Are we too young at 57 years old for Pebble Creek Resort? (Mesa: rent, HOA fees)

[anjcohen]

My wife and I are retired at age 57. Well let's say I am for the most part as I was forced to retire due disability in the line of duty as a police officer. I would like to find some sort of part time work to keep me busy but have my physical limitations.
My wife, she is a licensed x-ray tech by trade and wants to work part time at a local hospital.

We live in Seattle and even though we would miss the adult children and grandchildren, we can still visit when the rain stops (basically 4 months out of the year). My wife has asthma and I had back surgery and much pain due to the weather.

So are we too young to live at a place like Pebble Creek 55 plus community? We are exercise and enjoy the gym, bicycle ride, walk, etc but do not golf due to my doctors orders.

To be honest, I also think of the inevitable of my not being here one day (my wife contests that) and I want her to have a social and support network for when I am gone. Maybe too premature but I think of it.

Any advise is welcomed and appreciate your time.

[Finger Laker]

I would say no - I know quite a few people who live there and are still working - it's also a very active community

Their rec center is very nice and they have a lot of good programs

Like many retirement communities out here golf is a big part of existence - but far from the only part

There may be things specific to Pebble Creek that you may or may not like .... as well with the overall 55+ concept that need to be considered ..... I wouldn't rule out Pebble Creek though just because of your age being on the lower end

[anjcohen]

Thanks for the reply. the 55 plus community thing has bad memories for me as my parents retired to Century Village in Boca Raton Florida in 1980. I would visit them, had to go through the security gate and then was forced by my parents to go to the "6 million dollar" clubhouse to get my "pass." I walked through the entrance and several shuffling older guards surrounded me to inquiry about my assault upon their facility.
Then when I would sit around the pool, I heard older men arguing with each other of "what pain is." "You want to know what pain is?" "Ever have a kidney stone??!!"

Or else if an ambulance came in to the village people would stand out on the terrace walkways and argue with each other who died! "It's Goldberg in 302!" "NO, Saul Levington in 108!" I kid you not.

My mother would constantly remind me of the rules and regulations. "Watch your speed!, They get very angry here and you don't have to live with them, I do!!"

(<: All true so we have our concerns indeed but maybe, just maybe things have changed or else maybe not. Maybe I will be one of those people!!! no.....please no...

[Ponderosa]

You might also consider just the non age restricted parts of a master planned community. I live in Estrella, up the road a bit from Pebble Creek and it is very popular with all ages with a large cohort of 50-60 somethings. You have all the amenities that you get in an age-restricted place like age appropriate planned activities, a residents center, community medical facilities, pools, gyms, hiking, biking, sailing etc, without feeling that you are in St. Peter's waiting room.

[LBTRS]

My in-laws are 73 and say that most of the people they see at Pebble Creek are significantly younger and in great shape for their age. They say they were expecting a much older crowd then they have found there. They rent a place there and stay for a month or so each year.

I visit my wife's 93 year old uncle in Fountain of the Sun in Mesa and holy cow those people over there are OLD. It is almost depressing in that place because everyone you see is so old. Pebble Creek is an Active Adult community and I don't notice "old people" there like I do at Fountain of the Sun in Mesa.

[Finger Laker]

Originally Posted by anjcohen

My mother would constantly remind me of the rules and regulations. "Watch your speed!, They get very angry here and you don't have to live with them, I do!!"

(<: All true so we have our concerns indeed but maybe, just maybe things have changed or else maybe not. Maybe I will be one of those people!!! no.....please no...

Heh ... we had a conference there one year and one of our out of state employees was cited for speeding by the community people

I would definitely visit and consider it .... but as Ponderosa mentioned you don't have to be in an age restricted place if you want the feel of a master planned community

[AZJoeD]

Originally Posted by anjcohen

Thanks for the reply. the 55 plus community thing has bad memories for me as my parents retired to Century Village in Boca Raton Florida in 1980. I would visit them, had to go through the security gate and then was forced by my parents to go to the "6 million dollar" clubhouse to get my "pass." I walked through the entrance and several shuffling older guards surrounded me to inquiry about my assault upon their facility.
Then when I would sit around the pool, I heard older men arguing with each other of "what pain is." "You want to know what pain is?" "Ever have a kidney stone??!!"

