100.

Renovations to the villa - bathrooms, flooring, solar, HWS, appliances - to bring it up to a similar standard to our old home - so far $73,000.

The total Body Corporate fees are less than our old home insurance annual costs so that is a win.

Our villa is in a freehold community, not anything like a “retirement village” and there is mixture of elderly, working, school-aged residents which to me resembles a normal suburban street.

In our case the costs were more than covered by the difference in sale/purchase prices - but the Government, Agents & Legals were all compensated very well.

@ijrob6 Happy to see that the transition for you and your wife is a good one.
We have mulled over several times, do we sell our farm and come don t a few acres, just to cut the work load down.
Our sons and their families are at either end of WA so family nearby is not part of any reason.
We really don't want to move, but realistically it will happen one day, as we are both in our mid 70s.
In the meantime, life goes on, as long as our health hangs in there.

 

[ijrob6]

We really don't want to move, but realistically it will happen one day, as we are both in our mid 70s.
In the meantime, life goes on, as long as our health hangs in there.

To be brutally honest (my wife won't like this) she is 81 and I have celebrated my 87th so it was well past time for our move. The selling & buying caper is for much younger oldies than us. It was extremely stressful and was not what my cardio man wanted for my aging body.

Now we are both relaxed and I can spend more time on the golf course and absolutely nil time cutting the lawn.

 

[farmerge]

To be brutally honest (my wife won't like this) she is 81 and I have celebrated my 87th so it was well past time for our move. The selling & buying caper is for much younger oldies than us. It was extremely stressful and was not what my cardio man wanted for my aging body.

Now we are both relaxed and I can spend more time on the golf course and absolutely nil time cutting the lawn.

@ijrob6 Horses for courses I guess.
For us living in close quarters is at present not an option.
The wide "open" spaces are still our thing.
But, I wish you well and hope that health and happiness continue your way at your new address

 

[wayneL]

@ijrob6 Horses for courses I guess.
For us living in close quarters is at present not an option.
The wide "open" spaces are still our thing.
But, I wish you well and hope that health and happiness continue your way at your new address

This.

Our Ponderosa is 5½ acres, not quite the original Ponderosa, but still a lot of work for us in our mid sixties in addition to our businesses

But what? Couped up in a town house in the suburbs, ripped off by the strata manager and trying to figure out which coffee shop in which to alieve our boredom in, or watching some asinine TV crap.

Yeah, nah. Not yet. Not until dotage makes it necessary. Even then, can't imagine not being totally annoying in the local community trying to do something to annoy the leftists

 

[finicky]

Town (and let me emphasise 'town' not suburb) does have its advantages. Getting a trade worker to come out no big deal. Shops and other conveniences literally within walking distance. As is bushland. No big spread to take care of - I can barely be bothered mowing the lawn. But I did want to buy a bit of acreage and be with nature; now i'm glad I chose town for an impractical klutz like moi. I still get wallabies, brush turkeys, a maggie family, bloody lorikeets and blue-eyed cockatoos visiting for a feed every day.

 

[farmerge]

This.

Our Ponderosa is 5½ acres, not quite the original Ponderosa, but still a lot of work for us in our mid sixties in addition to our businesses

But what? Couped up in a town house in the suburbs, ripped off by the strata manager and trying to figure out which coffee shop in which to alieve our boredom in, or watching some asinine TV crap.

Yeah, nah. Not yet. Not until dotage makes it necessary. Even then, can't imagine not being totally annoying in the local community trying to do something to annoy the leftists

@wayneL As we drive past the last squalor housing development on land that was once by trotting legend Lyle Lindau, we cringe, and no doubt you do also.
The gaps between the walls of the houses isn't great, pretty well just a place to park at night and go to work in the day.
I don't know where the kids are supposed to let off steam.
Oh I forgot, they can ransack other people's places because they are bored.

 

[ijrob6]

But what? Couped up in a town house in the suburbs, ripped off by the strata manager and trying to figure out which coffee shop in which to alieve our boredom in, or watching some asinine TV crap.

Not every townhouse/villa resident has this experience.

We are not cooped up - both cars rarely at rest due to our many activities. Only coffee shops entered are those on our travels. Not ripped off - I have already stated that the Body Corporate fees are less than our previous annual home insurance.

Travels so far this year - road trip via Newell to Canberra/Cooma and return via New England. Road trip to Charleville/Winton/Charters Towers/Port Douglas and then back down the coast.

All in my EV - and charging was never a problem.

We fly to Darwin on 8 October for a mate's 60th wedding anniversary (I was Best Man in Lae in 1965.)

Life at our age is meant to be without pressure - downsizing has given us exactly that.

Last word - don't wait too long.

 

[wayneL]

Not every townhouse/villa resident has this experience.

We are not cooped up - both cars rarely at rest due to our many activities. Only coffee shops entered are those on our travels. Not ripped off - I have already stated that the Body Corporate fees are less than our previous annual home insurance.

