• When my son was a senior in high school, he chose to move in with my 77-year-old mom.
• He doesn't have to worry about paying rent in our expensive city, and he's gained independence.
• My mom likes having help with chores, and his moving out has been good for him and our relationship.

When I got divorced, my two children and I moved back to the house I owned before I was married, which we'd kept as a rental property.

At 800 square feet, the two-bedroom cottage is ideal for two people, but it's a tight squeeze for three. My 13-year-old son got the smaller bedroom, while my 9-year-old daughter and I shared the larger one.

By the time my son was in high school and my daughter in middle school, they both desperately wanted their own space and more independence.

However, we live in Denver, one of the most expensive cities in the US. Upgrading to a bigger home wasn't an option — and my son couldn't afford his car and rent for his own place on the income from his part-time lifeguarding job.

So, he chose to move in with my 77-year-old mother during his senior year of high school.

Now, he's got more independence without the burden of rent

At my mom's house, my son has a spacious bedroom with a full bath in her finished basement, which includes a laundry, gym, and living room.

By living with his grandmother, he's able to avoid paying rent (and save money) while still having the independence that comes with having his own space.

When he moved in, my mom laid out clear rules and expectations of what he needed to help with around the house.

So far, he's been making dinner for her a few nights a week and helping with cleaning and other items on her to-do list. It's been a great lesson in independence for him, and it's been nice for my mom to have extra help around the house.

The move has also been beneficial to my relationship with my son. We set intentional boundaries that could bridge living at home and being 100% independent.

He doesn't have to coordinate all of his plans with me anymore, but he's also responsible for knowing what needs to be done with his schoolwork and housework and making it happen.

Now, he manages his schedule so he sees his friends plenty — and I'm no longer stressing about nagging him about homework and chores.

My son has also matured in a way that's really surprised me

After a couple of months of this living arrangement, a new confidence emerged in my son's personality and attitude.

As he got closer to graduation, he hit his stride with finishing school, working, saving money, and managing his household responsibilities.

Over several weeks, we were also able to have a lot of mature conversations about what he thought his future would look like.

Through high school, my son was unsure about attending college — he'd simply say he didn't know what he'd major in and didn't want to take out loans for tuition.

After a few months of his newfound independence, though, he was able to share his anxieties about college with me with more clarity and detail and less apathy.

Ultimately, he's decided to attend an affordable local community college in the fall and transfer to a university next year. I'm pleasantly surprised by how he was able to make such an important, mature choice on his own.

All in all, this unconventional living situation has been great

Even though this living arrangement is unconventional, it's been a game changer for all of us.

My son has gained so much independence. We've also improved our relationship, taking space as needed and coming together for meaningful conversations about his future.

And, of course, it's been helpful for my mom on a practical level.

Based on this experience, I'd encourage parents to think outside the box when it comes to living arrangements that an older teen might benefit from.

My son has been thriving after having a taste of what it means to live on his own as an adult — and, at my house, my daughter is thrilled to finally have her own space to decorate.

• I moved my family to Thailand for a better quality of life.
• I want to retire by 50, and Thailand offers a cheaper cost of living to make that happen.
• Here's a tour of our beautiful apartment in the heart of Bangkok that I could only dream of having in the U.S.

It took me too many years of my life to realize I don't want to work until a typical retirement age. My ex-father-in-law was a catalyst for this realization.

I met Steve when I was 17 (I'm now 44), and he was one of the hardest-working men I knew. There were times when he held two or even three jobs to support his family, and he worked hard at everything he did.

What's sad is that he worked until the day he found out he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer; he died three weeks later at 61.

His death was part of the reason I decided I didn't want to work into my 60s, and conversations with my children helped me see that my identity is more than my work.

Although I own a business, I'm working toward the goal of retiring by the age of 50, and moving to Thailand is the only way I could make that dream a reality.

We moved to Thailand for a better quality of life.

Retiring early in the US would be difficult due to the high cost of living and healthcare, even with insurance. My wife and I decided that moving out of the US permanently would be our best option to achieve our financial independence goals.

After researching, we decided to move to Thailand, a country with a relatively easy visa process, affordable healthcare, cheaper everyday living expenses, and a thriving economy.

My wife, our daughter, our niece, and I secured five-year Destination Thailand Visas (DTV) within a few weeks after deciding to move.

I found a beautiful apartment in the best location for a reasonable price.

It was easy to set up our life in Thailand, and I didn't have to go through the bureaucracy I've experienced my entire life in the US.

I landed in Bangkok and toured the apartments the next day. By the end of day two, we had signed a two-year lease for our dream apartment.

The rent is $1,200 a month, but our monthly living expenses for everything are less than $3,000 a month, which is about one-tenth of what we paid in the US.

Our apartment is close to Bangkok's public transportation.

The apartment is within walking distance to Terminal 21, a large mall, numerous coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, and healthcare facilities.

Bangkok is quite the city that never sleeps, and you can find many places that are open 24/7.

The apartment is just under 3,000 square feet with a comfortable living room and a balcony overlooking the pool.

The building and apartment are pet-friendly, so we brought our two cats with us. The building installed netting on the balconies so that the cats can spend time outside.

The apartment was furnished, but we also bought some of our things to make it more comfortable.

For example, I bought an 86-inch TV for the living room.

There is a nice-sized kitchen with a balcony — which houses our washer and dryer.

The kitchen is fully equipped with an oven, a gas stove, and plenty of counter space. Conveniently, a washer and dryer are on a small, netted balcony right outside the kitchen.

There is a formal dining room area, where we keep our filtered water.

We have a large dining room table, built-ins with storage space, and another balcony offers a dining area that's also netted.

Since the weather is good all year round, we're storing our larger suitcase on the balcony.

I turned the fourth bedroom and bathroom into my office.

I own a business and wanted a space to work outside our bedroom. The fourth room would typically be a maid's quarters or a small bedroom, but I converted it to my office.

I installed a mobile AC unit, bought a desk, and purchased a comfortable reading chair for breaks. The office is located on the same floor but is detached from the apartment, making it a quiet space.

Our primary bedroom is large with an ensuite and a balcony.

When we moved to Thailand, we thought we'd be moving to a smaller space than what we're used to in the US. But the apartment we got exceeded our expectations in terms of size.

The master bedroom came with a king-size bed, a large TV on top of built-ins, lots of closet space, a large bathroom, and an area for my wife to have a mini office.

We are quite comfortable.

Our daughter and niece have more space than they had in the US.

Our daughter and niece live with us, and occupy the second and third bedrooms, which are also spacious. Each room has a bathroom, a queen-size bed, and a good-sized TV.

Our daughter's room also features a separate vanity area.

We're very happy with our new family home, especially since it's saving us money.

I'm not sure if we'll stay in this apartment for all five years of our visa, but we're very happy with it right now.

The apartment has more space than anticipated, it's close to everything we need, and the building staff has been incredible.

We made the right move for our family, and we've accelerated our journey toward financial independence by increasing the amount we're saving.

• We bought our dream mountain home just outside of Boulder, Colorado.
• It had stunning views from roof-height front windows and nearby hiking trails that our dog loved.
• We knew the risk of wildfires when we bought, but the scope of mitigation was larger than we thought.

When I first set foot inside, I knew it was special.

My partner and I had been living in a 1,150-square-foot home in Boulder, Colorado, enjoying a 2.75% interest rate, but we were feeling cramped.

We both worked from home and shared a tiny desk in our spare bedroom and a full-sized desk in our dining space. Dinner parties required creative planning, and we had no garage or basement for storage.

Then, one day, our realtor excitedly called us up. A house that checked nearly all of our boxes was just about to hit the market. She asked if we could come see it right away.

The neighborhood was comprised of sprawling land plots and spacious homes tucked into an impressive foothill, with a winding road connecting them. Our future house was at the very top.

As I stepped inside, I could see Boulder's grasslands reach out toward the horizon through roof-height front windows. Take just a few steps into the backyard, and the craggy peaks of the Rocky Mountains poked into the sky.

It was true mountain living, but only a 10-minute drive to Boulder's city limits. To us, it offered the best of both worlds: access to the community we loved, while gaining plenty of space to work remotely and feel connected with nature.

There was one major downside, though.

We'd have to factor wildfire risk into our day-to-day lives

Worsening drought conditions accelerated by climate change were leading to destructive, difficult-to-predict wildfires in the Western states, including Colorado's Front Range.

Our realtor connected us with her friend, a retired fire department chief, and we walked the property together.

He pointed out the changes we would likely need to make: updating the roof with fire-resistant shingles, adding a gravel barrier, taking down trees, and keeping wild grasses trimmed.

He said to start by contacting a local nonprofit, Wildfire Partners, that assesses wildfire risks for homeowners.

So, after closing on our dreamy mountain home in the winter of 2022, we scheduled our assessment. Since Wildfire Partners would not come until spring, and our yard was blanketed in a protective layer of snow, we shelved our concerns for the first few months.

We faced a steep learning curve

We assembled mood boards on Canva, scoured vintage rug resellers, and shopped for the perfect leather couch to complete our dream living room.

Our houseplants thrived, and our sweet dog fell in love with the trails that started outside our front door.

As the springtime rolled in, we watched the evening thunderstorms roll over the plains. Some mornings, we even woke up above the clouds.

Mountain living wasn't all rainbows, though. Upon moving in, we had a long list of tasks to complete. We needed to install a radon fan. Our well required treatment for T. coli (total coliform) contamination. Getting contractors to come out was a monumental task.

We also discovered that many of the seller's renovations were hastily slapped together. We wondered what other corners he might have cut, and how much of our planned wildfire mitigation budget would have to go toward these unexpected fixes.

The scope of wildfire mitigation was larger than we expected

When the Wildfire Partners representative came out that spring, he tagged over 30 trees that we would need to cut down. His 17-page assessment also involved trimming ladder fuels and fireproofing our house's exterior.

If and when we completed our wildfire mitigation checklist, Wildfire Partners would come back, verify the work, and issue a certification. They would also match up to $2,000 of arborist-related costs, but the rest would be on us to fund. The proposed scope of work would cost upwards of $50,000, or several thousand less if you were able to DIY some projects.

Our assessor assured us that most people take years to complete their checklists due to the time, money, and effort required. My partner and I debated our plan of approach and decided we would sleep better at night knowing we had taken all the necessary steps to protect our home.

A grassland fire put us on edge

That first (and only) summer in our dream home, we spent weekends working toward our certification. We felled dozens of trees, stacked logs, and gave them away. Friends pitched in, and a kind neighbor lent us chainsaws.

