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My husband and I live in a good neighborhood. It's one of those family neighborhoods where everyone has grown up in. Neighbors know each other and we have a good mix of ages. It is not gated. Neighbors know each other and the neighborhood has get togethers throughout the year.
It was formed in the early 1980's and 1/4 of all residents are original. About another quarter have been there 20-30 years. Younger families are moving in which is nice and traditions are kept.
It can be hard to find a home here. The sales are handled by word of mouth and sold to family and friends. Today, I got a call from someone who had seen our home from the street and wanted to know if I wanted to sell. (I do not right now but I was flattered, I guess).
Since our numbers are unlisted, he did some digging and found my work number and called. He has friends who moved there in January 2017. He and his wife have a young child and want to expand their family. That was us 28 years ago exactly.
But - we have 3 dogs (1 large) and just aren't ready to move - yet. Maybe someday. However, 3 of our neighbors are original owners - and 2 are approaching 80. At one time, I envisioned moving to an active community, however, that seems a ways off and we are still working but planning for the future. I actually would not mind having 2 homes which was my original intent when I joined CD in the first place!
How many stayed in the family home? If you moved, did you regret it and did you find the closeness and friendliness of people? Just curious.
I see the commercials on TV with the Del Webb communities - people having fun together and sometimes I question myself.....
We lived in Boca Raton for 5 years, but didn't care for it, probably a different neighborhood. As we have aged we have come to appreciate condos with the less upkeep. I am 83.
I'm guessing here . . . a Del Webb 'community' is not the same as a neighborhood that has become a community because the people there have chosen to become a community. I grew up in one like that. We didn't lock our doors. We knocked on our neighbor's doors and borrowed a can of tuna or a cup of sugar. We kids just hung around the neighborhood, and every parent in the neighborhood was the parent of every kid in that neighborhood.
Even other than the issues of the pets and yards and so forth, I do recognize that I haven't lived anywhere like my childhood neighborhood. But, people are moving out of my city because "it's no longer like it used to be and I don't like it anymore". Well, my childhood neighborhood is also no longer like it used to be. "Time and tide wait for no man." I moved away from my childhood neighborhood because it was time for me to move. I don't regret it.
If it's not time for you yet to move out, then stay put until it becomes time. When it's time, choose to make it a good move. Maybe then a Del Webb 'community' will provide what you want, or maybe you'll need to continue to look for a place to move to.
Our first home, that we purchased 10 years after we were married, was built in 1983. That home, which was 5 years old when we purchased it, is definitely what I remember as our "family" home. Our older child was 2 years old when we moved in, and our 2nd child was conceived there. We consider it as our family home, as we lived there 16 years and raised our children there. Many happy memories with that home.
We sold that home and moved to a larger home 13 years ago, mostly because we anticipated doing future care-taking of family members, which we are, and we also wanted to move closer into the downtown, to cut our commute times and live in a more walkable neighborhood with more public transportation options. We are living in an in-fill subdivision that we watched being constructed, in 1994.
However, the first home has the happiest memories, because that is where we raised our children and where they met their childhood friends.
I will just speak to the idea of living in a retirement community. Granted, I live in subsidized senior housing, but right now I'm in a very nice one in a nice neighborhood in San Jose. So, it's not just the fact that tenants are lower-income where I live, I've learned, as far as what doesn't work in them lol.
I have learned to make friends outside of the building where I live. I don't want a bunch of my neighbors knocking on my door. And unfortunately, the ones who do the knocking are usually needy or nosy or controlling - not any of the ones I'd probably really like to get to know lol.
At any rate, right now you know and like your neighbors. Somewhere new, you'll have to be aware of boundary issues, and maybe thinking you like someone then realizing you really don't, and now you have to avoid them... People wanting to borrow things or get rides from you... Just all of the relationship and boundary-setting that you probably already went through where you live now.
I just don't think it's very realistic to put a bunch of people together and think they're all going to get along just because they are of a certain age and aren't working. They're the same people they were when they were younger - all very different with different personalities and quirks, etc.
You just sound so happy where you are. If you can, I think you should stay there as long as you can. With the usual disclaimers.
My husband and I live in a good neighborhood. It's one of those family neighborhoods where everyone has grown up in. Neighbors know each other and we have a good mix of ages. It is not gated. Neighbors know each other and the neighborhood has get togethers throughout the year.
It was formed in the early 1980's and 1/4 of all residents are original. About another quarter have been there 20-30 years. Younger families are moving in which is nice and traditions are kept.
It can be hard to find a home here. The sales are handled by word of mouth and sold to family and friends. Today, I got a call from someone who had seen our home from the street and wanted to know if I wanted to sell. (I do not right now but I was flattered, I guess).
Since our numbers are unlisted, he did some digging and found my work number and called. He has friends who moved there in January 2017. He and his wife have a young child and want to expand their family. That was us 28 years ago exactly.
But - we have 3 dogs (1 large) and just aren't ready to move - yet. Maybe someday. However, 3 of our neighbors are original owners - and 2 are approaching 80. At one time, I envisioned moving to an active community, however, that seems a ways off and we are still working but planning for the future. I actually would not mind having 2 homes which was my original intent when I joined CD in the first place!
How many stayed in the family home? If you moved, did you regret it and did you find the closeness and friendliness of people? Just curious.
I see the commercials on TV with the Del Webb communities - people having fun together and sometimes I question myself.....
Del Webb communities are a lifestyle that you either want or not. There are some great things with the community and some that might not be what you want. Only way to know is to actually visit. Get a tour of the place. Go there with an open mind and I suggest be wary of hard sales. (It probably won't be hard selling but sales people sometimes try too hard.) We went to one and we explained how far away from being retired and that we were just kicking tires. He was very good and explained the community and construction techniques. Pulte is the construction company and have set plans for each of the communities it builds. Once the community is filled out the running of the properties is given over to a true HOA. Dell Webb moves on. They have several locations. Oh BTW we could actually see ourselves living in a Del Webb even now. Just not going that way at the moment.
Good luck in your search. We came here (CD) with the same intentions to find a place that we might live at.
We are in a similar situation. The houses in this neighborhood were built in 1992 and at that time most of us were in our early 40s with several children about to enter high school.
Now, although the kids have flown the nest, and the houses are way too large for just 2 people, we remain in the neighborhood. So do about two thirds of our neighbors. I'd like to see more younger families moving in but nobody here wants to move. Like you, we also have a few ageing dogs. We'll likely stay at least until their demise. Having a single family home on a large lot with a fenced back yard for the dogs is a hard thing to give up.
It's also very hard to leave a house that I custom designed to exactly meet my needs. When I built it, I followed up on every detail. It was built correctly and it is a wonderful place. For now, we're just enjoying the place. Oh, and it's paid off. Having no rent to pay is a cool thing!
I'm not sure what happens next. So far, we've not found anyplace that we like better. The thought of living someplace with neighbors sharing common walls makes me recall my earlier experiences when we were living in apartments. None were good experiences. I don't think I want to go there.
We've been married for 46 years and we've never stayed in any home longer than six years, whether moving for career or pleasure. We're coming up on six years for our current dwelling, a townhouse in a 55 plus, and frankly it hasn't been much fun. There's nothing worse than being behind gates with an aging population to make you feel old. I miss the babies crying and the dogs barking.
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