Thoughts about Retirement Communities?

[Amethyst]

Close. In Florida it is short for "concrete block and stucco."

concrete block structure?

 

[Aerides]

We are used to very large lots, and not used to being so close to everyone else. Every.single.day. there is lawn equipment snarling somewhere, often very close. Even inside a CBS home with the windows shut it is distracting.

The difference in a retirement community, or condo townhouse would that they come only 1 maybe 2 days of the week.

This is true in my parents neighborhood. It's not huge but it is at least 2 days for them to complete each week. Of course only one day directly on your street, but within earshot if outside for a few blocks.

But yeah in my SF home, everyone is on a different schedule.

One thing to have in newer homes in S.Fla (or upgrades to existing) that can help is hurricane/impact windows. They do somewhat help reduce the decibel levels of outdoor noises.

 

[Music Lover]

The difference in a retirement community, or condo townhouse would that they come only 1 maybe 2 days of the week.

In my regular neighborhood, every day some neighbor has a lawn service company come, add in the normal people cutting their own lawns and it's basically every day.

The good thing about the lawn service , is they are done in 15->20 minutes and drive away. It's the neighbor who walks slow pushing her gas mower, that I hear for over an hour !!

When I bought my house 23 years ago there was a retired couple next door. Even though they were retired they chose Saturday as lawn cutting day. Both of our yards are 116' x 630'. It took them 6-8 hours walking behind a pair of gas mowers to cut the grass.

Thankfully they moved a couple years later. But for 2 full summers half of every weekend was spent listening to them cut the grass.

 

[garyt]

Maybe true, but that wasn't the case when we were looking/considering between 2016-2019. The new younger buyers tend to buy into the newest 55+ communities, though undoubtedly some buy into established 55+ communities. We toured and drove through several 55+ communities that had been in place for 20+ years - and it was absolutely awful. I wouldn't live there if you paid me. The only 55+ communities that had an appeal to us were those that were in progress or recently built out. Seeing the established communities is what ultimately steered us away from any 55+. But I realize that's not going to be everyone's decision, there are advantages and disadvantages with both.

I would think it would depend on the community? I wouldn't think older people would move into an active community with baseball fields, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, and golf courses which come with a higher price tag if they knew they couldn't use them. But i certainly could be wrong, I haven't researched it like you have.

 

[JP.mpls]

The guy across the street from me mows on the weekends. He mows about two rows at a time, bags the clippings, sweeps the sidewalk, and then does another two rows.

The result is that he is running his mower on off for at least 4 hours. He also likes to mow later when everyone is having evening dinner.

Not a big deal, but I still bitch about it some while I'm enjoying my happy hour beer on summer nights. (I'm whining. This should be my big concern. )

I think I also complain about it, because he is sort of a pompous jerk too.

JP

When I bought my house 23 years ago there was a retired couple next door. Even though they were retired they chose Saturday as lawn cutting day. Both of our yards are 116' x 630'. It took them 6-8 hours walking behind a pair of gas mowers to cut the grass.

Thankfully they moved a couple years later. But for 2 full summers half of every weekend was spent listening to them cut the grass.

 

[Badger]

When I bought my house 23 years ago there was a retired couple next door. Even though they were retired they chose Saturday as lawn cutting day. Both of our yards are 116' x 630'. It took them 6-8 hours walking behind a pair of gas mowers to cut the grass.

Thankfully they moved a couple years later. But for 2 full summers half of every weekend was spent listening to them cut the grass.

Wouldn't you know. It's those darn retired people that are such a problem. Why do they have to wait until Saturday when the working people mow lawns.



Cheers!

 

[Amethyst]

I grew up with the sound of neighbors' gas lawn mowers, and hardly notice it. It is the screaming drone of the commercial blowers and trimmers that hurts my ears.

The guy across the street from me mows on the weekends. He mows about two rows at a time, bags the clippings, sweeps the sidewalk, and then does another two rows.