We trimmed the wild grasses that covered our hillside. We installed a gravel barrier around the house to reduce the likelihood of a stray ember landing and catching flame. We interviewed contractors for more complex projects, like installing roofing and ledge flashing.

It was hard work, but it was rewarding. Before we knew it, we were only a few list items away from earning our certification and feeling accomplished.

Then, one afternoon, a small wildfire broke out at the bottom of the neighborhood hill.

A neighbor told us that someone operating a weedwhacker had nicked a rock, and the resulting sparks had started a brush fire. I watched smoke curl over the ridge, and refreshed my neighborhood message board, anxiously waiting to find out if we needed to evacuate.

Fortunately, the firefighters acted swiftly, and the winds were not blowing that day, but this fire event brought back a devastating memory from just a few years prior.

On December 30, 2021, a grass fire in Boulder County transformed into a suburban firestorm, fanned by wind gusts of over 100 miles per hour. In a matter of hours, the Marshall Fire had claimed two lives and over 1,000 homes. People had minutes to evacuate. My partner and I read stories of neighbors knocking on doors to ensure no one was left behind, since there was no statewide alert system.

Wildfires are not only frightening because they are destructive. They are also infamously unpredictable. Just one ember—deposited by the wind onto a combustible ledge—could be the difference between avoiding disaster and losing your home.

That's why our friends at Wildfire Partners were so stringent about handing out certifications. Details that could appear insignificant, such as decking gaps or the type of mesh covering your vents, actually make a big difference. There was also hope—but not a promise—that the mitigations would help keep homes like ours insured.

Insurance trends made us question our purchase

In 2024, the insurance landscape began to change. We heard through the neighborhood grapevine that a neighbor's insurer had dropped them.

A friend in another part of the state also lost her coverage. Finally, we read that State Farm, our insurer, would no longer issue new home policies in California. Could Colorado be next?

It occurred to us that our safety net, which we paid thousands of dollars annually to secure, might not be there for us when we needed it.

We started wondering what would happen if we lost everything. Would our insurer provide us enough to rebuild in place? Would we even want to? And in the absolute worst-case scenario possible—if a fire broke out, would a neighbor rescue our dog if we were unable to get to her?

Over beers, the same neighbors who lent us yard tools recounted tales of their most recent evacuation. The 2020 CalWood Fire had burned over 10,000 acres. On their wall hung a framed photo of the blaze, which had ripped through the foothills just across the canyon and leveled 26 structures.

I was in awe of their casual attitude, but they revealed important truths. We cannot control nature, no matter how many preventative checklists we complete. Also, we are far from experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, especially as our government takes steps to halt climate action.

Committing to life in a wildland-urban interface would require acceptance and a come-what-may point of view on the matter of wildfires, which we weren't sure we were up for.

We sold in 2024

Our life on the mountain was far from perfect, but it had become our home.

We looked forward to the wild irises and larkspurs blooming. We even felt fond of the wild band of turkeys that sometimes woke us up at 6 in the morning. Could we really leave it all behind?

Despite everything, we were not resting easily. No matter how much we enjoyed it in the present, we feared our dream home could not be insured or sold in the future. This is not a dealbreaker for our neighbors, who plan to spend the rest of their lives in this special place—come what may. It doesn't matter because they are in their forever homes.

As it turned out, we were not in ours.

Our trusty realtor listed our dream home in the spring, and by summer, it closed. Although we came out in the red, we exhaled a massive sigh of relief. A few days after closing, a wildfire broke out in South Boulder, and I told that familiar pang of fear to take a hike.

For those willing to accept the risk, our former mountain home is a magical place to live. We just weren't those people.

• Home prices continue to climb, but some markets still might offer a good deal.
• For younger homebuyers, some areas of the Southeast and Midwest might be more affordable.
• These are the 10 most millennial-friendly housing markets.

Adulting could get a little easier, at least in these 10 cities.

As millennials move through their 30s and 40s and prepare to buy a house, they're faced with an increasingly expensive real estate market: the average home in the US sold for over half a million in the second quarter of 2025, at $512,800. The national median price of $435,300 in June was the highest on record.

But some areas of the country are more friendly to first-time, younger homebuyers than others, according to a recent study from SmartAsset.

Many of these areas are mid-sized metros in the Southeast and Midwest. The Midwest in particular has seen a boom in real estate activity in recent months, but remains one of the most affordable homebuying regions in the country, according to a Redfin report from earlier this year.

On the other hand, some of the most difficult places for millennials to buy homes feature the usual suspects — expensive housing markets on the coasts, such as San Francisco and New York City. Fewer than 1% of local millennials purchased a home in those areas in 2024. For those who purchased a house in the San Francisco area, the median millennial property value was a whopping $1,505,000.

Below are the top 10 metro areas where the local millennial population purchased the most homes in 2024, along with the median millennial property value and median income of millennial mortgagor.

For context, the median price of a home sold in the US was $410,800 and the average price is $513,800 in the second quarter of 2025, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Seven out of the 10 median millennial property values on this list are below the national median. All figures are based on metropolitan statistical areas, which may include surrounding suburbs and cross state lines.

Raleigh, NC

Local millennials who bought a home: 4.50%

Median millennial property value: $455,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $138,000

Indianapolis, IN

Local millennials who bought a home: 4.32%

Median millennial property value: $325,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $103,000

Charlotte, NC

Local millennials who bought a home: 4.28%

Median millennial property value: $425,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $125,000

Nashville, TN

Local millennials who bought a home: 4.08%

Median millennial property value: $455,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $123,000

Cincinnati, OH

Local millennials who bought a home: 4.06%

Median millennial property value: $315,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $107,000

Louisville, KY

Local millennials who bought a home: 4.04%

Median millennial property value: $285,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $91,000

Virginia Beach, VA

Local millennials who bought a home: 4.02%

Median millennial property value: $365,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $105,000

Milwaukee, WI

Local millennials who bought a home: 3.82%

Median millennial property value: $355,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $119,000

Jacksonville, FL

Local millennials who bought a home: 3.81%

Median millennial property value: $375,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $110,000

St. Louis, MO

Local millennials who bought a home: 3.81%

Median millennial property value: $305,000

Median income of millennial mortgagors: $106,000

• I lived on a sailboat full-time. After about a year and a half, I chose to get an apartment instead.
• Simple activities, like showering and grocery shopping, were much more difficult on a boat.
• Still, I learned a lot living on board, like how to appreciate the simple things in life. 

In March 2021, my partner, greyhound, and I started living aboard a 42-foot sailboat.

In the years leading up to moving aboard, I daydreamed about our nomadic lifestyle — but after a year of sacrificing hygiene, stability, and family time, the wanderlust had worn off.

Simple day-to-day activities, like showering and grocery shopping, became complicated endeavors. We spent a lot of time and energy simply maintaining our basic needs.

By August 2022, we'd moved back on land and into an apartment.

Our decision was ultimately the result of these challenges, which wore on me physically and emotionally.

Limited water led to limited showers

Although I consider myself low-maintenance, boat life pushed my hygiene needs to their limit. 

When sailing, especially to remote locations, we had a finite amount of water we could carry. So we minimized showering to conserve it and instead took "saltwater baths" in the ocean.

Since soap doesn't lather as well in the ocean and salt sticks to skin and hair, I was never able to truly feel clean.

I went up to a month without a freshwater shower, and the heavy layer of salt and grease in my hair made me uncomfortable and self-conscious.

I longed to establish a daily routine

At first, finding the most convenient grocery store and a nice running path was part of the adventure, but constantly feeling unfamiliar with our location became tiring.

I was relieved when we stayed in a place for a week or more, so I could establish a routine. 

And instead of feeling excited about our next destination, each departure made me sad because I was leaving behind this newfound familiarity. 

Traveling every few days empowered me to become more adaptable, but I continued to have anxiety over access to the resources we needed. 

Homesickness was more difficult than I anticipated

I always knew leaving my friends and family would be challenging, but it surprised me how suddenly waves of homesickness would overcome me. 

While picking up ice cream, I wanted to share it with my dessert-loving nieces. And I yearned to be with my best friend when I tried local hot sauces. 

After missing a year of birthdays and holidays, I'm now embracing every opportunity to create memories with the people I love.

I still learned a lot, and the experience was worth the challenges

Living on a sailboat has helped me appreciate the simple things in life.

Since moving into an apartment, I'm as grateful as ever that showers are readily available and groceries are easily acquired and stored. 

I feel lucky to carry memories of beautiful beaches and diverse cultures, but I'm also looking forward to our next chapter on land. 

This story was originally published on November 27, 2022, and most recently updated on July 23, 2025.

• Some American towns and cities offer major incentives to lure people to move there.
• The perks, often aimed at qualifying remote workers, range from cash to free land to gift cards.
• Business Insider rounded up 26 places that compensate people in some way to move there.

Remote work and a search for affordable housing have reshaped where people live.

Cities across the US that might have previously flown under the radar are offering new residents big incentives, from cash to free land.

Lillian Griffith moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, from Alpharetta, Georgia, in August 2022 to take advantage of the Tulsa Remote program, which granted her $10,000 simply for relocating to the city.

"The Tulsa Remote program is not some elitist program that only accepts people who work in high-paying positions," Griffith, a data engineer, told Business Insider in 2023. "It's more about pulling people who can bring a good culture to the city."

New residents can boost the communities offering incentives, too.

Perry County, Indiana, located an hour west of Louisville, Kentucky, offers qualifying new residents $7,000 split into two payments: $3,500 when they arrive and $3,500 after 12 months.

It's an investment in the region's future, said Shiraz Mukarram, manager at the Perry County Development Corporation.

"We do not want Perry County to be one of those statistics of a declining population. We want to make it grow," Mukarram told BI.

Business Insider rounded up 26 places across the US that are dishing out perks to anyone who moves there, presented in alphabetical order.

Do you know of another city that pays people to move there? Did you get paid to move somewhere? We'd love to hear about it. Email reporter Jordan Pandy at [email protected] or Alcynna Lloyd at [email protected].

A lottery program in Baltimore wants to reduce the upfront costs required for prospective residents to buy a home.

Buying Into Baltimore is a program that awards $5,000 in down-payment and closing-cost assistance to a few lucky prospective homebuyers who enter a lottery after attending a special Trolley Tour that is held three times a year. (The next one will be in the fall.)

The prize is not limited to first-time homebuyers, but following the event, applicants have 10 business days to make an offer on a home, have the offer accepted, and obtain a contract of sale to be eligible to even enter the lottery.

A special note for remote workers considering making a move: The property must also be used as a primary residence.

This small Kansas town will pay you to build a home there.

Building a house can be expensive, but what if someone helped foot the bill?

