How Not to Conduct a Search for a Golf Home

        Some of the richest ideas for my blog posts come from real estate and retirement discussion groups that I observe (and occasionally participate in). Like any public forum, the comments at these sites run the gamut from profound to stupid. Somewhere in the middle are the simply confused, sometimes admittedly, such as this recent post at TopRetirements.com.
        "We [my wife and I] are considering 3 places and at this point still confused/LOL. NE TN, Myrtle Beach, SC, Port Orange, FL. I am leaning toward MB, SC. My wife likes FL (because of familiarity – we lived there a long time). I am ready for something new."
        There is in this short statement a cautionary tale for all couples searching for a place in the South to call their home for retirement. The first step for any such search is a frank discussion with your partner about what type of area to consider. The result of such a discussion should not be, as in this person's case, the mountains of northeast Tennessee, the tourist

mecca of Myrtle Beach and the population dense area just south of Daytona Beach. Myrtle Beach and the area north of Knoxville, TN, are both fine considerations for a retirement home, but considering them as potential destinations is like deciding whether to be a Red Sox or Yankee fan. Topography (mountains, lake, coast, flatlands, whatever) and climate (two seasons or four seasons) should be the top considerations for any couple, after which more granular discussions about distances to cities and airports, shopping malls, entertainment, good restaurants and the like should come into play.
        The last consideration should be the specific communities to target. Some of the couples I work with get into trouble when they search the Internet for the perfect golf home before they consider some of the aforementioned issues of location. Every community I have visited, more than 150 at this point, offers homes that would suit virtually all of us. Selecting one is the easiest part of a golf home search once the tough work of deciding mountains or coast, lake or Piedmont, Carolinas, Georgia or Florida, is done.
        In our discussion group fellow's case, his and his wife's search may well take forever. He wants Myrtle Beach and she wants Port Orange. It might be fun to start a pool to see which one wins out, but I am not sure many of us will live long enough to collect. When he says he is "ready for something new," he could very well mean an endless search for his retirement home. I suggest a Winnebago.