The result is that he is running his mower on off for at least 4 hours. He also likes to mow later when everyone is having evening dinner.

Not a big deal, but I still bitch about it some while I'm enjoying my happy hour beer on summer nights. (I'm whining. This should be my big concern. )

I think I also complain about it, because he is sort of a pompous jerk too.

JP

 

[Amethyst]

Because you know, if they had chosen to shop on Saturday instead of mowing, they would have earned the ire of people who say, "Why can't those %$#! Old people leave us the one day a week we have to shop! Why do they have to clutter up the stores with their aging bodies?"

Wouldn't you know. It's those darn retired people that are such a problem. Why do they have to wait until Saturday when the working people mow lawns.



Cheers!

 

[Music Lover]

Wouldn't you know. It's those darn retired people that are such a problem. Why do they have to wait until Saturday when the working people mow lawns.



Cheers!

I guess I'm really complaining about excessive noise. Of course the grass has to be cut but 8 hours is ridiculous when everyone else has a riding mower and can do it in an hour or so.

 

[W2R]

I really don't mind at all when my neighbors' lawn guys mow and edge. They all do it predictably, at the same day and time each week. On Mondays, the house next door (not F's house but the one on the other side) mows. On Tuesdays, my lawn guy mows across the street. On Wednesdays, he mows F's and my lawns. And so on.

So, when I hear the mowing, I get a feeling of "all's right with the world, mowing going on as usual, I love that they are keeping up the neighborhood". And, I love that it is them, and not ME doing the mowing. What a nice luxury to lie in bed or putter around getting my coffee, instead of having to mow. (Been there, done that, for decades and decades, but now never again.)

I should also add that my house is unusually well insulated and that probably muffles the sound to some extent. Most of the lawn guys don't mow before 8 AM, but if/when they do one can hardly blame them since it gets so hot here around mid-day.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

...
Before the pandemic I was thinking that at some point I might move to a CCRC. However, seeing the impact the virus had on local CCRC's I am no longer enthused about living in one of them.
...

We don't know anyone in/near a CCRC, can you us what the Covid impact was on CCRC's?
Sickness? Death? Financial problems? Etc?

And, anyone else is welcome to speak on that subject.

 

[habelsgtb]

Both our parents live in 55 plus communities. When they first moved in they were one of the youngest at 55 years of age and 64 respectively, made great friends, active in the community events, part of boards. In both communities we see more people passing away and the community as a whole getting older. Both parents continue to enjoy their communities.For us we are just retired and are in the go-go years so no interest in a retirement community. I like having more diversified neighbors. Our home is not in a 55 plus community and I like the age diversification, cultures and close ties to our small town. We shall see when we get to our no-go years if I change my mind.

 

[Ebendana]

55+ Community

I am 62 and DH is 64...we are in a Resident owned manufactured home community in N. Florida, about an hr from Orlando and an hr from Jacksonville...right on the Ocean...WE LOVE IT. We bought in our mid 50-s...there are about 200 homes, and a constant cycle of the oldest folks passing and other mid-50-60's buying.

It is carefree, safe, with tons of activities, yet lots of privacy if we want...kids and grandkids welcome to visit, healthy lifestyle, heated pool, exercise room, clubhouse with lots of activities and virtually no maintenance on our home. I walk to the Ocean daily, fish on the inter coastal, take a golf cart ride into town (Flagler Beach) for an ice-cream, swim every morning, ride my bike at night without any fear...one of the best things is knowing that when one of us passes, the other spouse will not be isolated...they will be in a community that is supportive and helpful. Best decision we ever made...our home is just under 1,200 sq ft, 4 years old, dues are only $140 per month (include internet, cable, lawn care) taxes about $1,700 per year...insurance about $1,500 per year....the only downside is it is mandatory evacuation whenever there is a named hurricane, so you have to be ready to drive to a friends or a hotel...

