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Jay Michaels’ Pursuit of the Perfect Active Adult Community – Part 2

Note: This is Part 2 of a series. Here is the link to see Part 1, “Destination Williamsburg, Jay Michaels Retirement Tour Bus“.

Last year about this time, I reported on my travels to Williamsburg, Virginia and Chapel Hill, NC in search of a retirement destination.  My wife Jane and I have continued our search over the course of the last ten months, visiting a number of active adult communities, and wanted to share some observations from our travels.  We welcome input from people on our search.

First of all, let’s review again the things that are important to us in choosing a retirement destination.  We presently own a seasonal home in north central Pennsylvania and our children reside in Cleveland and Washington, D.C.  We want to live in one home and be able to visit our children without always being dependent on scheduling air reservations in advance.  Close proximity to an airport and good health care are also very important.  We are both recently (more…)

Why Not Live in an Award-Winning Home – the 2012 NAHB Awards

By Shannon Keating

April 9, 2012 — Want to live somewhere cutting edge? The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) just released its 2012 awards for builders of 50+ communities, and the list is jam-packed with builders of some of the nation’s most innovative active communities.

If you’re unfamiliar with them, the NAHB is a trade association that helps promote the building industry and develop solutions to its issues.The various groups within it analyze policy issues, conduct consumer research, analyze economic and real estate trends, and in general work toward improving housing.

These awards are the NAHB’s nods to the most exciting, talented and (more…)

Before You Buy a Home for Retirement: 10 Things for Your Financial Due Diligence List

April 3, 2012 — So let’s assume for a moment that you have come pretty far down the line toward buying your dream home for retirement. Whether it’s in a 55+ community, an active adult community, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, or just a home in a regular neighborhood – what are the steps you need to take to protect yourself from a bad investment and unpleasant surprises? This article is Part I, which covers the major financial issues to look out for. Part II will address due diligence concerns relating to community and social issues. As always, before you make a major purchasee consult with your real estate professional, attorney, or financial advisor.

1. How solid is the financial situation of your developer or Home Owner’s Association?
There are a host of questions under this topic, but the basic one is this – can the organization you are about to join weather a storm, either physically (think hurricane, fire, flood, tornado) or financially. It is worth (more…)

Tempted by The Villages: Here Are Some of the Best Retirement Alternatives

March 20, 2012 — The question we just received from Jim is similar to many we get on a regular basis: “Where in North or South Carolina is there a retirement community that has similar amenities as The Villages in Florida? I am not looking for size, I’m looking for the same quality of life that I have enjoyed for the last 5 years here in the Villages”. We have answered this question in the past, but since it keeps coming up, here is a fresh look, with a concentration on the Eastern U.S. (we reported on the Western U.S. last year, see “Does The Villages Have Any Alternatives“).

A Refresher, What is The Villages
For those not familiar with it, The Villages, located south of Ocala in Central Florida, is one of the largest active communities in the world with an estimated 75,000 residents. The Villages has 2 town squares (Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing) that provide shopping, restaurants, and (more…)

Virginia CCRC’s About-Face on Dining Policy Highlights Challenges Ahead for Boomers

March 6, 2012 — Residents at Harbor’s Edge in Norfolk, Virginia are cheering today, celebrating the reversal of an unpopular policy prohibiting assisted living residents from eating in dining rooms reserved for independent living. The policy change was made in the face of negative publicity supporting long term residents who, after dining for years with friends and co-residents,  found they could no longer eat in the same dining rooms. The threat that the policy might have violated the Fair Housing Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act could have also been a factor.

Judith Schapiro was one of the affected Harbor’s Edge residents who were briefly barred from the waterfront (more…)

Why The Villages is the Best Place to Retire for Len and Ann

Note: This is the latest in our series of adventurous retiree profiles Our goal is to portray a variety of active baby boomer retirement lifestyles for our members. If you know a boomer retirement we should know about tell us via the Contact Us link.

Len and Ann are the kind of people that don’t like to stand still. And that’s a trait which perfectly qualifies them to be residents of The Villages, that giant, non-stop fun active community of 75,000 people near Ocala, Florida. Here is their story – we hope you find it useful to learn more about how they came about deciding to living here, and what it is really like to live in The Villages.

What They Did Before Retirement
Len had a long career as an IT guy at SNET, the former (more…)

What Could Happen if Your Active Adult Community Went Bankrupt?

Note: Don’t miss the related articles in this series: “When Good Communities Go Bad“, and “When Bad Things Happen to Good Communities – Fairfield Harbor“

December 9, 2011 — Perhaps the biggest concern of someone making a retirement decision is, what happens if my new community goes bankrupt? Just last week that became a real-life concern for residents of The Village of Penn State, a well known Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) community located in State College, PA. The Village is one of a growing number of university-affiliated communities; in fact it is frequently consulted by other universities who are considering their own retirement communities. According to published reports, the Village has apparently been struggling with its debt load for (more…)

College Towns Have Active Communities That Are Great Places to Retire

November 4, 2011 — College towns make great places to retire. You are virtually guaranteed an interesting cultural life with plenty of opportunities. In many cases you can take or audit college classes, sometimes as part of a Lifelong Learning program with the college. There are sporting events to attend, as well as very nice facilities such as gyms or pools that you might be able to use. Shops and restaurants are usually more available and fun than in comparable towns. Lastly, having young people around is invigorating to a lot of folks.

University Affiliated Communities
Several colleges and universities have set up university related retirement communities, usually Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) as (more…)

If You Could Break the Mold, What Would Your Ideal Retirement Community Look Like

October 14, 2011 — Last week we received a request from a member that might strike a chord with you. Horseartist wrote and asked: “In vain I search for the uniqueness I’m seeking in finding that place that will be my retirement nest. I’m NOT into gardeners and condos, golf carts and patio homes. Suggestion: Could you open a forum for the likes of me? I don’t even know what you’d call it, except perhaps “Out of the Mainstream: Ideas for People looking for Something OTHER than the gated community lifestyle”.

We’ve met and talked with a lot of folks who have similar feelings. A golf, tennis, or boating community just isn’t for them. Neither is a cookie-cutter approach with a gated community consisting of identical townhomes spread around a clubhouse, usually with a swimming pool and exercise facility thrown in. What they want is something a little more interesting, more in keeping with communities in the real world. There is undoubtedly a range for what makes a community interesting – with one person’s idea of retirement community nirvana being vastly (more…)

What Style of Active Community Hits Your Sweet Spot

September 30, 2011 — Once you start looking at active adult and 55+ communities the enormity of the choices hits you. There are so many styles of communities, and so many choices within styles, not to mention possible locations. It is almost enough to freeze a person. The good news is this, however: there is definitely a community out there that will hit your sweet spot.

In this article we will highlight some of the more common choices in types of communities, give a brief summary of the pluses and minuses for each, and provide links to a sample or two. It should be useful in informing you about your choices. You can always search Topretirements for keywords to help you find what you are looking for. Or, you can use our Advanced Search (from the Search link in our top navigation).

Major types of retirement communities
Age Restricted. There are thousands of age-restricted communities. Most tend to be 55+ because (more…)

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