55+ Communities (Wilmington, Dover, Seaford: apartments, HOA, house)

[nevada49]

I am also looking to move to Delaware after I retire in about 3 years. I found elizamary's posts very helpful. I am going down for about a week next Spring and will check out Wild Meadows, Homes at Nobles Pond and Shore Club, which is just starting to be built. I appreciate all the good info people have posted here. I want to live in a 55+ community, with a pool, clubhouse, guard-gated, and want to own my lot (rather than lease). Thanks for all the good info people put on here.

Eileen in Conn.

[MPBsr]

Originally Posted by nevada49

I am also looking to move to Delaware after I retire in about 3 years. I found elizamary's posts very helpful. I am going down for about a week next Spring and will check out Wild Meadows, Homes at Nobles Pond and Shore Club, which is just starting to be built. I appreciate all the good info people have posted here. I want to live in a 55+ community, with a pool, clubhouse, guard-gated, and want to own my lot (rather than lease). Thanks for all the good info people put on here.

Eileen in Conn.

Nobles Pond is a land lease. Starts at about $400 and goes up a max of 4% a year. Obviously, we walked away.

[dbt803]

I want to thank everyone who has posted great information about retiring to Delaware. I plan to visit in the middle of July. I can retire in 4 years and it will be here before you know it.
Elizamary, Southern Meadows will have approx. 94 homes. Are they building in phases or all at once? Their map on the internet shows some nice lots that are not available yet. I am wondering if they will be available with in the next 2 years. I'll ask when I get there but wanted to know in advance.
Once again thank you for the information.

[peeweeaz]

A little info on Delaware taxes taken from a CNN Money Magazine study. Delaware ranked 48 out of 50 states as the least hungry government in overall tax bite. The percentage as a percentage of income is 8.40%. PA came in at 24th with a 10.40% bite. Number one, which surprised me, was Maine at 13.50%. Of course, NY and the District of Columbia came in at 12.90and 12.80, respectively.

[peeweeaz]

Ok Folks,
Now that I mouthed off in the Dover Neighborhoods forum about the pros and cons of renting vs. buying, I think I'm in the right thread for my next question. Where are the 55 + rental complexes in Dover and south? I don't want to go to cancer alley (up north in Dupont country). And I don't want to buy a thing - no stick built, no manufactured home, no mobile. I just want a nice place to rent where everyone else is bald and wears glasses. I want someone else to fix a faucet leak. I never want to see a pipe wrench or have to go to Home Depot again. I've lived there for years. They finally kicked me out because I wasn't paying rent. So, send me anything you've got. I have an 80 gigahertz memory which I'll probably never fill. So, lay it on me. Thanks.

[elizamary]

To DBT..........
Yes, you are correct in stating Southern Meadows will have 94 homes. I inquired about another Phase but they told me they are not going to expand more than 94 homes.
If you retire in 4 years, you could get a resale or put money down on a lot now to hold it. I know Barclay Farms does that and I'm not sure Southern Meadows does but no harm in asking.
Also, Magnolia and the dover area is really building up fast by the time you retire in 4 years there may be more 55+ communities to choose from.
At any rate, you will end up where you are supposed to be.
Good luck to you

[elizamary]

To MaggieKate,

We have a mixture of unmarried and married. Mostly married.

pets are allowed and we had no problem getting home owners insurance.

This is a nice community with pool, clubhouse, activities and a two car garage but it is not gated.

[peeweeaz]

That's gigabytes, not gigahertz. Kind of hard storing info on radio frequencies.

[Nicknet]

Hello peeweeaz My dear husband retires next year and I have already had to take early retirement. We too are searching for our perfect retirement home that we can own with land ownership but, no grounds maintenance. Hope these links will come in handy for ya!

Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

You can check out cost of living, economy, housing costs, health (air, water quality and physicians), climate, People (population, demographics), religion, voting, etc. just by either entering zipcode or name of town and state.

Taxes by State

You can check out the taxes by state here. On the left side of the page there are many more links to other information. At the bottom of the page, click on community for a listing of all the 55+ communities in any given state.

Gas Prices - MSN Autos

Check out the gas prices anywhere in the US (We seniors like to travel with tall the time on hand, don't we?).

American Lung Association: SOTA06 Best and Worst Citites

Best and worst cities by American Lung Association for air quality.

County Map

map by counties of a state.

Cost of Living comparison calculator

Cost of Living - Cost of Living Calculator from CNNMoney

Two websites for cost of living calculator by location.

55+ Active Adult, Age Restricted & Active Lifestyle Pre & Grand Openings
55+ Active Adult, Age Restricted & Active Lifestyle Communities - FREE Directory!
Retirement Havens: The best places to retire. (broken link)
New Homes Directory > Active Adult Communities Nationwide
Private Gated Active Adult Communities with Luxury Homes - PrivateCommunities.com
Retirement Communities | Active Adult Communities | Retirement Lifestyles | Senior Living Senior Lifestyles Senior Housing

Listings of all active adult communities. Please do not overwhelm yourself. Take one website at a time to explore it.

There is also a quiz that you can take at Find Your Spot. At the end of which the website will recommend a few towns and states based on your answers and list many new acitve living 55+ communities at the site below.

Best Places to Live: Compare the Best Cities & Small Towns for You!

You can save these links in your favorites to read about and won't have to use up all that gig bites of space ;-)

[MPBsr]

Wow. Alot of good info.

Thanks