Category: Active adult communities
August 20, 2018 -- It wasn't like Mary Walsh and Beverly Nance hadn't done their homework. They had visited Friendship Village Sunset Hills, a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in St. Louis, MO many times. They had dinner with friends who lived there. They especially liked the continuum of care offered by a CCRC, and the ability to age in place no matter what the future might bring. The people they met seemed friendly and they both felt comfortable; this was the ideal place for their retirement. Soon they had negotiated a deal on a $235,000 two bedroom apartment, and put down a small deposit.
Then the trouble started. Management of this faith-based, non-denominational
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Published on August 19, 2018
Comments 4
Category: Active adult communities
July 23, 2018 -- If you are like a lot of baby boomers your retirement dream might involve buying a home or condo in an active adult community with a golf course. It is easy to see the attraction - stroll over to the first tee anytime, gorgeous views, and when you tire of your own golf game you can enjoy watching others play or have a drink in the clubhouse.
Paradise - or Purgatory
In the shopping phase you look forward to golf whenever you want, getting your handicap down to where you think it belongs. And beside golf, you might have visions of you and your grandchildren riding around in a golf cart, or you and your husband enjoying a peaceful breakfast with a background of passing foursomes. Fortunately for many retirees, this experience comes true. But the actual reality could turn into something like this: loud curses repeated every 20 minutes - 12 hours a day, incoming golf balls that shatter peace and quiet (not to mention windows), or strangers hunting through your property on quests to retrieve their $4 Titleists (or worse, water your bushes with the proceeds of their last Beerweiser). Unfortunately, as
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Published on July 22, 2018
Comments 16
Category: Active adult communities
May 23, 2018 -- Our article of two weeks ago, "When Amenity Rich Isn't the Answer", stirred quite a reaction from Topretirements Members. It generated 53 (and counting) interesting comments in support of Pamela's quest for a community with minimal to no active adult amenities. Which prompts us to ask, what is it that most people are looking for in an active adult, 55+ community? If not amenities, then what? If amenities, which ones are the objects of their desire? In this article we we review data from past surveys as well as some of the more interesting comments we have received on what Topretirements Members want to find in an active adult or 55+ community. We hope you will all chime in with your thoughts in the Comments section of this article - they are always the best part.
Amenity-Light - a quick summary
Pamela's article brought forth many like minded folks who seek a community with only the most basic amenities. The primary motivation seemed to be economic: "Why should I pay high HOA fees for amenities like a golf course and fancy clubhouse with activities director when I will probably never use them"? Ella then asked
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Published on May 22, 2018
Comments 32
Category: Active adult communities
This excellent suggestion came in from Pamela: "Please consider writing an article for people who don’t want to live in an amenity-rich community, and how frustrating it is trying to buy a home because that’s all that is being built? I’d love your perspective on this dilemma and any suggestions you may have. It would also be interesting to see the type of comments you get from your subscribers". We hope her request will generate the usual amount of great comments from our Members. Here is her request, along with some of our thoughts. Note: Here is a link to a later follow up on "Amenity-Lite".
May 9, 2018 -- I’m an active adult baby boomer, but I can find my own fun. I don’t want to live in a 24-hour resort with a full-time lifestyle director, lavish clubhouses, fitness centers, numerous pools, tennis courts, bocce ball, playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields, etc. I’ve been paying for a manned gate and other amenities that mainly cater to families for a long time, and I’m sick of it. I’d love to find a simple, small and quaint community in Southwest Florida without all that stuff. It would be nice to find something maintenance free so I don’t have to deal with yard work, but I’d be happy to just find something without all the amenities.
I truly feel this is an expensive fad that baby boomers are going to regret because of the extremely high fees and those fees will be even higher when the builder is done
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Published on May 9, 2018
Comments 60
Category: Active adult communities
May 1, 2018 -- Many baby boomers are headed to a South Carolina retirement. The State is considered fairly tax-friendly for retirees and offers a mild winter climate (see our Retirement Guide to South Carolina). Some of the big draws are towns with multiple communities designed for active baby boomers, attractive real estate prices, and a lower cost of living. South Carolina has also gained attention for attracting "halfbacks", the so-called retirees who moved from the north to Florida, only to become disillusioned and move "halfway back" home to the Carolinas. This article highlights the 10 most popular active adult and 55+ communities in South Carolina, as measured by visitor interest at Topretirements.com. A few weeks ago we published a list of the 10 Most Popular Active Communities in North Carolina.
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Published on April 30, 2018
Comments 3
Category: Active adult communities
April 17, 2018 -- The allure of North Carolina for retirement seems to be gaining momentum every day. It is considered fairly tax-friendly for retirees and offers a milder winter climate than states in the Midwest and Northeast (see our Retirement Guide to North Carolina). A big draw is attractive real estate prices and cost of living. When it comes to finding a place to live, it offers an amazing array of towns, cities, and active adult and 55+ communities. North Carolina has also gained attention for attracting "halfbacks", the so-called retirees who moved from the north to Florida, only to become disillusioned and move "halfway back" home to the Carolinas. This article highlights the 10 most popular active adult and 55+ communities in North Carolina, as measured by visitor interest at Topretirements.com. Here is the same presentation for the Top 10 Active Communities in South Carolina.
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Published on April 17, 2018
Comments 5
Category: Active adult communities
February 14, 2018 — The front edge of baby boomers turns 72 years old this year. By now many are well into retirement. Experts are curious - will this revolutionary generation stick to the patterns of their parents in retirement, or will they break new ground, just like they did in music, the arts, and lifestyles? We think the answer will be yes - to both questions.
Most things won’t change. Millions will move to 55+ and active adult communities in their 60s and 70s, searching for non-stop activities and a social setting where making friends fast is easy. The vast majority of boomers will be like their parents in that they won’t move anywhere - they will either stay where they live now as long as they
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Published on February 13, 2018
Comments 25
Category: Active adult communities
January 9, 2017 -- When active baby boomers start investigating places to retire, sooner or later they are going to hear about The Villages (TV) in Central Florida. The big reason is that it is the largest 55+ community in the country. As of mid 2017 over 115,000 people lived in The Villages, most of them because they enjoy its mind-boggling array of amenities and non-stop active lifestyle. The population is growing fast - it was only 51,000 in the year 2000.
Clearly the lifestyle appeals to the people who live there. For folks who like to always have something to do, make instant friends, and drive their golf cart
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Published on January 8, 2018
Comments 15
Category: Active adult communities
December 27, 2017 — When we name something, either personally or for business, we are usually trying to accomplish some kind of purpose. In our personal lives, naming a child might include an aspirational goal- naming her after a virtue like Hope, a saint like Mary, or a big success story like Morgan. Perhaps the purpose might to give Junior a name that sounds pretty or fits well with your last name. Or it could be to hand down a family name, or reflect a likable character from a book or movie.
Naming goals are just as important when it comes to active and 55+ communities. So what goes on when developers put on their thinking caps, brainstorming for a name to fit their new retirement community? What attributes will they try to use to position their new property with their target audience (you!) While there are many that are unusual or exotic (Cantamia), whimsical (On Top of the World), or seemingly random (Abacoa) names of communities, there is a tremendous amount of repetition and commonality in active adult and 55+ community names. In this article we will
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Published on December 26, 2017
Comments 0
Category: Active adult communities
December 26, 2017 — Many people have heard about The Villages, the giant active adult community in north-central Florida that spans 3 counties. They know it is big (over 110,000 residents), has massive numbers of golf courses and swimming pools, and has more clubs and activities than anyone could ever…
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Published on December 25, 2017
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