Moving to a lower cost region is one possible strategy for retirement.When I lived in Silicon Valley, my stock broker there told me his wealthy clients would sell their private companies and real estate investments at retirement and deploy the money in the stock and bond markets (which he and other investment advisors would manage for them).Would anyone like to share their views on what they have done or plan to do when they retire so that i can understand my realistic alternatives?

Andrew Acuna Have you looked at regional/local banks?

Credit Unions and regional banks may also be places to search as they tend to be a little friendlier than the big box banks.

I would use this for properties that I buy which are in geographic regions where I don't live.  

I have a friend/colleague that is interested in their services (they are regional to certain areas) and just wanted to see if the community could shed some light on their experiences with them. 

If you talk to your local lenders (smaller/regional banks or credit unions) about portfolio lending (sometimes called blanket lending), you may be able to finance the entire portfolio with a single note (registered against the title of all properties).  

@Andrew Hughes For me it's not an issue but my experience has taught me that property management fees can be regionalized.  

Hello BP, I keep hearing from books and others that you want to master the city/region where you will be investing.

Obviously, that varies depending on the region you live and invest in.Buy and hold is a 10 to 15 to 30 year outlook. 

Hi there Alex, I'm a real estate agent in Kitchener/Waterloo region, I can help with a search for you towards properties that may interest you , once you go to a mortgage broker to see what you qualify for , i look forward to hearing from you and I'll guide you along the way in this journey.I'm also an investor and this is exciting time for you to get started.