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I have a family member who is looking to buy a home in the Rossmoor Community.
Does anyone have any feedback on the community in general (pros/cons)?
How are the energy/electric bills there? We are gas heat/stove at home but the entire community appears to be electric.
How successful have people been with having their property taxes reassessed? The unit we are looking at is currently estimate to be three times the the current value.
I have a family member who is looking to buy a home in the Rossmoor Community.
Does anyone have any feedback on the community in general (pros/cons)?
How are the energy/electric bills there? We are gas heat/stove at home but the entire community appears to be electric.
How successful have people been with having their property taxes reassessed? The unit we are looking at is currently estimate to be three times the the current value.
Any other things to know?
I can't give you too much first-hand info, but my sister and her husband moved to Rossmoor about nine months ago. They took an 18-month rental to see if they liked it there before they decided to buy, and they like it a lot and are now looking at units to buy. They found it to be a friendly community and they feel at home there. Her husband is retired, but she still works as a nurse and likely will for a few years. Unfortunately I don't know the answers to the tax questions, but I'm pretty sure everything there is electric.
I don't live in Rossmoor, but i have a 2 bedroom apartment that is all electric, just to give you an idea of what the monthly expenses are like.... Dec-Feb around $180.. Mar-May $140.. June-Aug $200.. Sep-Nov $165.
My parents have lived in Rossmoor for the past 15 years.
Most of the community is electric but some of the newest units have gas. My parents bought just before the gas option became available, so they have electric. They feel their utility bills are reasonable (and they require A/C throughout the summer because of allergies).
My parents had to go through a reassessment process a few years back, their unit was seriously over-assessed, and they didn't have any special trouble.
They have really liked living there, but there are some aspects that are less than ideal. The community is organized into subregions called "mutuals". Most of the mutuals are slipping on their ratings -- mutual 17 is doing the best. Some units are "co-op" and others are not (co-op has maintenance on both the exteriors and interiors, including major appliances, as part of what's covered in the maintenance fees, non co-op only covers exterior maintenance). My parents are not in a co-op, and when they had trouble with their water heater, they had to replace it themselves. There are various regulations and restrictions, which often make for a pleasing uniformity, but can also be frustrating (e.g. my dad originally wanted to put solar panels on their roof, he's an energy conservations zealot, but under the rules of the mutual, everybody or nobody had to do it). When they first moved in, there was a 24/7 nursing office for minor emergencies, now that is gone. There used to be a flourishing bridge group, now there is none. Part of the golf course was badly flooded by hurricane Irene and the repairs were not cheap.
The biggest downside is in selling later on. NJ is such an expensive place to live, few people want to retire here! Even with the baby-boom generation retiring, it's a tough sell, and it's bound to get tougher as the later smaller generations reach retirement age. In my parents case, they plan to move to assisted living in the not-too-distant future, and my husband and I plan to buy their unit and move there ourselves. But unless you have some kind of similar option, there's a better than average chance you will lose money on the proposition. My parents place today is worth 2/3 of what they paid for it 15 years ago. That's seriously different from values in most NJ communities.
One big plus for the community going forward is that it is just a 15 minute drive from the new Princeton Medical Center. This is an impressive state-of-the-art facility that I toured with my parents last spring, that has a special geriatric care unit.
All that said -- if you are over age 55, there is hardly any other place in NJ where you can get as much bang for your buck. The homes are well constructed and well maintained. Security is pretty good. Most of the people are friendly and pleasant. You could go far and do a lot worse.
My advice... Run from Rossmoor. Don't buy there.
1) The administration and maintenance dept is a nightmare. My sister lived there until she passed away and my brother and I were the executors of her estate. It took us 3 months before we could gain access to her house because of the ice and 20' mountain of snow that was dumped there. We were paying $455 per month for maintenance even while we waited to gain access so we could get it sold. During that time, we were allowed no car sticker to get through the gate, no access to any facilities or services that the $455 was paying for.
2) Also, the "head of the community" (Arnold Jasper), immediately and disrespectfully took over her designated parking spot in the carport. I've been told that he waits for deceased residents and parks in their spots consistently. I've asked repeatedly that he contact us but never got that call.
3) The worst part was when they did a pre sale inspection and told us that we needed to construct a wall under the stairs that they claim my sister removed. I moved her into the house and there was never a wall there. They claimed it was a fire hazard even though the fire dept inspection was fine. I constructed the wall because they wouldn't let us close unless it was done. Then, 2 months AFTER the closing, they deducted money from our deposit claiming that THEY put up the wall.
One of the first things to learn after becoming a member of this board is to always check the posting date that initiated the thread, before you respond to it. In this case, you are providing advice to somebody who posted his/her question over 5 years ago.
Don't you think that the OP decided...long ago...whether or not to buy a home at Rossmoor?
But for those who may currently (October, 2015) be wondering about Rossmoor and came to this forum via Google or other web search, here's some updated information.
Been here for about 3 years. Have a 2BR, 2BA upstairs unit in Mutual 8.
Average winter heating bill can be as high as $390 as most units have individual room electric baseboard heat with thermostats in each room. TIP - When you leave the room, turn the heat down.
TIP - JCP&L is your power distribution company. Read the power supplier choices carefully when you sign up with JCP&L as you can save up to 15% on electric by choosing wisely.
TIP - Your average home inspector likely will miss things if he/she is not familiar with Rossmoor. Before engaging an inspector, ask if they have experience inspecting there. Don't take any excuses. There is no substitute for knowledge of how things work at Rossmoor - what is OK and what will cost you.
Most central AC units are old and inefficient and unless your inspector is on the ball, that will get missed. Suggest you have a qualified HVAC company make an assessment as part of the home inspection.
TIP - we replaced our central AC with a heat pump and cut the electric bill by 40% in winter.
Dealing with the mutuals can be either extremely difficult or very reasonable. Some boards are run by petty tyrants and others are responsive. Suggest you ask your Realtor if she/he knows about the particular Mutual's reputation and ask neighbors (just stop someone if you see them and ask - you'll get an earful!)
Dealing with the HOA (RCAI) is trying and requires persistence and sometime insistence. Things that are in grey areas (like cleaning of common areas) often take months of back and forth between the owner, the mutual and RCAI.
Overall, properties recently have maintained value. Our first unit was sold after one and a half years when a more desirable unit went on the market. We had a small net gain on the first unit even after we had installed modern appliances and new laminate flooring throughout.
We like the community and the residents are almost all unfailingly friendly and helpful. We're on the younger side of 65 and still working so we enjoy the quiet and the slower pace.
TIP - The carport parking issue is tough if you have 2 cars as you only get one carport space unless you get a unit with garage. If someone abuses your parking space, all it takes is a photo (capture the license plate) and a quick email to RCAI and it gets dealt with.
Any recent experience with Rossmoor and installing a heat pump to supplement the electric baseboard heat? Our A/C unit is approaching its maximum life and we are looking at replacing it with a dual unit if it makes sense.
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Kris Neiss
