Things are moving along, we have been crazy busy getting the house ready to sell: painting, drywall, some basic repairs, etc… It has been almost two months straight of intense work; we are both exhausted, but it is finally done.
Yesterday the realtor came over, viewed the place, and we are getting photos for the listing done on Friday (which coincidentally is my last official day of work [even though I’ve been off on banked time since the beginning of September]). Fingers crossed on a quick sale for a decent amount!!!
Man, it just dawned on me that we are on similar trajectories. I know, silly since I’ve been discussing this with you for a few months now, but for some reason I always thought of what you were doing as completely different since you really are leaving your old life behind for good and presumably never turning back.
That’s the critical difference, but it’s still a similar path nonetheless. I may need to commiserate with you some more cause honestly I’m starting to get quite nervous/anxious. Our date to “launch” is December 30th and my wife wants to start taking photos next week to list our place (for rent). Scary!! I feel like I’m comfortable and settling into our life here…and yet I have two months til we pack it up and wander the globe for a bit with no real home!
I see it more as travelling a bit before (re)starting a small business. If none of that works out (we will give it a year or two), we will see. If the market crashes/doesn’t go up for multiple years, and our business doesn’t work out, I will have to work (at a job) in some form.
That would likely take the form of one of two things: 1) English teaching part time, which I could do, but would rather not; or 2) a similar full time job to what I do now, but albeit in a different form in Asia somewhere - the best paying jobs that I would be qualified for being Singapore. Luckily in my career there aren’t really skills that “degrade” so to speak.
Ultimately, if things go totally south, I could apply to a federal job back in Canada, but I would really rather not.
I heard the biggest reason for their housing shortage is legal. Basically Canada has a lot of space to spread out but the government/politics won’t allow it. So if you want to build a high density housing unit? Forget about it. Residents nearby will fight with all their might against it. So the only choice is spread outwards which puts a lot of pressure on individuals because they will need a car, fuel, insurance, etc. which means individuals must work longer to afford them… That and jobs are hard to find.
I know…sorry if I put words in your mouth. The distinction to me is that you are cutting ties and your goal is to find a new home for your retired life. Essentially starting a brand new life in a new forever home. Any alteration to your plan would be a fall back/backup option. For us it is just temporary from the start…move to Taiwan for ~3 years, travel around the world for ~3 years, then resettle in the US, quite possibly back in our current home. So I always saw what you are doing as far more significant, but now I realize it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a little scared lol. Also funny how we will be traveling through Mexico on similar timelines before heading to Asia.
That was not how I was reading it at all, no worries.
After 3-6 years away, and loving living overseas, you may just not want to return (or the complete opposite!). But you have options no matter what, which is good.
I hope at some point we can get together, it would be good to brainstorm in person.
I have considered it, but it is an absolute no go with my wife. She wants all ties cut, and considers the management headaches of a rental to not be worth it, even if it was off-loaded to a management company. I am kind of middle of the road with it, but I don’t have issues investing the profits from the sale either.
Yes! I want to know what happened between 2021 and now too! I’m not close to retirement but I love your story so far.
Short introduction to myself: I was also living in Canada in 2021 and wanted to move to Taiwan. I had a job lined up, work permit, everything ready to go…then Taiwan shut its borders for 1 YEAR! I didn’t get here until 2022, and have been living for a year.
Yes! I am really enjoying it. I figured if I wanted to change up my life drastically it was best to do it before I got married/bought a house/had kids etc… I packed up all my life’s possessions into two duffel bags and crossed the Pacific, and haven’t looked back since! Lifestyle in Taiwan suits me much better than Canada.
