questions from readers

[topretirementseditor]

A couple of questions came in from readers. As much as we would like to respond to individual queries, as a free site we just don't have the resources. The best way to try for a response is to hope that your fellow members might have some answers, so posting in this forum or as Comments to relevant blog posts is a good approach. Here are 2 recent questions - readers - can you add more?

- Are there any 55+ communities that are RESTRICTED to people age 55 and up. I am not happy that a lot, if not most, of these communities only require that one family member be over 55. In other words, younger people can move in as long as "grandma" or "grandpa" also lives with them. AND I don't like that grandkids can come and stay with them. I don't mean for a visit. I mean for an extended stay. So there I am, in a 55+ community and I STILL have kids around me! Aren't there any of these communities that really are JUST 55+????
(short answer - look at the HOA docs because the rules will differ by community. Very few places restrict both people in a couple to being 55+. But most 55+ communities restrict other people in the household from living long periods in the home if they are under 55)

- Can my HOA prevent me from putting up a NO Tresspassing sign on my lawn?
(short answer: Yes, if its in their rules)

[admin]

Q: I wanted to find out about the best rtirement trailer parks to winter in in Arizona. What I mean is the most activity, the most picturesque and obviously affordable. Where can I go to find non-biased information for this?
Thanks.


A: First, check out the communities in our Arizona Directory of Active Communities. You can try the Search function as well. Read the articles we have about "Living the Mobile Lifestyle" such as http://www.topretirements.com/tips/Adventurous_Retirements/Living_the_Mobile_Lifestyle_in_Retirement_%E2%80%93_Chapter_5:__Planning.html - there are several guides mentioned there that might help.

good luck








--

[topretirementseditor]

Q: I would appreciate a list of some places where gay people could retire and feel comfortable.

A: Go to Advanced Search and look under Environment, check LGBT and see what you get!
http://www.topretirements.com/Browse.html

We also wrote an article on the subject: "Retiring in LGBT Friendly Cities". http://www.topretirements.com/blog/lgbt/retiring-in-lgbt-friendly-cities-what-to-look-for-what-to-watch-out-for.html/

Good luck!

[topretirementseditor]

Q: I am likely retiring/relocating to a more moderate climate area. Love the coastline, but housing costs have not dropped
along the shoreline as in more inland regions. However, I want to be on / near water. Are there any good inland areas with sizable lakes or rivers that offer boating, skiing, jet skiing, fishing, swimming, strolling/walking/hiking, etc? Something that bridges the gap between living on the beach or living on a remote mountain top? I still want the kids/grandkids to visit. And they will if my location is appealing, offers activities, and Mom's home cooking. Thank you.

A: Nice to hear from you. There are lots of great areas near lakes. Paris TN, Lake Keowee, Lake Lanier, and many, many others. Go to our Advanced Search and check "lake" for environment and see what you get. Good luck
http://www.topretirements.com/Browse.html

[topretirementseditor]

Q: We are thiking of rtetiring in Florida. We have heard that Sarasota is a good area. We would like to come down in
January or February at the latest. We would like rent a place during that time, for about two months and use it as a base to look at the area. Do you have any suggestions on a realtor or anyone looking to rent, for a reasonable rate?

A: I would agree, Sarasota is nice area. Also, a wonderful idea to come down and see for yourself. I suggest you look at our Florida Directory of Active Communities
http://www.topretirements.com/active_adult_communities/Florida.html to pre-identify ones that look interesting. Then set a schedule to visit your favorites (you can find directories for other states by using the "Find a Community" pulldown menu at top right of most pages). Look around online to see which realtors seem to specialize in the kinds of communities that appeal to you. Then visit some of them when you are there. a good one can be enormously helpful and save you a lot of time.

Good luck

[topretirementseditor]

Q: Living on Social Security. Where is the most cost effective retirement places?

A: You should look around on our site and I think you will find several interesing articles. These in turn will lead you to reviews of specific towns where you can find out more.

I would start here:
http://www.topretirements.com/state/most_tax-friendly_states_for_retirement.html
http://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/the-affordable-and-more-best-places-to-retire-list.html/

Good luck

[topretirementseditor]

Q: Can someone help me get ahold of a "listing" of
Manufactured Home Communities on the Gulf of Mexico side where you own the mobile as well as the land?

A: that's a very specific request. i recommend using our Advanced Search looking for manufactured homes in Florida and see what you come up with.

[topretirementseditor]

Q: How do i post comments on the site?

A: Comments to the Blog stories? Or in the Forum

For Blog stories go to the bottom of the story and click on "Comments". There is a box where you type in your comment. you have to provide your email address but it won't show.

In the Forum, you must be logged in as a Member. You can "Reply" to an existing post, or create a new thread.
We look forward to your comments

Q: Can you please indicate in your information about retirement communities if they have some sort of bus or van system
inside the community.

A: Good suggestion. Top and Showcase listings show "Transportation Service" as an amenity, if they offer it. Our free Basic listings occasionally list that as an amenity within the description, but for space reasons it might be there. You can search all of the communities in our database for "Transportation Service" (and all other amenities, price range, size of community, location, etc.) by going to "Search" in the top navigation and searching within the 55+ community portion of Advanced Search.

[admin]

Q: Re the retirement ranger and 55 active communities: why are they so focused on couples, golf and water sports. I saw
the bookstore lovers, but with e-books and tablet computers gaining more in popularity, that's extremely limiting. Where are those singles that make
less than $75k, who want warm weather, non-mountainous walking trails, great shopping (outside of FL--I hate it), multicultural activities and
educational possibilities retiring to?