 

[TreyLagger]

We snowbird to AZ from IN to a 55+ community. We built our house there 5 years before I retired at 55 (am now 61). Not sure we'd have pulled the trigger for that big of a purchase after retirement. We love our community - many more pros than cons. We stay very active during most days / nights. One of the things I hear a lot of people here complain about is a required $600 annual restaurant spend (alcohol doesn't count). It's not a problem for us but lots of people don't like it.

 

[razztazz]

We don't know anyone in/near a CCRC, can you us what the Covid impact was on CCRC's?
Sickness? Death? Financial problems? Etc?

And, anyone else is welcome to speak on that subject.

I think W2R might be thinking more of the nursing home / assisted living end of a CCRC. If you're still youngish and in the "active seniors" town-homes/apartments I don't see how that would be any or significantly different than a normal similar environment. The assisted living and nursing home facilities... well, we've all seen what happens there.

 

[BasketCase24]

Our retirement community WAS made for us, but now...

We retired in 2016 in rural midwest, with man-shed garage for antique car hobby, chickens and coop, plus large garden for DW. In 2019, while visiting son's family in Phoenix, found a 55+ community with Auto Restoration Club. We visited it, somewhat on a whim, and found over 100 clubs, including weaving and spinning for DW, Car restoration, wood working, metal working and many fitness facilities. We bought a house a month later, and left the midwest.

We found that we were spending a LOT of our retirement time caring for the property, including the worries of being our own water & sewer department. I don't miss that.

However, the virus has GREATLY diminished the value of the community, as we and everyone else are being very careful to avoid the virus. ALSO, it's been a record hot year, so that diminished the fun in the summer.

Even with all that, I'm glad we did it. We both have more time for activities we enjoy at home, and we value the limited time and interactions with others. We know that we will get thru the virus and be able to more fully enjoy the community then.

ALSO, we get with young people by visiting our son and his family, but it IS a whole lot different with just old people around (yes, that is us.)

 

[rk911]

concrete block structure?

could be. that was one acronym i had never encountered.

 

[Travelfreek]

My husband and I bought into a Sun City in NorCal when I was 57 and he was 55 in 2012 (8 years ago). It was the best thing we EVER did! Our kids had graduated college and stayed in San Diego where they had career jobs. We sold our 2 story house with pool and bought a 1 story ranch style home w/ a great layout (master bedroom on one side of house and guest quarters and office on the other w/ the kitchen and family room in between. The house also has a casita w/ a guest bedroom and bathroom. This house is on a golf course w/ a stunning view. Our community consists of 7,000 homes and 11,000 folks, has 2 gyms, 2 lodges, 13 pickle ball courts, 7 tennis courts, and 200 active clubs (yes, 200!). Golf carts are owned by nearly every resident and the access to 2 grocery stores and Starbucks is convenient. This community began in 1999 and the turnover is beginning to reach a peak. Many folks are aging out and moving to assisted living or sadly passing on and the younger folks are buying in. We have fantastic walking trails and wetlands with many birds (egrets, herons, bald eagles) and other wildlife like coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mink, etc. The community is so peaceful and friendly. You can be as active as you want. My husband and I love pickle ball and water volleyball in an indoor pool. Also, my husband joins bike riding groups where they do 30 mile rides from our community. Our kids (31 and 32) LOVE visiting us since our house is laid out so nice for them as well (they spend the night) since they fly in from out of the area. We have met some good friends here and have taken cruises w/ them. Life is GOOD!

 

[rk911]

... One of the things I hear a lot of people here complain about is a required $600 annual restaurant spend (alcohol doesn't count). It's not a problem for us but lots of people don't like it.

now that's something i've never heard of and while we aren't interested in a retirement community for lots of reasons this would be an absolute deal killer for us. so what happens if you don't spend the $600? are you kicked off the island?

 

[Kat07]

My parents were snowbirds in a pretty low cost, 55+ community in central Florida (away from both coasts) from the time they were about 65 onward. Dad passed at 83 and Mom's place is up for sale right now, as we work toward her exit from the community. They owned 3 different places in the same community. It is a mobile home community consisting of about 150 mobile homes.