Belleville, a small town in north-central Kansas' Republic County, is offering up to $35,000 in grants to attract new residents willing to build homes there.

The incentive includes a $25,000 base grant for anyone constructing a single-family home. An additional $10,000 bonus is available to those whose homes are among the first five built within city limits.

To qualify, you have to apply through Republic County's economic development office or partner with a local bank prior to starting construction. After approval, construction must begin within 30 days.

Belleville, through MakeMyMove, also offers eligible remote workers perks beyond homebuying: up to $1,500 annually for five years toward student loans and up to $3,000 for movers who are employed by Republic County.

A city on a lake in Minnesota wants to reimburse you for your relocation costs.

Bemidji, a 15,000-person city in northern Minnesota, has a program offering remote workers interested in moving to the area six months of free internet service, a one-year membership to a coworking space, a one-year membership to the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce, and free access to community programs and events.

To qualify, movers must work primarily from home and be relocating from at least 60 miles away.

A city in Iowa will give $5,000 to remote workers who relocate to the area.

Nicknamed the "City of Five Seasons," Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is located in eastern Iowa along the banks of the Cedar River. While it's the second-largest city in the state, its closest big town is Des Moines, which is about a two-hour drive northeast.

Cedar Rapids is located in one of the most prominent manufacturing regions in the US and is recognized as the largest corn-processing city in the world, according to its official website. Beyond agriculture, the city also has a strong job market, with several Fortune 500 companies, including Collins Aerospace and Nordstrom calling it home.

In partnership with MakeMyMove, the city is offering $5,000 to non-Iowa residents to relocate there. To qualify, applicants must be willing to move within six months of approval, work remotely, and earn an annual income of at least $55,000.

Columbus, Georgia, will pay remote workers $5,000 to move there.

Columbus, a 200,000-person city on the Georgia-Alabama border, is offering $5,000 to remote workers who move there.

Through MakeMyMove, Columbus also offers relocators other perks, including six months of time at a coworking space, coffee with the mayor, and a two-night hotel stay for a visit before your move.

The total package is worth $8,700, according to MakeMyMove.

In order to qualify for the program, you need to be employed full-time, earn at least $75,000, and live at least 75 miles outside Columbus at the time of the application.

Fort Wayne, Indiana, will help you pay your down payment.

Both first-time and repeat homebuyers moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, can get help buying a home thanks to Hoosier Homes Plus, a down payment assistance program sponsored by the Fort Wayne Housing Authority.

The program offers buyers up to 5% of the home's purchase price to assist with down payment and closing costs.

To qualify, applicants must work with an approved lender, have a minimum credit score of 640, and have a household income at or below the county-specific limit of $126,000.

Additionally, first-time homebuyers are required to complete a homebuyer education course.

Hamilton, Ohio, assists recent graduates with their student-loan payments.

Hamilton, Ohio — a city of 63,000 about 20 miles north of Cincinnati — is encouraging recent college graduates to apply for its Talent Attraction Program Scholarship.

Scholarship recipients can get up to $15,000 a year toward student loan payments. 

In order to qualify for the scholarship, you must have graduated from a STEAM (science, tech, engineering, the arts, or math) program within the last seven years. You must not already live in the city of Hamilton but have plans to move or live in what the city defines as one of its urban neighborhoods.

Applicants must demonstrate employment within Butler County or a full-time remote position. Preference is given to people "with a desire to give back to the community and become engaged in activities."

This city in Kansas is helping renters become homeowners.

Hutchinson — a city of about 40,000 people in south central Kansas — is helping its movers achieve the American dream of homeownership.

The city is offering renters who move into one of its qualifying neighborhoods —College Grove, Creekside, Founders, Grace Arbor, Houston Whiteside Historic District, Midtown — up to $2,500 in matching funds to purchase their first home.

Jackson, Michigan, is offering up to $25,000 to help people buy homes in the city.

Jackson, Michigan, a city of about 31,000 people in south-central Michigan, is attracting residents with newly built homes and down payment assistance.

As part of its 100 Home Program, the city plans to construct 100 one-and two-bedroom homes on vacant residential lots across Jackson, each priced at $175,000.

To help buyers better afford these homes, the city is offering up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for eligible applicants earning up to 120% of the area's median income.

In addition, buyers are encouraged to apply for an extra $10,000 in assistance through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

A Kentucky nonprofit is trying to reverse population loss by offering $7,500 to people who move to one of 34 counties in the state.

The nonprofit Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) was founded to reverse population loss in the rural, mountainous regions of Kentucky.

It offers relocation grants to remote workers, which include $5,000 for the worker who moves, plus an additional $2,500 bonus if their partner secures a job in education or healthcare.

Interested remote workers can move to any of 34 eligible counties in the eastern part of Kentucky; the swath includes a scenic network of canyons called the Red River Gorge and the Country Music Highway Museum, dedicated to artists from the region like Billy Ray Cyrus and The Judds.

Applicants must make $70,000 and currently reside outside Kentucky.

Ketchikan, Alaska, pays up to $2,000 a year to live there and provides free internet.

Ketchikan, a scenic coastal city near the southernmost tip of Alaska that is a 90-minute flight from Seattle, launched the Choose Ketchikan program in November 2021.

Applicants over 18 must be "fully employed." To be eligible, an individual or family must currently live outside Alaska while working remotely for a company that is also outside Alaska.

After relocation, all Alaska residents get an annual payment from Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend, which can be as much as $3,000 a year or more.

Ketchikan, which touts its clean air and drinking water, is also offering new residents three months of free high-speed internet.

This Georgia town will pay you $2,500 and give you a gym membership if you move there.

Macon-Bibb, Georgia, is one of the newest cities to launch a relocation program through MakeMyMove.

The central Georgia city is offering qualifying out-of-state remote workers $2,500 to make it their home. Additionally, new residents will receive a three-month coworking membership at The Office, a local workspace, and a three-month family trial membership at One Life Fitness, a local gym.

The state of Maine offers student-loan repayment assistance to eligible college graduates.

Maine has said it can reimburse residents who graduated after 2007 through its student loan repayment tax credit program.

If you live in Maine during the tax year, you are likely eligible for a tax credit that could total up to $2,500 annually, up to $25,000 lifetime, toward student-loan payments.

Additional perks are available for graduates with STEM degrees, including the possibility of refunding the entirety of their state tax payments.

Manilla, Iowa, is offering free plots of land to people who will build homes on them.

Manilla — a small city in western Iowa — is offering free lots of land to anyone looking to build a single-family home.

Manilla is also eliminating taxes on the homes built on the "no cost lots" for the first five years.

A program in West Virginia is offering potential new residents $12,000 in cash.

West Virginia launched a program named Ascend WV to attract out-of-state remote workers to Morgantown, a vibrant college town home to West Virginia University.

To be eligible, potential residents must be 18 years or older, able to verify remote employment, and willing to move to the city of 30,000 for two years.

Those accepted to the program are expected to relocate to Morgantown within six months and receive $12,000 in cash in monthly installments. If people choose to purchase a home in West Virginia, they can get the remaining cash payments in a lump sum.

Other perks of the program include a coworking-space membership and free outdoor-gear rentals.

In addition to Morgantown, Ascend WV also incentivizes moves to other parts of West Virginia: the Greenbrier Valley, the Eastern Panhandle, the New River Gorge area, and Greater Elkins community.

Newton, Iowa, is offering homebuyers more than $10,000 to buy a house priced at $240,000 or more.

Newton, Iowa, about 30 miles east of Des Moines, wants to give relocators who purchase a home there cash upon closing.

The city is offering $10,000 in cash to buyers of homes valued at more than $240,000 and a five-year tax abatement for homes below that value. Eligible homes include single-family new builds that started construction in 2020 or 2021.

There's also a "Get to Know Newton Welcome Package" that includes gifts from local businesses and opportunities to attend local events, including at the Iowa Speedway.

A town outside Indianapolis is offering a $5,000 grant and other perks to new residents.

Located just 30 minutes from downtown Indianapolis, Noblesville is home to the Ruoff Music Center, the region's most significant outdoor concert venue.

The town is offering new residents a package that includes a $5,000 relocation grant, a $500 health and wellness stipend, and a one-year membership to a local coworking space, among other incentives.

Remote workers interested in the program must make at least $80,000 annually and be able to relocate within six months of applying.

A small Illinois town is offering $5,000 to movers looking for work.

Quincy, Illinois, a town of 40,000 on the Missouri border, has also launched a program to incentivize Americans to relocate there.

The Quincy Workforce Relocation Assistance Program, also called Quincy's Calling, offers movers who can get a job within the county a property-tax rebate of up to $5,000 after one year of living and working in the area.

If you would prefer to rent, you can get a rental rebate of up to $3,500 after six months of residency and employment.

Remote workers aren't eligible for the program. New residents must work in Adams County, where Quincy is.

A small county in Indiana is paying qualified remote workers $7,000.

Since 2023, Perry County has offered a cash incentive of $7,000 to qualifying remote workers and their families who move to the rural community. Located between Evansville, Illinois, and Louisville, Kentucky, along the Ohio River, Perry County has fewer than 20,000 residents, according to the most recent census data.

The $7,000 payment is split into two installments — one when families first move and another after 12 months. Families also receive a welcome basket that includes freebies from local fudge to discounted WiFi.

Eligible applicants must make $50,000 at a job they can retain when they move and be able to relocate within 6 months.

Shiraz Mukarram, manager at the Perry County Development Corporation, told BI that families have moved to the county from states including Florida, Georgia, California, and Massachusetts with great success.

Remote workers could earn $5,000 if they move to Switzerland County, Indiana.

Switzerland County, Indiana, about an hour southeast of Cincinnati, is home to the towns of Patriot and Vevay.

The latter was once home to the first successful wine vineyard in the US, though wine production has since ceased.

Still, each year, people from across the country gather to celebrate the county's wine heritage and sample wines at its annual Swiss Wine Festival.

To encourage relocation to the area, the city has partnered with MakeMyMove to offer $5,000 to eligible out-of-state remote workers who relocate there.

A handful of cities in Alabama are offering remote workers who move to the area $10,000 cash, paid out over a year.

The Shoals in Alabama — a cluster of municipalities including Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia that straddles the banks of the Tennessee River — is offering remote workers $10,000 to move to the area.

Near the border with Tennessee and Mississippi, the four cities are just a few hours from hubs including Memphis, Nashville, and Birmingham. 

The program offers $2,500 upfront for relocation costs, an additional $2,500 six months after moving there, and $5,000 at the end of the first year of residency.