Or else if an ambulance came in to the village people would stand out on the terrace walkways and argue with each other who died! "It's Goldberg in 302!" "NO, Saul Levington in 108!" I kid you not.

My mother would constantly remind me of the rules and regulations. "Watch your speed!, They get very angry here and you don't have to live with them, I do!!"

(<: All true so we have our concerns indeed but maybe, just maybe things have changed or else maybe not. Maybe I will be one of those people!!! no.....please no...

While some of what this post says are true, I had exactly the opposite experience. My parents moved to a planned community that had both adult and family sections, they did not want to be with "old people" so they moved into the family section. Of course after a few years they were old and no longer wanted to be around the families that had children on skate boards or teenagers that came home at midnight with the stereo blasting in their car (or the parties when the parents were gone). Yes 55 is on the younger side, but I would rather have a neighbor that goes to bed a 9pm than one that goes out at 9pm.

Active Adult Communities like Pebble Creek, Trilogy, Encanterra tend to be younger and more active than some of the "retirement" communities. I certainly think they are worth checking out considering your initial post and your situation.

[anjcohen]

We also have to contact Pebble Creek to see if all the "classes" the offer cost additional monies. I assume out HOA fees also goes to a golf course we will not use (maybe the putting greens). Again, we are looking toward the future as we want to make only one move but then again don't want to feel that we are with a bunch of oldies. Maybe we are in denial about our age but then again so many older people call us "Youngsters." Just maybe if we moved there the community as a whole ages and we will always be the "Youngster's" there even when we are 70. Kind of scary.
We were thinking of Pebble Creek due to its location as my wife and I would like to get some kind of part time work especialy the wife who can work at a hospital. Don't want to be far out and have to commute very far.

[patrick85395]

Also consider that active adult communities tend to be priced higher than comparable non-active adult subdivisions. If you like Pebble Creek, then you may want to consider the adjacent Palm Valley (we live there). It's well located and offers a wide range of home prices and styles and there is a hospital around the corner.

We also own a home in Verrado (www.verrado.com), down I-10 about 5 min, where they are just starting an active adult community, Victory. If it's anything like the rest of the town, then it will be an fantastic place to live well. The developer, DMB (www.dmbinc.com), builds exceptional communities that feel and look better than typical master plans.

Someone mentioned Estrella Mountain Ranch. Also nice with a "big sky" feel, but it's remote and may not work for your wife who would be going "down the hill" to get to work.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by anjcohen

We also have to contact Pebble Creek to see if all the "classes" the offer cost additional monies. I assume out HOA fees also goes to a golf course we will not use (maybe the putting greens). Again, we are looking toward the future as we want to make only one move but then again don't want to feel that we are with a bunch of oldies. Maybe we are in denial about our age but then again so many older people call us "Youngsters." Just maybe if we moved there the community as a whole ages and we will always be the "Youngster's" there even when we are 70. Kind of scary.
We were thinking of Pebble Creek due to its location as my wife and I would like to get some kind of part time work especialy the wife who can work at a hospital. Don't want to be far out and have to commute very far.

I doubt HOA fees cover the golf. Usually there is a fat fee for a golf membership or a discount on greens fees for the occasional player. HOA covers stuff like the fancy resident center and the pools and the salary of the management staff, the common area landscape, etc. Where I live, most of the activities like the exercise clubs, the adult sports teams, dance, and on and on are free or the cost is really minimal - five dollars or less. If you are going to use those things, then great, it is a bargain. But otherwise, you are better off living somewhere that has lower fees (there are few newer places in the metro where you can avoid and HOA).