2 reasons a 'snowbird' retirement spending winters in the sun might be even more expensive than you expect
- Being a "snowbird" retiree who spends winters down south and summers up north isn't cheap.
- A financial planner says that snowbirds often forget to factor two significant expenses into their budget: increased entertainment expenses and doubled home costs.
- Expect hidden expenses as a homeowner, from insurance to maintenance, he says. Plus, expect to spend more on being social year-round and hosting family and friends.
- SmartAsset's free tool can connect you with the right financial planner to help your own retirement dreams come true »
Chasing the sun as a snowbird - a retiree who spends summers in the north and winters in the south - is a lifestyle many people dream of living.
But, it's not something that everyone can do. A lot of expenses come with owning two homes and bouncing between the two, from the surprise costs of homeownership to expensive family visits.
Jeffrey Corliss, a financial planner and an executive director of RDM Financial Group at HighTower based in Connecticut, says many of his clients found this to be the case after making the leap.
1. Owning two homes is somehow even more expensive than it sounds
Beyond a mortgage, there are many costs involved with owning a second home. Perhaps you've downsized in one place or both, but two properties are generally still more expensive than one. From simple HOA fees to dealing with the costs of maintenance and paying two property taxes, costs add up quickly.
Finding a way to prep your home while you're away is expensive, too, and you'll need to do it for two separate properties. "Do you hire somebody who can look after your places or have someone as a caretaker?" Corliss asks. He continues:"We've had people who have gone to their winter home, only to go back into their summer house and find that a pipe burst."
It's not only surprise expenses that can make it costly - even typical homeowner's expenses like HOA fees can add up quickly.
Condos, rather than houses, are a common way for retirees to find affordable properties in popular destinations, but they often involve homeowner's association fees. Retiree Lon Newman told Business Insider that HOA fees for his condo in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands total $1,000 per month. Many popular snowbird cities typically see high HOA fees on apartments and condos - according to Trulia, Honolulu, Hawaii; Ft. Myers, Florida; and Miami, Florida all made the top five cities for most expensive median HOA fees in the US.
2. Nice weather year-round means the social season never ends
For many retirees, venturing south means the cold never comes - and there's no reason to stay at home. Oftentimes, Corliss says, that means spending more. "They're more social perhaps, or going out to dinner more," he says. "You might have guests coming over and you're filling the liquor cabinet often," he adds. "It can add up quickly."
And, the added pressure (and costs) of family visits increase when you live in a popular vacation destination. Corliss says his Florida snowbird clients deal with this extensively. "Retirees will go down to Florida, and then their family or grandkids will come down. They end up picking up the tab to go to Disney or just to have them fly down," he says. "Once you're down there, you tend to be the focal point of your kids and grandkids," he continues. "You just have to factor things like that into that added cost."
With a lot of careful financial planning though, the costs of being a snowbird retiree can potentially be manageable - even if they're high.
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