Eligible applicants must be over 18 and able to move to the region within six months. They must also be employed outside the area and have a minimum annual income of $52,000.

Texarkana, which straddles Texas and Arkansas, offers a $5,000 relocation bonus to new residents.

Texarkana is a pair of neighboring twin cities with the same name in both states it straddles: Texas and Arkansas.

The cities have separate municipal governments but often operate as one metropolitan region. It has a joint offer for remote workers moving to either city.

Texarkana is offering a $5,000 relocation bonus along with other incentives, including free tickets to the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and a 25% tuition discount at Texas A&M at Texarkana, the local four-year public university.

Eligible applicants must make at least $75,000 a year. They must reside outside the state of Arkansas or, if a Texas resident, at least 75 miles from Texarkana.

Topeka, Kansas, is offering potential new residents up to $15,000 to move there.

Kansas' state capital has teamed up with employers to offer cash to those willing to move there.

Participants of the program, called Choose Topeka, can receive up to $15,000 if they purchase a home in Topeka and secure a job in the area. Remote workers with employment outside the area can earn up to $5,000 toward rental costs or $10,000 toward a home purchase.

As an added bonus, Jimmy John's, the sandwich franchise, throws in an extra $1,000 for anyone who moves within delivery range of one of its shops.

Tucson, Arizona, is offering remote workers perks and services worth about $7,500.

A local economic-development organization launched Remote Tucson during the COVID-19 pandemic to lure remote workers to the area.

The program offers relocators $1,500 toward moving costs, one year of free internet, free trials at local coworking spaces, membership to a local cultural institution, networking opportunities, and more.

Eligible applicants must be over 18 years old, have full-time remote employment outside the area, and be able to move to Tucson within six months.

Tulsa Remote, one of the country's most well-known incentive programs, offers remote workers $10,000 grants.

Tulsa Remote, a program that started in 2018, is designed to draw new residents to Oklahoma. Since 2018, the program has helped more than 1,400 people relocate to Tulsa.

The program offers $10,000, which people can put toward purchasing or renting a home in Tulsa. It also offers $500 travel reimbursements and a $150 Airbnb credit for applicants to familiarize themselves with the area.

BI previously interviewed four people who hailed from major cities on both US coasts and made the move to Tulsa — most said it was a fantastic decision.

To qualify for the program, applicants must be over 18 and live outside Oklahoma. They must also prove a consistent stream of income and the ability to work remotely. Applicants must also promise to commit to moving to and living in Tulsa for at least one year.

This Arkansas town will pay you to move and even treat you to dinner with the mayor.

Sitting just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, is West Memphis, Arkansas, which is working to attract more residents.

The city is offering housing incentives for movers. Homebuyers can receive up to $10,000 in cash, while renters may qualify for up to $5,000.

Through MakeMyMove, new residents also receive a two-night stay at West Memphis' Southland Casino Hotel and an opportunity to have dinner with the mayor.

Taylor Borden, Libertina Brandt, and Leanna Garfield contributed to previous versions of this story.

• Michael Shvo and partners purchased three Miami Beach hotels in 2019.
• Plans to turn them into a luxury destination were never finished, and the site remains empty.
• A new buyer is lined up, but Shvo could still match the roughly $275 million offer.

The Raleigh, a prominent condo and hotel project along the glitzy Miami Beach waterfront, could soon change hands after six years of stalled development.

Two people with direct knowledge of sales discussions said Nahla Capital, a New York City-based residential builder, has won a bidding process to purchase the property. One of those people said Nahla agreed to pay around $275 million for the project.

They requested anonymity because the sales discussions are confidential.

Real estate developer Michael Shvo, who acquired in the Art Deco district of Miami Beach in 2019 for roughly $243 million, is attempting to match Nahla's offer and retain control of the project, the two people said. They cited a provision that gives Shvo a first right of refusal on bids. To proceed, he would have to raise fresh capital to pay off his partners in the project and also potentially arrange new debt or extend his current loan.

The Raleigh development consists of three adjacent hotels in the Art Deco district of Miami Beach: the Richmond, the South Seas, and the 80-year-old namesake property, the Raleigh.

Among Shvo's chief financial backers was Bayerische Versorgungskammer, a large German pension system known as BVK that has invested in several US real estate deals with Shvo.

"BVK generally does not comment on market rumors and speculation about transactions," a BVK spokesman wrote in an emailed statement.

A deal could herald a new chapter for the project, which for years has consisted of little more than the derelict remains of the three hotels and a vacant dirt lot.

Shvo has said he would restore and redevelop the hotel properties, build an exclusive beach club and restaurant abutting a famous historic pool at the site, and raise a new ultra-high-end condo tower designed by the star architect Peter Marino.

But aside from preliminary site work, including demolition of existing structures, the development never got off the ground. In January, a team from the commercial real estate brokerage and services firm Newmark was hired by an undisclosed partner in the project to shop it to interested takers, as Business Insider has previously reported.

Helping to push a sale is the project's $190 million of debt, which was due to expire on July 16. BH3, the Miami-based commercial lender and developer that provided the loan, recently agreed to a three-month extension to allow the Nahla, or Shvo, to arrange an acquisition, one of the people with knowledge of the deal said.

Holding the property has saddled the current owners with considerable costs. As Business Insider previously reported, the group paid nearly $20 million in interest on the project's loan in 2023 alone and millions of dollars more in taxes, insurance, and other charges.

Have a tip? Contact Daniel Geiger at [email protected], via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1-646-352-2884, or Twitter DM at @dangeiger79.

• I thought I would be raising my kids in a suburban house with a backyard.
• Instead, our family of four lives in a one-bedroom apartment with a study in an urban area.
• Living in an apartment was hard when our kids were babies, but now it's working for us.

I never imagined I would be raising my kids in a 900-square-foot apartment.

My husband and I had planned to move to a house in the suburbs just before our first baby was born. But then the pandemic struck, and real estate prices went up. Five years later, we still live in the same apartment, and now there are four of us.

For a while, I felt inadequate about our living situation because we didn't live in a house with a backyard for our kids to run around and play in. Now I've realized that there are benefits to living in an urban apartment for our family, especially once the baby phase was behind us.

Living in an apartment was hard when our kids were babies

There were things I really didn't like about living in an apartment when my kids were babies.

For starters, it was hard to find room for all of the baby stuff. Some baby items just wouldn't fit neatly anywhere, such as the double stroller and the travel crib.

It also seemed like the noises were amplified in our apartment, so our babies' cries felt louder than they really were. I was constantly worried that we were disturbing our neighbors' sleep.

With only one bedroom and a study, I felt frustrated because I couldn't take a proper break from the demands of motherhood unless I left the apartment.

We socialize with other families who live in apartments

That push to get out of the apartment for more space hasn't been all bad, though. It has led to more socializing with other families who live in our neighborhood.

Our family spends a lot of time at the local parks, playgrounds, and playgroups. In doing so, we've connected with many other families, who have become our broader support network.

Meeting other families who live in apartments has also helped to normalize our own living situation. It shows me that there's nothing wrong with raising kids in an apartment.

An urban apartment suits our young family

With nearly everything we need at our doorstep, walking everywhere keeps us active and allows us to live an almost car-free lifestyle. We hardly ever have to wrestle our kids into car seats, worry about parking a car, or fill up the gas tank.

When we don't even want to leave our apartment building, we use the shared communal space, which is equipped with a landscaped garden and grassy lawn—kind of like having a backyard.

We work together to keep our apartment organized and functional, and try to limit how much stuff we own. We gift each other experiences and prefer to borrow toys and books instead of buying them.

The smaller space strengthens our family's bond and fosters many shared experiences with each other. We intentionally gather together to do things as a family, yet we also feel comfortable doing independent activities side-by-side.

While things didn't turn out quite as I had expected, I think we're making the most of our living situation.

• About five years ago, my now-fiancé and I moved from Washington, DC, to a small town in Arkansas.
• The most surprising part of moving was seeing how many people in our new town were self-employed.
• The culture shift inspired us to open up a restaurant, and I love the way my workweek looks now.

I never expected to leave my city life for a small Arkansas town of about 16,000 people — but I'm so glad I did.

I first moved to Washington, DC, for school, but ended up staying for nearly two decades thanks to the incredible job opportunities, cultural experiences, and lifelong friendships I made there.

Then, COVID-19 hit. I was fortunate to keep my job in the nonprofit industry, working remotely throughout the pandemic — but my boyfriend, a chef, had a hard time finding work as one restaurant after another closed its doors or cut staff.

Suddenly, we wondered whether it made sense to continue paying rent for a pricey basement apartment in the nation's capital.

My partner had some job leads in his Arkansas hometown, which was also much closer to my family in Memphis. So, in August 2020, we packed a U-Haul and hit the road.

I was surprised to learn that so many people in my new neck of the woods were self-employed

Coming from Washington, DC, I was used to people working for large firms or the government in some capacity. During my first few months in town, as I worked long remote hours for my DC-based job, I was struck by the percentage of locals who were self-employed.

It felt like half the people I met were entrepreneurs — from a band manager and a lawyer with his own firm to personal trainers and dog groomers. Even many of the kids at the local high school were starting boat-detailing businesses or mobile car-wash services.

My now-fiancé and I would stroll downtown, checking out empty storefronts and dreaming about opening a small gift shop or burger bar of our own.

Although I hadn't seriously considered it before, the idea of being brick-and-mortar business owners suddenly didn't seem quite so far-fetched.

So, when a small café and marina became available, we took the plunge

We invested our savings and became proud owners of a lakeside burger and po'boy shop.

We knew my fiancé would be the head chef and manage day-to-day operations. I expected to keep my office job and help serve customers on the weekends. Fate had other plans, though, and I was laid off right as the deal went through.

Now working on the business full time, I still help take orders and serve food, but I also handle a wide range of administrative tasks, from running payroll to paying county liquor taxes.

I also handle marketing efforts, like designing promotional fliers and managing our social media. Plus, I fill in wherever and whenever I'm needed — whether that means stocking food deliveries, mopping floors, coordinating events, or making fries.

The road forward hasn't always been easy, but I love my new career

We knew the restaurant business was notoriously challenging, and we saw that firsthand our first summer in operation.

Fully staffed, we opened for both lunch and dinner, but because our space mainly consists of outdoor seating, lunch service was largely empty during weeks of 90-degree heat.

The next season, we pivoted, limiting operations to late afternoon and evening hours and leaning into showcasing local musicians on weekend nights to make the most of prime patio hours.

Through the whole experience, I've learned how much I enjoy variety in my workweek. It's also been incredible to become a more active member of my community — I've gotten to know neighbors, donated meals to local sports teams, and exhibited artists' paintings on the walls.

