The Martini Theory: Part 1 of 3 “The Area”

If there was one message and one message only that Doug could pass along to everyone who is looking to retire, it would be spending a pile of time researching the areas you are considering. Nothing else matters, for if you get the area wrong, it will be one of the most frustrating, embarrassing, and expensive lessons in your entire life.

Douglas S Terhune, being the (most) sound mind and body, is the author of “The Martini Theory.” If you employ this simple analogy of your search for a place to retire, you will be rewarded with a happy retirement. If though you think you know better, then you are on your own.

All of us who have worked for the past 30 – 40 years have become good at something. Heck, Doug might go as far as saying that most of us have become very good if not even excellent at something.

Well, for nearly 20 years, Doug and his fantastic team of Brokers have had the immense pleasure of assisting great people with determining if Coastal North Carolina meets their retirement needs. During this time, the greatest failure Doug has encountered are from people who did not research the area around their amazing home and community and wound up stuck there until they could sell their home.

There is no single more important and sage advice than the following, with regards to finding a place to retire:

Research the area(s) you are considering with the enthusiasm that you invested in your job and raising children.

 Why such a fuss over this? Simple, because too many people get in the car or hop on the plane and head south or west and haven’t thought about their big move from a cerebral point of view. Instead, we see it happen all the time where a couple gets caught up on the sex appeal of a (new) home and the proximity to the mountains or the ocean without considering the community location.

Let us put it to you another way:

If Doug were rich and gave you an amazing home in a beautiful community for free, but you were 45 miles (2-hour round trip) from a hospital, movie theater, mall, Outback Steakhouse, hair salon, etc…would you be happy? (And let’s not forget that you will be in your 60s, 70s or 80s.)

What is outside your future retirement community is as important as what is inside your community. Most all communities here have an assorted combination of pools, tennis courts, golf courses, restaurants, Pickleball, walking trails, and exercise classes, but at 75 years of age, do you want to be traveling two hours round trip for every doctor’s appointment or to see a movie?

Another myth buster is thinking that you must live really close to the beach. The reality of life is that when you retire, you (two) are going to walk on the beach for 3 hours a day, holding hands and reminiscing about your pasts. We think Not! Unless you are a true beach nut, it is safe to say that if you move to any coastal area, for every one time you pull out of your driveway and head to the beach, you will pull out of your driveway 150-200 times and head to your exercise class, pottery class, friend’s house, grocery store, drug store and more.

Seriously, can anyone relate to that? I mean, for those of you who live within a 45-minute (normal) drive to a medium-to-large city, when was the last time you drove in for dinner and a play, or took in the latest exhibit at the museum? Or how about driving into the city for a hockey game or doing some window shopping on the boulevard?

Having a grocery store, hardware store, doctor’s offices, nail salon, restaurants, pizza parlor, bagel shop/deli, pharmacy, and so on, near your home is of HUGE importance. These are the things you NEED daily. Having the things, you like such as a mall, fine dining, live theater, Whole Foods, Target, Costco, etc., close by is great, for you do not tend to utilize those places nearly as often.

This honestly not being boastful but, Doug cannot tell you how many times people have said to him, “Oh, you are the man who came up with the Martini Theory and well, we Love the Martini Theory!”

To prove to you how much our entire team believes in the Martini Theory, the first thing we do when we receive an inquiry from someone is to send them a personalized Coastal Guidebook. This one-inch binder is crammed full of chamber of commerce-type information on shopping, medical services, dining, beaches, weather, golf, entertainment, and so much more.

Why has our team sent out 518 Coastal Guidebooks in the first half of 2020? Because we want to help familiarize you with our area, for if Coastal NC is not your cup of tea, then why would you waste time looking at homes?

In essence, if you do come for a visit, our first 2-3 hours with you will be spent showing you the area. We are going to drive by the malls and hospitals while pointing out the best restaurants in town. We will kick you out of our vehicles at the beaches so you can put sand between your toes and perhaps take a picture of the beach and send it to the kids because, what kid isn’t going to want to visit you if you live near the beach, right?

More than likely, there is not another real estate company, developer, or builder that would spend 10% of the time talking to you about the area because, in their opinion, that is counter-culture to do their jobs, and that is opening up doors and selling homes. At Carolina Plantations, we have earned the title of the #1 Retirement Experts by providing you with the information you require to make informed decisions. It’s just what we do.