Beartrack and Muncle,
From reading your posts, it looks like both of you are pretty good at asking yourselves that question I always ask myself when faced with financial decisions. "Just what is the cost of sleep?" Both of you seem to have hit upon something that works for you and might work well for others reading this.
Beartrack,
You asked for an opinion. And that is all this is. I am no expert or professional. I just like this stuff. ...But I gotta tellya...I really like the approach you are planning. First of all, renting and taking your time with the decision to buy is the classic advice for retirees planning a move.
And parking that tax-free capital gain in a conservative investment that you control while you get to know the territory sounds smart.
I don't see how the real estate market can shoot sky high again any time soon.
It sounds to me like your plan might just put you sitting in the catbird seat.
Muncle,
That half and half idea could be a great solution for a lot of people. You have a mortgage that you know you can cover so it costs you no sleep. CD's are not the most exciting investment, but I like them, too. Again, it's the cost of sleep and nobody is taking a commission on CD's. And you still have a little adventure in those mutuals.
I love it that you did some things to your house that you wanted to do to make it yours. Hey, at this point in our lives, we deserve to spend a little money on our feng shui.
The point of all this -- it's different for everybody.
And whatever any of you do -- CYA.