Being new entrepreneurs has been a process of constant learning and frequent adjustments, but five years later, we have no regrets — just a lifestyle and business we love.

• Circus magnate John Ringling built a 36,000-square-foot Venetian palazzo in Sarasota in 1926.
• Ca' d'Zan cost $27 million in today's money to build.
• The home features 400 pieces from Vanderbilt estates and a full room from the Astor House.

The Ringling Brothers circus once brought elephants, gilded wagons, and flying trapeze artists to towns across America aboard a mile-long train. Lauded as the "World's Greatest Show," the circus enterprise made the Ringlings one of America's wealthiest families by the early 20th century.

So what did John Ringling, the second-youngest and most famous of his seven brothers, do with all that wealth?

He brought Venice to Florida.

Completed in 1926 by John Ringling and wife Mable, Ca' d'Zan, a 36,000-square-foot mansion on the coast of Sarasota, Florida, showcases the extravagance of wealth during the turn of the century.

Inspired by the Mediterranean, the 56-room mansion, which is furnished with antiques and artifacts purchased at Gilded Age estate sales, features a ballroom, reception room, great hall, dining room, and breakfast room, which the circus magnate used to entertain his high-profile guests.

The estate, which Ringling donated to the state of Florida on his death in 1936, also includes a museum of art, a circus museum, and bayfront gardens.

Look inside Ca' d'Zan, one of Florida's most interesting and extravagant historic mansions.

John Ringling and his wife, Mable, began spending their winters in Sarasota, Florida, in 1909.

One of the seven Ringling brothers — five of whom founded the Ringling Bros. circus in 1884 — John Ringling became one of the most famous and successful Ringlings, partly because he lived long enough to enjoy the financial success of the family circus enterprise.

In 1907, the brothers purchased Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, which they would merge with the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows, creating a monopoly in the circus industry that led to John and his brother Charles becoming some of the richest people in America at the time.

John Ringling grew his wealth by investing in booming industries like oil, railroads, and ranching. Despite amassing a considerable fortune, with his estate valued at $23.5 million by his death in 1936 — or $547 million in today's money, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics — John Ringling died with only $311 ($7,244 today) in his bank account, according to his nephew, Henry Ringling North.

Ringling began constructing Ca' d'Zan in 1924.

Costing a reported $1.5 million in 1926, according to the museum, ($27 million today), Ca' d'Zan expands over 36,000 square feet with 56 rooms, including five guest suites and a service wing dedicated to staff.

The extravagant mansion served as John and Mable Ringling's winter home whenever they weren't residing in New York City or traveling. However, the Ringlings only enjoyed their residence at Ca' d'Zan for a limited time, as Mable Ringling died in 1929, and John Ringling followed in 1936.

At one point, John and his brother Charles Ringling — who later built a marble mansion north of Ca' d'Zan —owned a fourth of Sarasota, as reported by The Ringling.

Downstairs, the mansion's reception room, lounging room, breakfast room, dining room, great hall, and ballroom, as well as the kitchen and pantry, are open to the public. The mansion and the museum are open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Entrance to the mansion costs $45 for adults, $20 for children between 6 and 17 years old, and $15 for children under 6.

The mansion's design pulls inspiration from Venetian and Mediterranean styles.

The colorful and intricate design of Ca' d'Zan draws inspiration from Venetian Gothic palazzos like the Ca' d'Oro. Its exterior and interior walls are lined with custom-made terracotta, and the windows replicate Gothic arches.

The mansion's name, Ca' d'Zan, translates to "House of John" in Venetian.

The entrance foyer welcomed the Ringlings' guests.

The entrance foyer, like much of Ca' d'Zan, is filled with furnishings John and Mable Ringling bought from estate sales.

The mansion and adjacent museum showcase 400 pieces bought from a Newport, Rhode Island, mansion following Alva Vanderbilt and William Vanderbilt's divorce, as reported by The New York Times.

The central court, which houses a grand piano and custom ceiling panels, was the heart of the mansion.

The central court was meant to be the center of entertaining at the mansion. It features a 1892 Steinway grand piano and an Aeolian organ to soundtrack the Ringlings' gatherings.

Colored glass windows bring Sarasota's Gulf Coast into the mansion.

Throughout the mansion, including in the central court, windows feature colored glass panels, which create a warm atmosphere inside the home and add layers of dimension to the interior design.

The ballroom and its ornate ceiling are standout features of the property.

The grand ballroom's gilded ceiling features custom artwork by illustrator Willy Pogany.

The ballroom ceiling is comprised of 22 custom canvases.

In "Dancers of Nations," 22 canvas paintings depicting dancers of different times and cultures are arranged in octagonal frames.

A place for informal dining, the breakfast room sits on the other side of the mansion.

The room gave diners views of the Sarasota Bay through colored-glass windows similar to ones in the central court.

The kitchen features cutting-edge technology of the time, like refrigerators and electric stoves.

Other cutting-edge technology in the mansion included an annunciator system that allowed guests to ring the butler's pantry for service.

Despite being constructed during the Prohibition years, the mansion houses a full-size bar.

The tap room where the Ringlings served their guests with wine and spirits features a terrazzo floor, colorful glass windows, and a bar and decorative glass panels purchased from the Cicardi Winter Palace Restaurant in St. Louis, Sarasota Magazine reported.

The formal dining room features design inspirations from all over the Mediterranean.

The painted plaster ceiling is inspired by Islamic design, per the mansion's audio tour. The room decorations draw inspiration from the Italianate aesthetic of the 19th century.

The wooden table had 20 leaves that could extend to host a large number of guests.

In another display of early 20th-century technology, the mansion has a private elevator.

The elevator was one of the first ever installed in a private residence in Florida.

Currently closed to the public, the second floor of the mansion holds the Ringlings' bedrooms.

Separated bathrooms and closets, as well as an entertaining game room, are also upstairs.

The upper levels of the mansion are currently closed to the public as museum staff undergo repairs from damages sustained during Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

The mansion's rear terrace opens to the Gulf coast.

The mansion's water-facing terrace and dock are paved with imported marble tiles in a chevron pattern.

Standing on the terrace, visitors overlook the Gulf coast and can feel its cooling breeze, which once made the city of Sarasota famous as an "air-conditioned city," the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

Often, guests arrived by sea.

While the main entrance to the property was located on land, guests were often welcomed on the bayfront terrace and its waterside dock.

The historic mansion has been hit by many hurricanes, most recently by Milton and Helene.

As of July 2025, the upper floors of the historic mansion remain closed to the public as restoration efforts continue on the property.

The mansion was heavily affected by last year's hurricane season, with its basement flooding and disrupting electrical functions, and it was closed to the public between September and December 2024.

The Ringling estate in Sarasota is also home to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

As well as Ca' d'Zan, the Ringling estate, which expands over 66 acres, also includes the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

The museum, which houses over 10,000 pieces, opened to the public for select exhibitions in 1930. It opened permanently in 1932.

The museum also features a full room from the Astor house in New York City.

Two of the museum's 21 original galleries feature intact decorations from Caroline Schermerhorn Astor and her son John Jacob Astor IV's former residence on New York City's Fifth Avenue.

When the home was demolished in 1926, John Ringling purchased its interiors, including a grand salon and a library, which are both now on display at the museum.

Visitors to Ca' d'Zan can also enjoy the Ringlings' circus museum.

The museum documents the evolution of the circus empire that built the Ringling family's wealth and legacy.

The Ringlings' legacy continues to dazzle visitors.

Whether it's the Venetian architecture, Gilded Age artifacts, or circus history that attracts visitors, the 66-acre Ringling estate and its extensive collections offer a unique and immersive experience, allowing visitors to travel through the extravagant displays of wealth of the turn of the century and the diverse worldly landscapes that inspired the design of Ca' d'Zan.

• After a break-up, I needed a new place to live but was having trouble finding an apartment I loved.
• My aunt suggested moving to her retirement village, and they accepted my application despite my age.
• I love living here. My neighbors have changed my perspective on aging.

I get mixed reactions every time I tell people I live in a retirement village. Some people just laugh it off because they don't understand how I came to that decision. Some ask, "Isn't that depressing?" while some family members initially thought I was way too young to live around seniors.

I get it — it's not typical to find a 30-something in a retirement village. But every Wednesday morning when I join my silver-haired neighbors for a game of bingo, I realize it's the best decision I've ever made.

After a break-up, I needed somewhere new to live

I'm a 38-year-old woman who's independent by all means. My ex and I previously shared a home, but after our long-term relationship ended, it made sense to move out and start fresh.

While looking for an apartment that had everything I was looking for that I could afford, I had been living in an Airbnb for two months, which was becoming costly.

Then one weekend, I visited one of my favorite aunts in her retirement village and casually explained that I was househunting. She told me that a unit a few minutes from her place had opened up and was actively seeking a tenant.

I didn't see how I could get into the retirement village when there was an age stipulation, but she assured me they had made exceptions before. She was confident, and told me the village's homeowners' association reviewed applications on a case-by-case basis.

And while I desperately needed an apartment, I thought I would feel out of place in the village. I wasn't sure how I would relate to older neighbors or rules like time limits on guest visitations and quiet hours, as I've never really been a stickler for rules. Still, after a lot of convincing, I submitted the application, which included a short letter explaining my situation, rental history, proof of income, credit report, photo ID, and my aunt's recommendation. Then, we waited to hear back.

I was approved, and moved into the retirement village

Six weeks later, I got a call saying I had been approved for the unit. I'm not sure what tipped the scales in my favor; maybe it was my aunt's glowing recommendation, or the fact that I expressed how I desperately needed community after a heartache. Either way, I signed the lease and was a resident.

The actual move was surreal, especially because rent for my two-bedroom apartment is 500 Australian dollars, inclusive of service fee. That's a fraction of the going rate for most apartments of the same size in Melbourne, where a two-bedroom typically goes for AU$2800 to AU$3200. As I moved in, the neighbors introduced themselves, and I particularly remember a retired school principal and an Army vet who were kind enough to set up my bed and TV frame and make sure my cabinets could lock.

My days often start the same way. I'm woken up by the faint sound of my neighbor's golden oldies. I drink coffee while reading the newspaper, enjoy a walk, and watch the occasional cat sunbathing. As members of the village strive to stay fit and have fun, I've joined chair yoga classes, cycled now and then, attended bingo at the clubhouse every Wednesday, and spent my afternoons freelancing.

Evenings are also simple. I walk to the nearby grocery store or diner, bake, or sit on the porch and go down memory lane in unending conversations. These are things I always look forward to, and they are surprisingly peaceful.

