My mom is flying back to New Jersey on Saturday.  It made me think about ‘snow birds’.

Every winter there is an influx of people to the Palm Springs area, people escaping cold weather elsewhere.  By the first of April most are already on their way home.   I’ve been watching this phenomenon for more than twenty years now.  It wasn’t until a year ago that my mother became part of the ‘snow bird’ crowd.


I have mentioned before that my sister bought a condo in Rancho Mirage about a year and a half ago as part of her retirement planning.  She really was able to get a fantastic buy on a free standing condo with enclosed back yard.  When our Mom heard about it, she asked if she could spend the winters in Palm Springs. 

For the last two winters, while New Jersey was experiencing record snow storms, as much as 30” at a time, Mom was walking her dog around the pool area in Rancho Mirage!  Mom was able to live independently in the condo but still enjoy being with the rest of our family that lives in Palm Springs.

In my last blogs I talked about paying off mortgages in view of retirement plans, the real estate on the rise and incredibly low interest rates.  You may want to take a lesson from my sister, buy a home you want for the future and use it for the family until you retire.