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I checked out 2 fifty five plus gated communites in towns near Albuquerque and they were quite appealing but then I checked out the towns and found that both of them had bad meth problems, so be sure you find out about what surrounds a developement before getting too excited about it.
Wow. This is one of the biggest reasons I don't think I could stand those places. What business is it of neighbors or the place whether she puts up shades? Who does it hurt? Stuff like that me want to paint my front door bright pink with purple polka dots.
Maybe if we combine your post with Norm's, it will all work out. Old people high on meth will think every house has a pink door with purple polka dots.
I would think people in these communities would be more friendly,having more
in common,but when you think of it,the only thing in common is the age.
But even then,there is a young 55...and an old 55...age is just a number
as long as you are young at heart and have good memories from youth
you will never grow old..."that's my opinion of course"...
I always have to ask in 15 years how old will the now 55 year olds be and how many then 55 year olds will want to move in with them?
I read on "The Villages" blog (Central FL) that they have a problem with people walking their dogs on the golf course at night. Ooh, nice to have your golf ball land in pooh in the a.m. So I guess a dog park is truly a necessity in these places...
Well, I'm sure no place is perfect, but I for one love our 55+ community.
The neighbors are nice, friendly and helpful. The HOA fees are very reasonable. The dreaded HOA rules are not restrictive, and do not seem to be a problem.
I plan on building a garage addition, like a second attached garage to my home in Leesburg, and it does have to go through the architectural review committee. They just want to make sure it is compliant to building codes, and that it will compliment the house. I have no problem with that.
I've already been to the building dept and checked zoning, lot lines, etc and it is all a go. A few other homes have added a second garage to their home, so it will not be a problem. The only restriction they have is they like to see a project look completed from the outside within a six month period. That seems reasonable to me.
I've looked through all the "rules", and they do not seem restrictive. It may be a pain to have to complete a project within a 6 month time frame, but whenever I see a rule like that, I imagine how the neighborhood would look with old worn plywood or exposed block on an addition a person would be working on for years.....we've all seem houses like that, a perpetual half done project that turns into a eyesore.......who wants to live next to that??
Anyway, almost everything in life is a two edged sword....I see WAY more pluses then minuses with my Florida home.
Since you all will hopefully do research before you move to a 55+ master planned community, may I suggest that you read the fairly new book, Leisureville by Andrew D Blechman. While much of it is about The Villages in Florida and some of it is about Sun City in Arizona, some of his observations and issues he raises could be things you put on your radar screen (observations and questions) when you look into other retirement communities of this type.
Blechman, who is not a retiree, decided to write about the subject when his Massachusetts neighbors moved to The Villages. He moved in with them for a spell to immerse himself in the lifestyle.
You can draw your own conclusions as to whether it's right for you.
Yesterday we toured Sun City Carolina Lakes in Lancaster County, SC, outside of Charlotte, NC. Everything was beautiful, including the 44,000 sq ft clubhouse, with 2 pools (indoor and outdoor) and workout room, etc. The homes are very beautifully decorated and some are a good size (2,400-2,800 if they had the added-on sunroom at an extra $15,000). I didn't see many people out at 11:00 a.m.--a few in the pool and about 10 out walking or riding a bike. It was very quiet. There were a number of golfers on the course. 1,400 homes are now occupied and 3,400 homes are scheduled to be built to complete the community. People for the most part seemed to be in their late 60's to 70's. Only saw a couple of those who could be in the age 55 range.
The units are very close together and you'd definitely need a blind or shade on the very large window over the master tub, unless you like having your neighbor check out your bathing habits!!! Your patio is extremely close to your neighbor's house.
According to the sales agent who spoke with us, the developer is planning to lower the grade of the amenities that come with the homes, so that buyers can chose to upgrade where they choose and use their money where it is most important to them. For example, there will be plain appliances instead of stainless steel, formica instead of granite, carpet instead of hardwood, lower grade kitchen cabinets, etc. Then the buyer can upgrade where they please. My concern is whether the price will actually go down to reflect these changes. Also, will this change lower the value of the other homes already constructed in the development.
The developer is offering at this time a free sunroom and 2 free years of HOA dues. Are their problems selling right now???
We had been very excited to see the community but I had a let down feeling when I left. Would it really be all the fun and friends that are advertised? Or do people stay in their homes and only venture out occasionally? People did wave back when I waved, and a gentleman kindly gave us directions, but I didn't have the warm and fuzzy feeling I had hope to have.
Still don't know if this lifestyle is the best one for us.
Last edited by staywarm2; 07-02-2008 at 11:41 AM..
Yesterday we toured Sun City Carolina Lakes in Lancaster County, SC, outside of Charlotte, NC. Everything was beautiful, including the 44,000 sq ft clubhouse, with 2 pools (indoor and outdoor) and workout room, etc. The homes are very beautifully decorated and some are a good size (2,400-2,800 if they had the added-on sunroom at an extra $15,000). I didn't see many people out at 11:00 a.m.--a few in the pool and about 10 out walking or riding a bike. It was very quiet. There were a number of golfers on the course. 1,400 homes are now occupied and 3,400 homes are scheduled to be built to complete the community. People for the most part seemed to be in their late 60's to 70's. Only saw a couple of those who could be in the age 55 range.
The units are very close together and you'd definitely need a blind or shade on the very large window over the master tub, unless you like having your neighbor check out your bathing habits!!! Your patio is extremely close to your neighbor's house.
According to the sales agent who spoke with us, the developer is planning to lower the grade of the amenities that come with the homes, so that buyers can chose to upgrade where they choose and use their money where it is most important to them. For example, there will be plain appliances instead of stainless steel, formica instead of granite, carpet instead of hardwood, lower grade kitchen cabinets, etc. Then the buyer can upgrade where they please. My concern is whether the price will actually go down to reflect these changes. Also, will this change lower the value of the other homes already constructed in the development.
The developer is offering at this time a free sunroom and 2 free years of HOA dues. Are their problems selling right now???
We had been very excited to see the community but I had a let down feeling when I left. Would it really be all the fun and friends that are advertised? Or do people stay in their homes and only venture out occasionally? People did wave back when I waved, and a gentleman kindly gave us directions, but I didn't have the warm and fuzzy feeling I had hope to have.
Still don't know if this lifestyle is the best one for us.
Maybe you can find a unit there and rent it for 1 year. At the end of the year you'll either buy one yourself or run screaming from the entrance gates never to return
staywarm,
Every 55+ community is different.
Visit many of them....one will end up standing out and feel like a "good fit".
You could also perhaps rent from one for a few months..then you would really know for sure if you liked one over another.
Please do not judge every 55+ community on one not so favorable experience.
Frank D.
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