55+ Communities (Wilmington, Dover: hotel, lease, job)

[CMTAD]

Originally Posted by elizamary

You own it. Wow I didnt' expect that response and now i'm speechless. Is it like an ebay or craigslist? My cousin and her hub do flea markets in Allentown. Would they benefit from this?

It's like neither. Take a look when you get a chance. It's pretty self-explanatory. It's comprised of 400 small business vendors who sell a variety of items from their websites.

I need to be careful not to put too much information here because I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm trying to advertise, which I am absolutely not trying to do.

Charley

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by CMTAD

It's like neither. Take a look when you get a chance. It's pretty self-explanatory. It's comprised of 400 small business vendors who sell a variety of items from their websites.

I need to be careful not to put too much information here because I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm trying to advertise, which I am absolutely not trying to do.

Charley

Oh sure Charley I understand. Also, I think they know you are not trying to advertise. You have been on the board a while and never mentioned this. So if the moderators have half a brain, I'm sure they will know this to be true.

Thanks for the info. Giving me some ideas charley.

[rockky]

Originally Posted by elizamary

Rockky............This was the one thing I checked into before I retired. We put a small deposit on this place August 2006 so I needed to find out all I could and fast.
I did some inquiring about keystone and it is not taken this far south in DE So I call Benefits dept and decided on a universal for now which is Blue cross.
Not I have dental that is not taken in this area so they will reimburse me.

We have neighbors that moved here not knowing and now when there is a problem, they ride back to NJ by NY until they get this straight.
Which I can't imagine cuz she worked in a doctors office.

Are your married now Rockky? We have quite a few widows in Southern meadows who are unattached!

eliza, I have BC/BS....the Traditional Plan. I should be able to get coverage nearly anywhere in the USA. Plans, benefits, and costs seem to change each year. Ya just never know what is gonna pop up next. For me, it was mainly the paper nightmare....DE insisted that the doctors were out of network even if they were participating providers. Guess that's how they work it.

No, I'm not married. After my husband died, I swore I'd never be in another relationship. Well, never say never. I met a wonderful man, and we are in one of 'those' situations. If I marry, I lose $$ and benefits. For now we are aging together and loving the time we have...and each other. It gets uncomfortable at times. I didn't think I would be uncomfortable because I believe if your heart is right with something it doesn't matter what others think. I often feel the need to explain myself to people who 'get that look on their face'. Oh, well. My problem. I need to find a resolution. There are lots and lots of us this age who have chosen this life style in order to protect our individual futures.

Did you find a route to the bus/train station in Wilmington yet? I forget which thread that was on. You may want to check to see if you can board in Newark as well.

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by rockky

eliza, I have BC/BS....the Traditional Plan. I should be able to get coverage nearly anywhere in the USA. Plans, benefits, and costs seem to change each year. Ya just never know what is gonna pop up next. For me, it was mainly the paper nightmare....DE insisted that the doctors were out of network even if they were participating providers. Guess that's how they work it.

No, I'm not married. After my husband died, I swore I'd never be in another relationship. Well, never say never. I met a wonderful man, and we are in one of 'those' situations. If I marry, I lose $$ and benefits. For now we are aging together and loving the time we have...and each other. It gets uncomfortable at times. I didn't think I would be uncomfortable because I believe if your heart is right with something it doesn't matter what others think. I often feel the need to explain myself to people who 'get that look on their face'. Oh, well. My problem. I need to find a resolution. There are lots and lots of us this age who have chosen this life style in order to protect our individual futures.

Did you find a route to the bus/train station in Wilmington yet? I forget which thread that was on. You may want to check to see if you can board in Newark as well.

Sorry Rockky.........I thought you were a man! Guess because of your name.
There is a one widower and I guess you can say he is the rooster. LOL

Also,

I was under the impression that many people who past 50's and 60's would rather live together than get married mainly for financial reasons.

I was always one that said if anything happened to my husband, i would never want to get married again either. But like you said, never say never.

No, I have not found where Wilmington train station is yet. We are mainly looking for my daughter who will board in Philly and arrive in Wilmington.
Newark is a thought but more trains run out of Wilmington on the weekends than newark to Philly.

[peeweeaz]

Eliza,

Amtrak in Wilmington is on 100 S. French St., between S. Market and S. Walnut Streets, just across the Christiana River. I sent you a map from MapQuest. Hope it helps!

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by peeweeaz

Eliza,

Amtrak in Wilmington is on 100 S. French St., between S. Market and S. Walnut Streets, just across the Christiana River. I sent you a map from MapQuest. Hope it helps!

I got it Peewee........Thanks a bunch

[JoycieM]

Well, hi to everyone and here I am posting about our visit to Nittany Glen on Friday. First, we have had gorgeous weather for awhile now and Friday was no exception. Nittany Glen is in a beautiful area nestled between mountain views. It is about 5 miles from the Stadium at Penn State and just a bit longer to the main part of town which is a delightful atmosphere. The airport is very close as well to the community. The community is in a country setting with corn fields bordering the homes. There will be over 300 homes when all of the phases are complete.