I've learned a lot from living here

I've been living in the retirement village for a little over a year. I've stopped considering it a stepping stone to a better place, and I now see it as my home. I've never felt out of place, and living around people who are not in a rush to live life or consumed by tech has been great for my mental health. It's a kind of haven.

My neighbors talk about their life experiences, the books they've read, the jobs they miss, and offer unsolicited yet meaningful advice. I meet their friends and family, making new friends along the way. Last week, my neighbor Anna taught me to make lemon bars, and I can't get enough of her chicken noodle soup.

My new home has reshaped my life ambitions and the way I view aging. I've found immense peace here, and it's my definition of a wonderful life. It's comforting to know that the 70s and 80s aren't so bad after all. As I've learned from those around me, you can still have agency, volunteer, make friends, and start new hobbies, no matter your age.

My experience has taught me how to be a better friend and neighbor. There's always a bowl of soup, apple pie, or a bottle of ginger ale on my front porch because everyone cares. In turn, I help run errands for others when I can, and even better, live only 10 minutes from my aunt.

So, the next time you pass by your local retirement village, don't be shy to ask for an opening; you never know where it will take you.

• I thought I'd live in New York City forever, but I hit my breaking point and moved to Nashville.
• I could enjoy many things I love about city life and get more space for less. I even fell in love.
• It's been about a decade since my move, and I'm happily living here with my husband and two kids.

New York or nowhere. It's a T-shirt and an Instagram, but it was also my personal motto for most of my young life.

I was born in the Bronx, got my first post-college apartment in Queens, spent nearly a decade in a fifth-floor walk-up in Manhattan, and brought my first baby home to Brooklyn.

In high school and college, I spent time living in Connecticut, Poughkeepsie, and Scotland, but always felt the draw back to NYC.

By age 30, I'd spent most of my life in the city, and was living my own NYC dream working at a buzzy women's media company.

I had never imagined living anywhere else. Then, I hit my breaking point.

After a reality check, I gave myself permission to leave New York

New York wasn't just my city; it was a huge part of my identity.

However, I was burned out at my job, underpaid, and commuting hours on the subway between Manhattan and my shoebox of an apartment in Crown Heights.

I was paying a nanny most of my salary just so I could have the privilege of … not seeing my newborn.

After each day speed-editing dozens of articles and pumping breastmilk in a closet at the office, I would sprint to the subway at 7 p.m. in hopes of seeing my son while he was still awake.

I would never make it back in time. I'd kiss his sleeping face, pay the nanny, and cry.

By the time my son outgrew his bassinet and needed to transition to a crib, it became clear my tiny apartment was too small for us.

A crib and an adult bed didn't fit in the space, so I gave the latter away and spent the last six months of my New York life sleeping on a bedroll on the floor.

And I finally gave myself permission to consider the impossible: leaving. I just wasn't sure where to go next.

Nashville wasn't the plan, but it was the answer

I knew I wanted to live in a city, but I needed somewhere cheaper (and way more chill) than New York.

I didn't want to relive my teen years in the Connecticut suburbs, or even that blissful but too-quiet year in college when I lived on the coast of northern Scotland.

I wanted my son to grow up in a real community: walking to public school and the playground and pizza parlor like I did as a little kid in the Bronx. I wanted to take him to museums and music venues.

Soon, Nashville was on my radar — once I factored in my other wants, it seemed like the biggest, most diverse, most affordable city I could afford.

I told my employer I was moving, and that I could quit or they could let me go remote. They let me keep my job. I bought a four-bedroom house in East Nashville with a monthly mortgage that was close to half my rent in Brooklyn.

My new block had coffee shops, bars, a pharmacy, a pizza parlor, a bodega, and a vintage store that was also an art gallery that was also a music venue. So Brooklyn! I felt right at home.

Sure, at first everything felt … slow. I didn't live near downtown, so the bustle dial was turned way down.

Initially, it was hard to sleep without sirens and shouting outside my window. But as the weeks turned into months, I started to notice I was breathing easier.

Nashville gave me more space — not just physical space (for a crib and a bed, imagine!) but space in my day that was no longer spent commuting, hauling a stroller up and down stairs, and rushing to the laundromat.

It gave me more accessible green spaces than New York had; my son and I could be out on a hike within 20 minutes, no Metro-North train ride necessary.

Without a long commute, I had time to make real dinners, to lounge on porches, and to get to know my neighbors. I made friends, joined a nonprofit, and started teaching yoga at the local studio.

I had the emotional space to date around casually and have fun.

When my son was 2 ½, I met one particular musician. He was calm but passionate, goofy but grounded, Southern polite but also punk rock. He loved my son.

By year five in Nashville, we were married. Year six, he adopted my son. That same year, our second son was born.

Moving was the best decision I was scared to make

There's a common fear among people who leave big cities that we're somehow giving up. I definitely felt it.

I worried that moving to a smaller city would mean trading ambition for comfort. My work changed, yes.

I later shifted away from a traditional media job into freelance and consulting work, but I'm making more money now since I'm paid per project rather than being expected to work endless hours for an unchanging salary.

Now, I work smarter, not harder. I live smarter. I've stopped defining myself solely by my ever-climbing corporate media job title, or my precious 917 area code.

Nashville gave me the space to grow in unexpected directions. I have a garden, I volunteer, and I made friends who didn't care about who I worked for. I built a community that is unparalleled in its supportive and radically inclusive nature.

This city isn't perfect, but it's become home. At the time, leaving New York felt like the biggest risk of my life. Today, I think of how scared I was of the best decision I ever made, and laugh.

It's been nearly a decade since I left New York, and although I still visit my "hometown" often and miss it dearly sometimes, I don't regret the move for a second.

Well, maybe I just regret not leaving 10 years earlier.

• Pope Leo XIV is on vacation at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.
• The 135-acre estate owned by the Holy See features multiple properties and gardens.
• Leo XIV is staying in Villa Barberini, a 17th-century palace with expansive gardens.

Even popes need to take vacations.

Beginning with Pope Urban VIII in 1626, some popes have chosen to escape the oppressive summer heat of Rome by spending time at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

The lakeside residence includes multiple properties and gardens situated on a 135-acre estate.

In a statement released by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said he would spend "a brief period of rest" at the estate in July.

"I wish everyone the opportunity to enjoy a time of vacation to refresh both body and spirit," he said.

Take a look inside the papal summer residence.

Pope Leo XIV is spending two weeks at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

Leo XIV arrived on July 6 and will stay at the residence until July 20. He will return for another brief stay in August, Vatican News reported.

Located 16 miles from Rome, the papal summer residence is situated in the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano.

The estate features gardens, an observatory, and a newly built tennis court in addition to several residential properties.

The Apostolic Palace is located in Castel Gandolfo's main square.

The palace was built on the ruins of an ancient Roman emperor's villa and became part of the Holy See in 1604.

Also known as the Papal Palace, it features ornate sitting rooms and residential areas for the pope.

The palace includes an art gallery on the first floor. Its second floor contains bedrooms, a library, a private chapel, and multiple sitting rooms.

The residence also houses papal artifacts like a set of theological encyclopedias owned by Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis opened the Apostolic Palace and gardens to the public, but rarely visited himself during his tenure.

While other popes became familiar faces to local residents during their summer visits, Francis only ever visited Castle Gandolfo three times in 2013 and never stayed overnight, The New York Times reported.

Instead of staying at the Papal Palace, Leo XIV is staying at Villa Barberini, another building on the property.

Villa Barberini was built by Scipione Visconti, an Italian noble, as a palace in the 17th century, according to the official website of the Apostolistic Palace and Gardens.

Taddeo Barberini, Pope Urban VIII's nephew, acquired the home in 1631 and expanded the building and its grounds. In more recent years, it served as the residence of the Vatican Secretary of State.

Villa Barberini is known for its expansive gardens.

The gardens include Borgo Laudato Si, a 55-hectare garden, farm, and ecological education area created by Pope Francis in 2023.

Even on his vacation, Leo XIV has continued leading mass on the grounds of the papal residence.

Leo XIV led the first Mass for the Care of Creation in the gardens of the residence, calling the setting "a kind of 'natural' cathedral" in his homily, Vatican News reported.

He also held a private audience with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"We very much count on the Vatican and His Holiness to help provide a place for a high-level meeting of leaders to end this war," Zelenskyy told reporters of the Russia-Ukraine War on July 9.

• NYC's mayoral frontrunner has a plan to overhaul the city's property tax system.
• It involves an analysis of billionaire Ken Griffin's 220 Central Park South apartment.
• Here's what it could mean for NYC homeowners from Staten Island to the Bronx.

When Ken Griffin purchased the most expensive home in America in 2019, it came with a hidden discount.

The palatial four-floor apartment at 220 Central Park South, which cost the billionaire founder of the hedge fund Citadel nearly $240 million, is taxed at about half the rate of the average condo in the city, data shows.

Now, Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old self-described socialist who won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, wants Griffin — and scores of other wealthy homeowners in the city — to pay more. His plan, if instituted, could upend tax bills from Staten Island to Billionaire's Row in Manhattan.

In a policy memo published by his campaign, Mamdani pointed to Griffin's Central Park South apartment as an example of why he thinks an overhaul of the city's byzantine system is necessary.

Without mentioning Griffin by name, the memo called out the taxes charged for an apartment at 220 Central Park South that cost $228 million, what the memo described as "the most expensive home ever sold in the United States." (News reports at the time of the sale said Griffin bought the apartment for $238 million.)

The memo proposed taxing the apartment, and others like it across the city, closer to their actual sales values versus the complex formulas currently used by the city's Department of Finance, which valued Griffin's apartment at just $15 million on his most recent tax bill. Mamdani's memo said this change would lead to an annual property tax bill on Griffin's Central Park pad of $3 million — more than three times what it currently pays. Other New Yorkers could also see their costs rise — or fall — depending on where they live and the sales value of their homes.

A spokesperson for Griffin declined to comment. Records from the city's Department of Finance show Griffin's Central Park property was charged $841,000 in property taxes for 2025/26.

The $841,000 bill means that Griffin pays 35 cents of taxes per hundred dollars of the apartment's sales value. That's less than half the tax burden paid by condo owners across the city on average, according to a 2021 report by a tax reform commission tapped by the previous NYC mayor, Bill de Blasio. The average condo in the city pays 74 cents of taxes per $100 of sales value, according to the report.

Raising taxes on Brooklyn brownstones

Mamdani said the city's current method, which calculates values for condos and coops by comparing them with rentals, "heavily favors luxury and super-luxury apartments."

