Your retirement planning may include visions of a home close to the beach, mountains or a lake. Or maybe you're hoping for a Main Street kind of place, a walkable community or a budget-friendly locale.
Bankrate researched median home prices in some of the United States' top retirement spots, as outlined in "America's 100 Best Places to Retire," edited by Elizabeth Armstrong.
Median home prices in the 10 places Bankrate selected from the book's "top" lists range from $125,000 in Danville, Ky., to $639,500 in Carlsbad, Calif., with many 
homes priced in the high $100,000s to the low $200,000s.
Here's what you can expect from among the best places to retire in the U.S.:
Carlsbad, California
Price: $639,900
Area median price: $672,500
Features
• 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
• 2,352 square feet
• Granite countertops
• Attached garage
• Lagoon water views
For $639,900, you could get this three-bedroom, 2.5 
baths 2,352-square-foot townhome, with granite counters, a security system, Bose speakers and attached garage. On a lagoon, the home affords a water view from most rooms, and it's in a community with walking trails near a beach.
Homes at the median price in Carlsbad are typically larger and more expensive than retirees are looking for, says broker Tony Cannon of Keller Williams Realty. For substantially less -- $374,000 -- you could get a home more suitable for empty nesters: a two-bedroom, two-bath, 1,100-square-foot home with a patio, garage and a low-maintenance yard in a community with a pool and spa, on about one-eighth of an acre, Cannon says.
The weather and the beach are the main draws for retirees in Carlsbad, which ranks among the "top 10 beach towns."
"East Coast people come out here because the weather is nicer," Cannon says. "It's mild all year long. We get people from Canada, other parts of California, even Arizona and New Mexico. If you live within 5 miles of the beach, you don't need air conditioning."
A few of the other communities named in the 10 great places to retire include the following:
Danville, Ky.
Price: $125,000
Area median price: $125,000
Features
• 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
• 1,456 square feet
• One-car detached garage
• Covered deck, open patio
This three-bedroom, two-bath ranch house built in 1950 has 1,456 square feet and is situated on a lot just more than four-tenths of an acre.
Annapolis, Md.
Price: $350,000
Area median price: $396,330
Features
• 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths
• 1,524 square feet
• Close to downtown Annapolis
For $350,000, you could get this two-story Cape Cod built in 1967 with a timeless floor plan. The home includes 1,524 square feet, two bedrooms, 1.5 baths, a sunroom, a fireplace and a basement, all on a one-fifth acre lot.
Woodstock, Vt.
Price: $375,000
Area median price: $375,000
Features
• 6 bedrooms, 3 baths
• 3,580 square feet
• Built in 1850, partially renovated
• Fronts on a brook
• Detached garage/barn
This antique six-bedroom, three-bath home on just under one-quarter acre has been partially renovated to incorporate modern infrastructure and function.
Saugatuck-Douglas, Mich.
Price: $207,000
Area median price: $204,000
Features
• 2 bedrooms, 1 bath
• 1,003 square feet
• Deck
• Small pond, waterfall
• Oversized garage with loft
Naples, Fla.
Price: $175,000
Area median price: $175,000
Features
• 4 bedrooms, 2 baths
• 2,272 square feet
• Double garage
• 2.3 acre lot
• Cathedral ceiling
• Large kitchen island
Bend, Ore.
Price: $207,000
Area median price: $204,000
Features
• 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
• 1,997 square feet
• Two-car garage
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Price: $179,900
Area median price: $180,255
Features
• 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
• 1,380 square feet
• Rock fireplace
• Two-car garage
Karen Haywood Queen Thursday, October 14, 2010
COASTAL SAN DIEGO PROPERTIES