The community is just getting started. There are residents but we did not see any at all. The staff was very nice and did tell us that some people have purchased homes as a " second home." Penn State fans are certainly diehard. ( I am a fan as well, so I mean no disrespect. ) The clubhouse has yet to be started, although we were told that ground is to be broken soon and it should be finished by spring.

We went through the models and to be honest, I did not like most of them. There were models with wasted space and many closets in the bedrooms were also small. Most had wallpaper in rooms and in a lot of cases, the job was poorly done. I imagine they are trying to showcase how rooms can be decorated. We didn't like it. But, of course to each their own.

The base prices were within our range but with options some of the models were very expensive. Some do not even come with a refrigerator! As for lot rent, it varies from $390 to $420 which includes lawn care and snow removal. Now for the biggie...the lease is only good for one year! They can boot you out if they want after the first year. I am sure we are all " rule followers" but I do not know what this means in regards to monthy lot rent but I would imagine they can do what they want. The manager says that the company is considering a 99 year lease and the lot rent would go down but home prices would go up. It seems that the one year lease is NOT popular with prospective buyers. Also, the biggest " biggie" is the taxes. While in the packet it says that the community fees pay for "most real estate taxes," we have a sheet with the yearly taxes on the BASE prices of the homes. It ranges from $1868 to $2310. Of course with options that price would go up. The tax is based on the final cost of the home. So, Nittany Glen is off the list for us. While it is a beautiful area with a lot of activites associated with the campus, it's too expensive for us. Besides like I said, " NO OCEAN." I am glad we took the day to visit and compare.

Take care, everyone.
Joycie

[CMTAD]

Joycie,

Thank you for an excellent report. You may have just removed State College from our list. A one-year lease agreement is ridiculous. The taxes are also not "Delaware" level taxes.

When I look at the models themselves, I look at the perspective size and style to be comparable to Southern Meadows (although I think some of the Southern Meadows models are quite well done). Therefore, I look for the finances to be somewhat comparable as well. The lot rent is certainly in the same ballpark, but when you compare $1900 to $2300 at Nittany to $200 to $400 at Southern Meadows, you see the differences between the states.

Therefore, when I consider the other 55+ in State College, Traditions at Liberty Hill, I can only imagine how high they might be. It's information that I have not been able to get from the company, and now I think I know why.

My first gut reaction tells me that State College has just fallen off my list.

So my friends, it looks like you're going to continue to be stuck with me.

Thanks again, Joycie. Your research is very much appreciated.

Charley

[JoycieM]

I am glad to help out when I can, Charley. You have done much in the way of research which has helped us greatly. I do believe that Delaware is the place for us. Now, we will wait until all of the parts come together in the place we are meant to be.

I am wondering about the news concerning the housing prices across the nation. Seems like a good time to buy but I wonder if manufactured homes in communities such as Southern and Wild Meadows are affected by the crunch. I guess I will have to watch the resale market in those two places ( mostly Wild Meadows ) to find out!!

Off to watch more football. Yah Steelers!

Joycie

[elizamary]

Originally Posted by JoycieM

The community is just getting started. There are residents but we did not see any at all. The staff was very nice and did tell us that some people have purchased homes as a " second home." Penn State fans are certainly diehard. ( I am a fan as well, so I mean no disrespect. ) The clubhouse has yet to be started, although we were told that ground is to be broken soon and it should be finished by spring.

Take care, everyone.
Joycie

Thanks Joycie,
Even though we are settled in SM, I wondered about Nittany Glen. We never did get up to visit and I just wondered. But after your report, I know I am where I'm supposed to be.
We couldn't of been able to afford it either.
Besides, 300 homes is kinda large. Even though SM is not filled up it will only have 94 homes.
Sort of like up close and personal.
And,
Yep..........Taxes are a biggie. Not only is there a huge differenece in the taxes between DE and Pa, you have to figure everything always increases.

I saw your other post on Dover Downs. Sorry I dont' have a clue what they pay but now I am wondering too.
Now that things have calmed down, visitors have been and the excitment is just about over
I am thinking of looking for a part time possibly seasonal job. Hopefully after the summer of 2008. I want another pool summer with no interruptions

I started my application for the state. I found out it has to be done on line. Boy, it is hard. Not like applications years ago with simple stuff.
You have to be creative and explain as though you are a rocket scientist to impress.
I mean, I went to high school and that is it. I am taking 2 courses this fall but one is electrical and the other plumbing. Yeah, I want to learn how to fix my own and not pay $80 for someone else to walk in my house and tell me I have a problem.

Now I will be watching the post for dover downs jobs.
There is another casino in Harrington called Slots.

have a great day