They LOVED living there. I never thought of my parents as being all that social, but after they retired, they became very social. I guess they just never had time to be social while working and raising us kids. They fully embraced the group dinner outings, weekly Monday coffee gatherings, Bingo, group cruises, holiday feasts in the club house, etc. Neither of them were into sports, but the community had golf, card game, shuffleboard, horse shoe, and water aerobics groups that kept the others busy. There was not an on-site gym. Lots of residents would ride their bikes up and down the relatively quite/isolated streets of the community.

They both become well thought of in the community and both served on the HOA Board and various committees through the years. Dad was known as one of the "always ready to help" guys in the community who kept busy helping neighbors with various projects in and around the homes. Owners are responsible for their own lawn maintenance, and Dad did that for a few years and then hired a "service" to do it. The "service" was an 85 year old guy in the community who loved to keep busy.

The park itself was 55+ and no pets permitted. I would guess the average age was more like 70-75. There were a few in their 50s/60s, but not a lot.

Central FL offers warm weather without paying the price of coastal living. Mom and Dad really never had much interest in beach living. And they didn't have a huge budget and they lived quite frugally. Sebring, FL offered them pretty much everything they wanted for a reasonable cost. As snowbirders, they kept their official residency in PA.

I'm thankful that they had 15+ years in the community as it really was something they enjoyed. They spent 6 months a year there and 6 months in PA. Mom made the decision to put her place up for sale this year partially due to the complexities of COVID, but also because she was starting to sense that being down there on her own, away from her family was becoming more risk to her health (even for non-COVID issues) at her age (82). We've had the place up for sale for 3 months and there hasn't been much activity on her place or any of the others up for sale in the community.

What is the name of this mobile home park in Sebring? I might be ready to be a snowbird in a couple years and this sounds great!

 

[Souschef]

+55 communities

We are on California's Central Coast in a +55 park. Not only are pets allowed, but we have a dog park where the pet owners get together. I go over there to play with the dogs and have a pocketful of Pupperoni for them.
Things are a little slow now during the pandemic. but we have a clubhouse with activities, plus a pool, spa, and sauna.
At one point there was a discussion about turning the shuffleboard courts into a pickle ball court, but Covid intervened.

 

[TreyLagger]

now that's something i've never heard of and while we aren't interested in a retirement community for lots of reasons this would be an absolute deal killer for us. so what happens if you don't spend the $600? are you kicked off the island?

You have to pay the $600 even if you don't eat at the restaurant (it gets billed to your homeowners account). Everyone that buys there KNOWS this is a requirement so I kinda don't get why so many people complain about it.

We never have an issue meeting our minimum and only spend 5-6 months of the year there. But.... we tend to eat out a lot and like the convenience of having a restaurant very close. It's a great spot to hook up with friends and make new friends, especially on nights with entertainment.

 

[Dtail]

You have to pay the $600 even if you don't eat at the restaurant (it gets billed to your homeowners account). Everyone that buys there KNOWS this is a requirement so I kinda don't get why so many people complain about it.

We never have an issue meeting our minimum and only spend 5-6 months of the year there. But.... we tend to eat out a lot and like the convenience of having a restaurant very close. It's a great spot to hook up with friends and make new friends, especially on nights with entertainment.

We would have no issues spending 50 monthly dining out, but as you say everyone knows the requirement, so I don't see an issue in accepting it.

 

[RunningBum]

now that's something i've never heard of and while we aren't interested in a retirement community for lots of reasons this would be an absolute deal killer for us. so what happens if you don't spend the $600? are you kicked off the island?

I've heard of that at country clubs. Not that surprised that it's in a retirement community. The main downside I see is that with the guaranteed income, a restaurant might not try too hard to be good.

 

[garyt]

now that's something i've never heard of and while we aren't interested in a retirement community for lots of reasons this would be an absolute deal killer for us. so what happens if you don't spend the $600? are you kicked off the island?

I assume like a golf club, you're charged the $600 whether you use it or not