Travels so far this year - road trip via Newell to Canberra/Cooma and return via New England. Road trip to Charleville/Winton/Charters Towers/Port Douglas and then back down the coast.

All in my EV - and charging was never a problem.

We fly to Darwin on 8 October for a mate's 60th wedding anniversary (I was Best Man in Lae in 1965.)

Life at our age is meant to be without pressure - downsizing has given us exactly that.

Last word - don't wait too long.

Yeah. I was being rhetorical to justify working my nuts off. Latest job, apart from all the usual stuff, has been obsessively tracking down every last capers before they flower and grubbing out love grass by hand.

There are some days I would just love to nothing but read, or go and pester the local padre on some obscure theological point, alas, those chores don't go away.

We've lived your lifestyle when in the UK for a few years. We did live in great areas, Cheltenham ¼ mile away from the Cotswold Way, and Wimbledon Village directly across the road from the Common. Loved it in many ways.

But love this lifestyle more.

Someday of course things will change

 

[wayneL]

capers before they flower

Uhhh, that'd be capeweed

 

[rolly1]

Last word - don't wait too long.

Well said let's hope people take note otherwise your kids will hate you for it.

 

[wayneL]

Well said let's hope people take note otherwise your kids will hate you for it.

Why's that?

 

[farmerge]

Yeah. I was being rhetorical to justify working my nuts off. Latest job, apart from all the usual stuff, has been obsessively tracking down every last capers before they flower and grubbing out love grass by hand.

There are some days I would just love to nothing but read, or go and pester the local padre on some obscure theological point, alas, those chores don't go away.

We've lived your lifestyle when in the UK for a few years. We did live in great areas, Cheltenham ¼ mile away from the Cotswold Way, and Wimbledon Village directly across the road from the Common. Loved it in many ways.

But love this lifestyle more.

Someday of course things will change

Though not in the foreseeable future one hopes.

 

[farmerge]

Uhhh, that'd be capeweed

To the uneducated "Dandelion"

 

[wayneL]

To the uneducated "Dandelion"

Yes. It's a curse in pasture. It chokes out all the desired grasses and putatively can cause stringhalt (a neurological condition in horses).

 

[SirRumpole]

Millionaire share trader now campaigns for the middle class.

The rich are 'squeezing out' ordinary people and this millionaire aims to stop it

Gary Stevenson achieved his childhood dream of becoming rich by his mid-20s. The 39-year-old now spends most of his time campaigning against the wealthy.

www.abc.net.au

The most telling quote from this story:-

His biggest piece of advice to Australians?

"If you are going to give your natural resources to private companies, you should make sure that you get a phenomenally good deal there, and you should be taking a big share of the profits."

 

[farmerge]

Millionaire share trader now campaigns for the middle class.

The rich are 'squeezing out' ordinary people and this millionaire aims to stop it

Gary Stevenson achieved his childhood dream of becoming rich by his mid-20s. The 39-year-old now spends most of his time campaigning against the wealthy.

www.abc.net.au

The most telling quote from this story:-

His biggest piece of advice to Australians?

"If you are going to give your natural resources to private companies, you should make sure that you get a phenomenally good deal there, and you should be taking a big share of the profits."

Sir R wouldn't that be great if it happened.
I think digging into the grey matter from years gone past, it was Sweden who forced Shell to come to the negotiating table in a wheelchair. Sweden wanted and got 1/3 of the prize.
Shell thought they would just walk all over this countries negotiators and walked away telling the Swedes our way or no-way.
In the end Shell had to eat humble pie and crawl back with "please sir's may we talk again" 1/3 to your country is a very fair deal.

 

[houtman]

Sir R wouldn't that be great if it happened.
I think digging into the grey matter from years gone past, it was Sweden who forced Shell to come to the negotiating table in a wheelchair. Sweden wanted and got 1/3 of the prize.
Shell thought they would just walk all over this countries negotiators and walked away telling the Swedes our way or no-way.
In the end Shell had to eat humble pie and crawl back with "please sir's may we talk again" 1/3 to your country is a very fair deal.

Would you have a link to this Swedish deal, I had a quick search but couldn't see it.

 

[farmerge]

Would you have a link to this Swedish deal, I had a quick search but couldn't see it.

No, it was several years ago and from memory was a leading article in the financial pages of the West Australian newspaper.

 

[SirRumpole]

Would you have a link to this Swedish deal, I had a quick search but couldn't see it.

Don't know about Sweden, but Norway certainly put the screws on over their gas reserves and made a motza from it.

 

[farmerge]

Don't know about Sweden, but Norway certainly put the screws on over their gas reserves and made a motza from it.

As I said the aging grey matter. Perhaps it was Norway and not Sweden.
The problem with aging the body may be willing but the grey matter is left in the dust at times.