A: We have written some articles about singles. http://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/the-best-retirement-places-for-singles.html/

Also, try this link: http://www.bestplacesinusa.com/singles.html
Good luck!

[admin]

Q: Would love a tool where I could put in more info and have it give me a list of communities. My problem is I don't know the towns in the different states to know if they are in a location (beach) that I am looking for. I'd like to put in state, coastal town, and home price range, gated, club house, perhaps other things like golf course or tennis.

A: You can find most of what you are looking for by using the Retirement Ranger, or by using the Advanced Search in the top navigation bar. That allows you to select by state and most of the criteria you are interested in. Our new site, www.bestplacesinusa.com might also be able to help - there you can search by lifestyle.

Let us know how it goes, and good luck!

John Brady

On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 4:19 PM, <rmarcotte9316@charter.net> wrote:

[topretirementseditor]

Q: There appears to be a significant East coast emphasis in your newsletter. We live near Seattle which has mild weather
(S:76-56, W:45-35), little or no humidity, and a similar climate in Oregon and other places west of the Cascades. Why would anyone choose to live elsewhere?
Almost every newsletter article seems to promote hot or humid climates. Frankly, after three 80+ degree days, northwest residents start considering a move to Alaska. We are not interested in giving up our alpine summer climate and mild, if rainy, winters. We would be very interested in retirement possibilities in western Oregon or Washington.
We are interested in learning more about retirement towns in western WA and OR. Just don't make them sound too wonderful lest we be overrun with east coast retirees fleeing the heat and humidity.

A: Thanks for the thoughtful comments. Always wonderful to learn different people's perspectives. We do have a little bias towards the east coast, primarily because more of our members are from there. But we do try for balance, each weekly (Wed) newsletter features one town from each side.

We're always looking for places to review, wherever, so if you have some suggestions let us know. I presume you have looked in our State Directories for OR, WA, ID, etc.(e.g; http://www.topretirements.com/active_adult_communities/Oregon.html) And you're like everybody else - find a great town for me but then don't tell anybody else!

Thanks for writing us, we will definitely keep your comments in mind.

[topretirementseditor]

Q: I would like to ask how your site defines “active adult” vs “55+.” (example – your first paragraph in the newsletter below separates them.) I always thought they both meant some sort of (at least 55) lower age limit.

I was searching on one page for what I thought was age-restricted communities.

However….one of the first community details I checked out was Nubanusit in Peter borough, URL is –

http://www.topretirements.com/reviews/New_Hampshire/Peterborough/Nubanusit_Neighborhood_and_Farm.html

The info on your site says –

Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm is an intergenerational and green co-housing community in beautiful Peterborough, NH

The info on their own site, URL is –

http://www.peterboroughcohousing.org/index.htm

...a vibrant, green, family-friendly community ….

Both your site and theirs indicate that Nubanusit is not at all an age-restricted, active-adult or 55+ community. Before I invest a lot of time looking through the communities on your site, can you please help me understand how you define and differentiate the age-restriction status of the communities listed therein? For some readers, that aspect is VERY important.

A: Great question. The terms are often mixed together. 55+ certainly implies age restriction, usually meaning at least1 person in the Household has to be at least that age. Active adult usually means people in their 50's and above, and it might or might not be age restricted. When we know if there is an age restriction, we try to include that information.

Although Topretirements is definitely oriented toward people of retirement age, we do not confine ourselves to active adult or 55+ communities. That's because we know many of our visitors do not want either one of these types of communities for their retirement. They prefer to be among people of all different ages, or live in the general community. And concerning active adult communities that are not age-restricted, most of them are in fact inhabited by people who are 55+ - those are the type of folks attracted to them.

[topretirementseditor]

Q: How would I search for a "walking" community where you could live in a nice condo and walk to shops, markets and
restaurants?

A: Well, the obvious place to start is in an urban environment. Cities are compact and walking is often the best way to get around. Another option is a new urban style community, where walkability is a key consideration. We have some links to both of these (and you can use our Advanced Search to find more):
http://www.topretirements.com/reviews/best_retirement_cities.html
http://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/frustrated-about-finding-your-ideal-retirement-community-how-about-a-new-urban-community.html/

We also wrote an article about walkability:
http://www.topretirements.com/blog/great-towns/consider-walkability-in-your-best-place-to-retire.html/

Lastly, you can get a walkability score for any community from
http://www.walkscore.com/

[topretirementseditor]

Q; Does Florida tax a state employee pension from another state?
I'm hoping to retire to Florida within 5 years; I was wondering if they tax state employee pension from another state. Thanking you in advance for your assistance.

A: Good question. FL has no income tax, so no problem and no tax. If moving to other states, check our State Retirement Guides or the State Department of Revenue.
http://www.topretirements.com/state/

[topretirementseditor]

Q: We are wanting to find an active adult community, like the Villages where you can take your golf cart to grocery stores,
shopping, etc. What a great concept! Do you know of any others in Florida, Texas, or any in the "warmer" part of the good old USA.

A: There are many communities like this, but normally there are the biggest ones. On Top of The World (OTOTW) in Ocala, FL is one. Laguna Village in California, Robson Ranch in Texas. One way to find them is to contact the communities that sound like they might be appealing to you and ask them directly. Don't miss Sandy's report about http://www.topretirements.com/blog/active-adult-communities/inside-edition-what-sandy-has-learned-after-8-years-of-visiting-dozens-of-active-communities.html/OTOTW