He said he would embrace reforms recommended by the 2021 tax commission, which suggested NYC use a "sales-based methodology to value all properties." That methodology, he said, would lower tax payments for homeowners in neighborhoods like Jamaica in Queens and Brownsville in Brooklyn "while raising the amount paid in the most expensive Brooklyn brownstones."

Tax experts agreed that the current tax system tends to favor tony neighborhoods like the Upper East Side, Greenwich Village, and Park Slope. Poorer and working-class communities in the Bronx and Staten Island have historically paid more as a percentage of the sales value of their real estate, they said.

Sebastian Hallum Clarke, a product manager at Google Maps who has studied the city's property tax system in his free time, highlighted that dichotomy in a blog post. Clarke detailed how a 96-unit rental apartment building in the Queens neighborhood of Jackson Heights paid nearly six times as much in annual property taxes as a single-family Upper East Side mansion, even though the city's Department of Finance estimates similar values — $6.6 million versus $5.5 million — for the two.

"Every dollar in cost for a rental gets passed on ultimately to the renters themselves," Clarke said. It's "a broken system that is just completely unfair in terms of how much tax different classes of property are paying."

Part of the disparity is attributable to state-mandated caps that prevent the city from raising the assessed value on one- to three-family homes by more than 6% per year and 20% over five years.

It remains to be seen whether Mamdani, if he wins the mayoralty, prioritizes property tax reform in an agenda packed with bold promises, including free bus service, a rent freeze, and affordable housing development. Other mayors have pledged to fix the system only to punt on the complex and politically fraught issue.

"The Dinkins administration did a property tax reform commission," said Martha Stark, a former commissioner of the Department of Finance during Michael Bloomberg's mayoralty, noting how long the system has been under scrutiny.

"I just can't imagine that Mamdani would elevate that to the top of his priority list in the first term," said James Parrott, an economist who was on the 2021 tax advisory commission.

• We've lived in our house for 30 years and have no plans of moving out any time soon.
• Our friends are downsizing, but emotions play a big part in our not leaving our 3,500 square foot house.
• There are memories in every corner of this place.

After 30 years, we're not ready to leave our 1970s home, even though it has stairs and no walk-in shower.

Among my friends my age — I'm 67 — downsizing is a major topic at social gatherings. The focus is always on finances and logistics, not the deep feelings that the decision reveals.

Emotions play a big part in why, for now, we're staying in this too-big, too-out-of-date, difficult-to-manage two-level 3,500-square-foot home despite many reasons to go and fewer to stay.

We've put so much work into it

My husband of 40 years and I have upgraded and replaced many things. Our upper level has oak plank floors, and we ripped the kitchen to the studs, put in a long peninsula, and increased cabinet space. We upgraded all the interior doors, replaced the concrete driveway, and improved the drainage. We've added a new roof and refurbished a concrete patio. We've added tiles to the bathroom floors and repainted multiple times. And except for the ubiquitous ancient refrigerator in the basement, we've upgraded with good appliances as needed.

But we don't necessarily love everything we've done throughout the years. The oak planks throughout the upper level are narrow, having been put in years ago, and the trend is wider planks. The remodeled kitchen, chic in 2011, has dark cabinets that are not in vogue.

It's an expensive house

At our price point and on our retirement income, it doesn't make sense to replace wooden floors or upgrade a kitchen that costs more than we'll ever get back.

A costly team cares for our lawn. A landscaper cares for the garden beds, and early every Monday, a team of mowers wakes us up. Another person hauls away branches after our frequent Midwestern storms. A man with a lift and a crew takes down the big trees, about 15 in 30 years. A company fertilizes the acre-sized lot and treats it for moles.

One Mother's Day, my husband looked out the kitchen window and said, "You are not the only mother on the property today," spotting Mr. and Mrs. Ground Hog and their four babies. We hired "The Critter Roper," who gently removed them from our property.

We hired the varmint guy to build a structure to protect our foundation, one of those expenses that cost a pretty penny and are not as exciting as a new car or TV. Our foundation has been safe from varmints ever since.

But we have reasons to stay

All that said, we are comfortable in our home. While the decorative style might be called Eclectic Grammy, each room has relics of past travel, copies of famous paintings, and originals by artist friends. We are surrounded by books everywhere (my husband is a retired librarian), and I can't bear to part with one book yet.

We each have an office, and my husband, who runs an online antiques business, keeps inventory in our basement and yard barn.

I love my yellow-and-white striped wallpapered office and large L-shaped desk. Diverse items hang on the walls — a huge picture of Eleanore Roosevelt, an "I Love Lucy" Vitameatavegamin clock, posters of Baryshnikov, my mother's 1955 Indiana University diploma, a picture my son drew in first grade of "The Cat in the Hat," and a poster of El Greco's "Toledo," the exact spot where my husband and I stood.

My most precious books are on a rough-hewn bookshelf my Dad built when I moved into my first apartment, arm's length away from my comfortable office chair.

From my office, I see West Lake, the canopy of trees in our yard, and lilac bushes that recently bloomed. Three bird feeders hang off the deck rail, awaiting the imminent arrival of the Rose-breasted grosbeaks on their way back to Canada.

I'm not ready to give these things up. My husband, who couldn't run his business from a smaller space, isn't ready to stop his business.

I hear kids in my mind, despite it being empty now

The house is quiet now, but I still love being here despite its too-small rooms and the lack of a linen closet.

In my mind, I hear the noise of children's pool parties and the clatter of my son's quick, child footsteps on the stairs, although he left for college in 2008 and lives on the East Coast.

My maternal grandfather was a real estate agent and always told me, that owning a home is an emotional investment. That statement sticks with me now as my husband and I contemplate when to downsize.

For now, I'm happy to stay in our home on its lovely tree-filled lot, which offers comfort and familiarity, rich memories, and seasonal beauty.

• Megan Meyer has lived with her husband and ex-husband for nearly a year.
• They co-parent under one roof, saving them money and time.
• Meyer, her husband, and her ex plan to live on the same property until her daughter is an adult.

In the summer of 2024, Megan Meyer and her ex-husband, Tyler, were stressed.

It had been an eventful year for the former spouses. They split in September 2023 after three years of marriage and had to figure out how to co-parent their daughter.

A few months after the separation, Meyer reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Michael Flores. Soon, they were expecting a son together.

Meyer, 25, Flores, 26, and Tyler, 25, whose last name was omitted to protect his and Meyer's daughter's privacy, all agreed to settle in South Carolina to raise their children. Meyer, a stay-at-home mom and content creator, has family in the state, and Tyler found work as a police officer. Meanwhile, Flores works in the tree industry.

When they moved to South Carolina, Tyler lived about 30 minutes away from Flores and Meyer, who eventually wed in June 2024. He saw his daughter often, but the financial and emotional realities of the move were weighing on all three parents.

As they adjusted to their new life, Meyer thought of a way to solve their problems: she, her husband, and her ex-husband would live under one roof.

Three isn't a crowd

The financial strain of moving and the cost of living in a new area led Meyer to consider alternative housing situations for her family.

"Every time my ex and I would exchange our daughter, we would just constantly be complaining like, 'Oh, it's so expensive,'" Meyer told Business Insider, pointing to day-to-day costs like gas and rent.

Meyer's son was due at the end of the summer in 2024, and she knew life would only get more expensive when he arrived. Meanwhile, Meyer's daughter was struggling with her parents' separation.

"The transition was really hard on our daughter," she said. "She had just turned 2, and the back and forth was just so hard for her."

As she thought more about their situation — and saw that Flores and Tyler were getting along surprisingly well — Meyer decided to approach Tyler about merging their households.

"I finally was just like, 'What if we all got a place together?'" Meyer said. She was worried that the thought of living with her and her new husband might upset Tyler, but to her surprise, he was thinking the same thing.

"He was like, 'You know what, I wanted to mention something about this last week, but I was scared that you would get mad,'" Meyer told BI.

By July 2024, the three had signed a lease on a three-bedroom, three-bathroom house, which BI was able to review. Nearly a year later, Meyer said living with her ex and her husband has been the best thing for her family.

Living under one roof

Meyer had some initial anxiety about sharing a home with her ex when they first moved back in together.

"I was 8 months pregnant at the time, so I was like, 'Am I going to be emotionally stable enough for this?'" she told BI. "But it actually ended up being so much easier than I had ever imagined."

Tyler works a two-days-on, two-days-off schedule, and when he isn't working, the three function like one family unit. Meyer said it's "pretty laid back," and they now "coexist as one big family."

"On the days that he's off, we'll all usually eat meals together, and then we'll either all go to the pool together or go on walks together," Meyer said. "Sometimes, my ex will just take my daughter somewhere, and my husband and I will have some time to hang out at the house."

Tyler's schedule also ensures Meyer still gets one-on-one time with her new husband, who was a huge source of comfort for her through the transition.

"My husband is just like my safe space, so even if my ex did something that ticked me off, my husband would cool me down," she said.

It also helps that Flores and Tyler have developed a close relationship.

The pair are unlikely friends, as Meyer documents on their shared TikTok account, jokingly called "notbrotherhusbands." Still, Tyler does refer to Flores as his brother, as seen in one video.

Co-parenting as a trio

When it comes to raising their kids, all three parents are hands-on with both children. Tyler doesn't parent Flores and Meyer's son, but he has babysat him several times.

Meyer said her daughter is thriving now that she's living with both parents, and having her two children living together has also been a big benefit.

"I love seeing our daughter become a big sister, and having her around all the time has been great for my son," Meyer said. "He's starting to play and engage with her more, and it's been really great just seeing that bond."

Meyer said the living situation works so well for her, Tyler, and Flores because they all did substantial "personal growth" before moving into the same house.

"There was a lot of work that was put into mending our co-parent relationship, healing ourselves of the reasons that we had split in the first place," Meyer said, adding that they addressed any "resentment" and "bitterness" before the move.

The three of them hope to continue living on the same property until their daughter is an adult. They plan to stay in their rental home for another year and are saving money to buy a house with land in 2026.

They plan to eventually have a family compound, and they envision Tyler living in a tiny home while they build him a full, separate house.

"If Tyler were to get a tiny home on the property, our daughter probably wouldn't have a room there, so he could come and go from the 'main house' as often as he wanted," Meyer said.

"A family compound is the goal," she added.

The sun was shining, the sea was glistening, and the woman in front of me looked every bit the boss of this little slice of paradise in Thailand.

Dressed in breezy beachwear — a matching set with bold prints in yellow, pink, and orange — she stepped out of the hotel's front office and greeted me with a bright smile.

"Sunglasses are a must," she told me with a laugh, as she led me down the long entryway lined with lush greenery, the tropical sun blazing overhead.

