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New: Community Explorer. Discover Your Perfect Community Quickly Based on Lifestyle, Amenities, and Unit Type.
Try It NOWCategory: Active adult communities
December 9, 2023 — Many thanks to our loyal visitors and Members who took the time to check out our new Community Explorer. Your comments and observations have been very helpful in tweaking it before we go live with it next week. Here is an update on…
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Category: Active adult communities
December 5, 2023 -- Announcing the Community Explorer. Finding the right retirement community - the one with right lifestyle in the right location, with the amenities you are interested in, plus the type of housing unit you want - is like finding a needle in a haystack. Announcing the Topretirements Community Explorer - the easy way to find the perfect active adult or 55+ community for your retirement.
Announcing the Community Explorer
For the next few days we are in a test mode with the Community Explorer. But you can use it to sort through communities by State/Country, Type of Amenities, Lifestyle, and Property Type.
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Category: Active adult communities
November 14, 2023 -- Affordable Florida communities - active communities that offer great value at a reasonable price - are the quest for many retirees. The problem is how to determine which communities offer the best value for the money. This article will explain what to look for in an affordable Florida community, and how to find one. Then we will provide a sample list of developments that offer high value at a reasonable cost.
Tips for finding the most affordable retirement, 55+, or active communities in Florida.
Here are some of the basics that will help you find the best value in an active or 55+ community:
Define what you are looking for
Look for testimonials from friends or online
Use a real estate agent with the right experience
Visit multiple communities
Avoid equity memberships
Review contracts and fee structures
Check out the community budget and financial health
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Category: Active adult communities
Sept. 26, 2023 -- When it comes to the best selling communities in Florida for 2023 many of the usual suspects, like The Villages, are pretty obvious. But within the top 10 there were plenty of surprises too, with some communities, like Westlake and Wellen Park, not previously on Topretirements radar.
Master planned communities might be a foreign term to some people. They are large-scale, mixed-use residential developments that try to approximate the experience of living in a self-contained town. They usually have amenities like parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, tennis courts, golf courses and more. Many master planned communities are aimed at 55+, while others are aimed at families or even singles. Some of those have 55+ neighborhoods within them. Some claim to be New Urban Style communities.
These are the best selling communities in Florida
No surprise - The Villages on top as a best selling master planned community in Florida.
The Villages in Central Florida was the hottest selling master planned community in Florida in 2023, according to a survey by Real Estate Consulting (RLCO). With 150,000 residents, this ever expanding community has both resales and new homes. The average home here sells for more than $400,000. It has an almost endless array of amenities with dozens of golf courses and hundreds of pickleball courts. Plus 3 central shopping and entertainment centers. RLCO reported 1,960 sales so far in 2023.
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Category: Active adult communities
August 24, 2023 -- People in GenX might well be confused about their living options for their retirement. Should they be looking at a retirement, 55+, active adult, active resort, independent living, or assisted living community? At the stage where they are now, which type seems best for their retirement dream?
Not so long ago the choices were a lot more limited. One might stay in their own home until that was too difficult, and then move in with one of their adult children. Nursing homes took care of people who could not take care of themselves. Retirement homes (sometimes referred to as old folks homes) became more popular at some point. One could live there with other seniors and enjoy prepared meals and perhaps some chair based recreational activities.
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Category: Active adult communities
July 18, 2023 — As with everything in life, some companies are better at what they do than others. Tesla makes great electric cars, Titleist is terrific in golf, Gucci’s shoes are amazing, etc. But when it comes to the best 55+ communities, which company does the best job? Since…
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Category: Active adult communities
June 12, 2023 -- Finding your best place to retire can be a challenge. There are 1000's of towns across the world, with way more than that 55+ or active adult communities, that might be a good fit for your retirement. True, you can trim down the list of possibilities by price and geography, but even then your list can be daunting. One of the best retirement tools ever is the so-called "Stay & Package", which we will explore here.
Also called "Discovery" packages, they typically involve lodging and include a number of bonuses, like free or discounted golf, use of a golf cart, use of amenities, meals, chance to meet residents, etc. The price is discounted from what the package would normally cost, and usually entail an orientation or sales pitch. They are a great way to experience a community going beyond a quick tour, and without having to rent or buy a home. Obviously a few days in a community will not uncover all of its quirks and advantages, but it does offer a tangible experience.
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Category: Active adult communities
By Anonymous One of our long time Members and his wife visited Embrey Mill recently. We thank him for sharing his observations on the visit! May 1, 2023 — We’ve been in our present home for about 20 years and have been considering downsizing for a while. We…
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Category: Active adult communities
April 26, 2023 -- By now most people thinking about retiring have heard about The Villages, the huge retirement complex that spans over 3 Florida counties. It has more amenities and features than anyone could ever enjoy in their retirement. But what about its other large Florida competitors - how does The VIllages compare to On Top of the World and Solivita? In this article we will summarize and contrast The Villages with two of its major competitors in Florida - On Top of the World and Solivita. For the record, there are some other large competitors too, Century Village and Sun City Center, among others.
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Category: Active adult communities
April 20, 2023 -- It is always fascinating to explore what 55+ and active communities at Topretirements garner the most attention from our Members and Visitors. Fortunately, by looking at the data from Google Analytics, we can get a pretty good picture. And if we had to offer one big conclusion about what we learned, it is that there is no predicting which community listings will attract the most attention. Interestingly, while analyzing trends, we noticed increased interest in topics related to digital currencies, such as Tron, as some retirees are beginning to explore alternative investment options, including cryptocurrency. Household names like The Villages and On Top of the World always show up high on a list like this, but most of the rest of the winners are surprises. Since everyone knows about the really big communities, we will not include them on this list in the interest of variety.
Here are the 15 most popular (non-brand name) communities visited at Topretirements in the last 6 months. They offer a range of choices: some are 55+ while others are open to all ages; in waterfront, mountain, and desert environments; manufactured homes; and one life care community. They represent a range of 9 different states. Please let us know about any you think we should have named!
15 Best Active Adult Communities
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