Pauline Cabessa runs Cielo Samui, a boutique hotel on Koh Samui's Bo Phut beach.

For more than a decade, Cabessa and her husband escaped their home base in Saint Tropez every winter to holiday in Samui.

They were frequent guests of the hotel — then named Eden Beach Bungalows — where they struck up a friendship with the French owner. One day, during a casual conversation, he let slip that he was looking to sell the property.

Almost immediately, Cabessa and her husband, Francois Vargas, found themselves imagining what it would be like to take over the place.

The idea stuck, even after their vacation ended. "As we were on the plane, going back to work, we kept thinking, 'Oh, we need to find a way to make it,'" she said.

In 2017, they packed up their lives in France, said goodbye to their loved ones, and moved across the world to run the hotel — never mind the fact that neither of them had ever managed one before.

"I felt like it was time in life for a challenge," Cabessa, now 43, said. "Being an employee, doing the same thing all your life — if you don't do things that are a little bit crazy, then afterward it might be a little bit too late."

Renovating the hotel

As much as she loved Asia, Cabessa never thought she'd put down roots in Samui.

But her job managing a restaurant in Saint Tropez had started to feel hollow. It was as if the essence of hospitality was being replaced by a culture of showing off, she said.

"I was really losing the authentic connection I shared with people, and time with my family as well, because I was working a lot," she said. "Well, it was thanks to that that I am here now. With the money I earned there, I was able to take on this project."

She preferred to keep financial details private but said she and her husband co-own the hotel with another couple — longtime friends who came onboard as business partners. While their business partners are primarily investors and live in the US, she and her husband run the day-to-day operations of the hotel in Samui.

The opportunity to take over the hotel came at the right time, since she and Vargas were also thinking about expanding their family. Saint Tropez no longer felt like a place where they wanted to raise their kids.

"I wanted my daughter to learn more English and be in contact with people from different places. I wanted a second child as well," she said, adding that her son was born on Samui.

Her husband needed little convincing — he had been vacationing in Samui since 1997, long before the couple had even gotten together.

Although the idea of leaving his previous life behind to start anew in a foreign country felt daunting, Vargas told me he wasn't too worried.

"Moving to Samui was an opportunity to create our own dream," Vargas, 48, said. "I love what we do, the island, the security we can offer our kids, and the people."

For the first two years, Cabessa ran the hotel as it was, while Vargas, a chef, oversaw the in-house restaurant.

But when business ground to a halt due to the pandemic, she decided it was time to renovate.

"That was not part of our original plan at all," she said.

Cabessa redesigned the hotel herself. Like many modern women, she drew inspiration from her Pinterest board.

With textured limewashed walls, stone floors, and an earthy-neutral palette, it's hard not to notice the strong Mediterranean design influences that Cabessa infused into the space.

She also added a yoga studio and a spa to the compound.

The renovation took nine months to complete and was "quite stressful," she said.

To stay afloat during the pandemic and retain their original staff, they opened a restaurant in the nearby tourist district of Fisherman's Village.

"Everybody moved back here when we reopened," she said.

These days, nightly rates for a regular suite begin at 8,500 Thai baht, or $260, with the largest option — a three-bedroom villa that accommodates up to eight guests — going for 26,000 baht.

Running the biz

Running a hotel is no walk in the park.

"People tell me, 'Your life is cool.' OK, there are coconut trees, there is the sun, I get it. But that doesn't mean that there are no challenges," Cabessa said.

With 45 staff members under her wing, she also finds herself smoothing things over with the occasional picky guest.

"I've got reviews from some people complaining about the noise of the waves when they live in the rooms near the beach," she said. "Sometimes people even tell me that the sand on the beach is too hard to walk on."

While Cabessa is always on-site and ready to fix any problems, some things are simply out of her hands. At the end of the day, Samui is an island. "I cannot control nature," she said.

Thankfully, her background working in Saint Tropez prepared her for high-pressure situations.

"We were doing around 600 people per lunch per day back then," she said. No matter how challenging things get in Samui, she says it's hard to find guests with higher expectations than those in France.

It's easy to see Cabessa's dedication in action: She pauses to greet each staff member by name — and in Thai — and never misses a chance to speak with passing guests, even as she's showing me around.

Most of her guests come from Europe, Australia, or around Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong. In recent months, she's also seen more American tourists.

An Australian couple in their 40s told me it was their first time in Samui, and they chose to stay here because the place seemed tranquil and the beach was, in their words, "right there."

All room types at the hotel include breakfast. Guests can also enjoy complimentary activities daily, like Pilates, yoga, and Muay Thai classes. Padel and kayaking are also available.

The idea is to create a place where guests can happily spend their entire stay without needing to step outside, Cabessa said.

Adapting to life on Samui

Cabessa says adapting to life on the island was a breeze.

Her kids, now 11 and 5, go to an international school. Her mother, who is retired, even moved to Samui from Lyon three years ago. She now lives just down the street from Cabessa.

"This is a safe country. You can let your kids play in a mall or on the beach, and you are not worried about that," Cabessa said. "I also love the culture of showing respect for your elders."

Working in hospitality, she also appreciates the friendliness of the Thai people.

"People are always smiling, and this is such a relief. Because if you live in Paris and you take the subway, nobody's smiling," she said.

The island has changed significantly since the first time she visited.

It's much easier to find international products or fresh produce now. And if something isn't available locally, she can order it from Bangkok, and it'll arrive within 24 hours.

Cabessa says she'll "never, ever" move back to France. And even if she doesn't live in Samui, Thailand will always be home.

"I'll never quit this country," she said.

Do you have a story to share about moving to a new country to run a hotel or resort business? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

• A Fifth Avenue mansion built during the Gilded Age just sold for $46 million.
• The 11-bedroom, 10-bathroom home features ornate details and original features.
• The mansion was designed by architect Stanford White and spans over 16,000 square feet.

One of the last remaining Gilded Age mansions in New York City was just snapped up for $46 million.

The 16,000-square-foot home — the only fully restored Stanford White-designed mansion on Fifth Avenue — has seven levels and looks out over Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The home was reportedly initially listed for $80 million in 2021. After multiple price reductions, it was relisted for $49.9 million by the Corcoran Group in February, and the property sold earlier this month for $46 million, city records show.

A representative for Corcoran told Business Insider earlier this year that $300,000 in new upgrades was spent in preparation to list the property "to enhance the current owners' $15 million renovation after their purchase of the mansion in 2012."

Not much is known about the new owner, but sources told The New York Post that it's a finance-industry family from outside New York.

Take a look inside this historic Gilded Age mansion.

The Fifth Avenue mansion "embodies the height of Beaux-Arts design and old-world European craftsmanship," according to its listing.

The home is located near the corner of Fifth Avenue and 79th Street in Manhattan. It occupies 25 feet of prestigious Fifth Avenue real estate.

Henry H. Cook, the original commissioner of the building, hired the architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White to lead the project.

Construction on the building began in 1902 and was completed in 1907, two years after Cook's death in 1905.

There are only a few Beaux-Arts-style mansions still remaining in New York City.

Key characteristics of Beaux-Arts architecture, which was popular in the US in the late 19th century and early 20th century, include "a focus on symmetry," classical features like columns or pediments, and "highly decorative surfaces," such as carved doorways and crown molding, according to the Chicago Architecture Center.

The historic home was designed by Gilded Age architect Stanford White.

White is one of the most famous architects in history. He is known for his style inspired by the Italian Renaissance and is one of the most famous architects to emerge from the Gilded Age in Manhattan.

He is also famous for his death, which was shrouded in scandal.

On the night of June 25, 1906, Pittsburgh millionaire Henry Shaw shot and killed White at Madison Square Garden because of a prior relationship between White and Thaw's wife, chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit, the National Park Service reported. Nesbit was just 16 when she met White.

White was 52 when he died, and much of his architectural legacy was tainted by the scandal in the years after his death.

However, he is now recognized as one of the most influential architects of the early 20th century.

The home is the only fully restored Stanford White-designed mansion on Fifth Avenue.

In the decades following the Gilded Age — and amid financial challenges and changing tastes and values — many of the largest mansions in New York City were torn down or repurposed.

Corcoran's Andres Perea-Garzon — who listed the property with Carrie Chiang and Lesley Schulhof, also of the Corcoran Group — told Mansion Global that the home is one of only five mansions designed by Stanford White still in existence in New York City.

Of those, only two — including this one — are single-family townhouses in Manhattan.

The floorplan has been updated from White's original design but retains many of his choices.

After its previous owners purchased it in 2012, the home underwent a multi-year restoration project.

The renovated morning kitchen, pictured above, has a Carrara marble waterfall island that reflects more modern trends.

The home has also been updated to reflect 21st-century living, with upgrades like a "modernized" elevator and nine restored wood-burning fireplaces, per the listing.

It was transformed into an entertainer's paradise.

The home has five separate kitchens, including a family kitchen, a chef's kitchen, a butler's pantry, a staff kitchen, and a serving kitchen.

The scullery and butler's pantry also each have a dumbwaiter to accommodate service across the entertaining levels.

Despite the upgrades, the home has retained its Gilded Age grandeur.

Many of the home's most impressive features, including its limestone flooring and staircase with a wrought-iron railing, have been restored to their original condition.

The primary bedrooms have dressing areas and en-suite bathrooms.

The mansion, which spans over 16,000 square feet and has 11 bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and three half-baths, was cut from its original price of $80 million in 2021, The New York Post reported.

The home's details include French stained-glass windows and marble fireplaces.

Inside the home's double grand parlors, there are 16-foot-high ceilings fitted with wooden beams as well as hand-carved marble fireplaces, according to the listing.

One living space features crown molding and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The home embodies upper-crust living with a climate-controlled wine cellar, a steam room, a linen room, and a silver and jewelry vault.

The mansion has also undergone more practical upgrades.

Every room across its seven floors has a separate HVAC zone, per the listing. Humidifiers and a water purification system were also added.

The home was marketed as a single-family home but the listing noted it could also be repurposed into an art gallery.

The listing states that the home can be used as a private residence, an embassy or mission, a nonprofit foundation office with a limit of 50 employees, or a non-commercial art gallery.

One of the home's most jaw-dropping features is its views of Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The home is located on Cook Block, a zoning district that restricts buildings to six stories or fewer for a full city block. This prevents new construction from restricting the home's sweeping views.

The mansion also has a private courtyard for indoor-outdoor living.

"As one of the last private mansions of its kind, 973 Fifth Avenue is an irreplaceable masterpiece, fully restored to its original grandeur while discreetly integrating modern luxury at the highest standard," the listing read.