55+ communities in Kent or surrounding area? (Seattle, Tacoma: appointed, real estate, condominiums)

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Greetings! My husband is mulling a job that would move us from Northern Virginia to the Seattle area, with his job being in Kent. He would be working long hours with the new position and we have been through enough remodeling for me to know how much of his time and attention was needed even though we contracted the work out, so I’d be looking for newer builds, or even something that was in the process of being built, with at the very least the master, laundry, and kitchen on the first level. I’ve noticed that, as it is here in VA, much of your new construction is multilevel and that’s a concern as we age. I was born with a congenital hip defect and while I’m fine now, the future is not promised. We remodeled our master bath here to have a no threshold shower that is ADA compliant; I would hope to find such features in a home out there. We need about 3500 square feet, have quite modern taste in architecture, and a budget of 800-850k. Hubby’s commute currently stands at a minimum of an hour but generally sits at 1.5 hours, sometimes 2 hours in DC metro traffic. We would hope to slash that by a long shot, ideally. Am I asking for the moon? I thought a 55+ community might offer single level housing which is why I have posed this question. Any insights anyone can share are of interest. Also, any grocery stores you love for organic produce and great product variety are of interest. I cook a lot, from scratch. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

[CrazyDonkey]

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...48817111_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...49089349_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...48965513_zpid/

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Hello and thank you so much for your input. I’m afraid that these homes would require far more renovation than we are interested in pursuing. We have done quite a lot of it in the past; there will not be time to contend with it as my husband would need to hit the ground running which is why I’m looking toward new construction, something single level or that could readily accommodate a lift/elevator. The step downs into living rooms and such could be an issue for mobility in the future given my birth defect. I am interested in 55+ active adult communities where floor plans are designed for single level living and are suited to modern living relative to finishes. Do you know of any communities like that that would not create a burdensome commute to Kent?

[Gardyloo]

Those kind of "55+" planned communities are not particularly common in this part of the country, but they do exist. One that comes to mind is the Tehaleh development in Bonney Lake, around a half hour south of Kent.
https://www.sheahomes.com/new-homes/...gy-at-tehaleh/ Is this what you're thinking of?

There are plenty of single-level homes in the region; have a look at the Lake Tapps area (south of Kent) - for example https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/C...85965248_zpid/ and https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...49308799_zpid/

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Gardyloo, YES! I actually discovered this development while searching on Zillow and while we would love a bit more privacy, it does fit the bill in every other way. I’ve been considering contacting them to inquire about the possibility of a basement. We have some rather large gym equipment to accommodate. What works about this is that it would be new build to spec, it’s a good location relative to Kent, and would be affordable for us with upgrades to the base model. The other aspect that would be great about it is that I’m 55, hubby is 53, and it would set us up for retirement. I have friends who live in a community like this and it’s been such a boon to them socially. They all rally around one another when the chips are down and help each other out. We currently live in a neighborhood that is comprised mostly of young families with children. It’s a wonderful, beautifully appointed community but we don’t have much in common with our neighbors. They’re all so very nice; we are just at different stages in life. I imagine it would be nice to experience a little more camaraderie.

If you know of any other such communities please let me know. I am also searching on my own as well. I appreciate your help!

[CrazyDonkey]

There are a handful of "55+ retirement communities" in the Seattle metro area:

• Trilogy at Redmond Ridge - 1,574 homes.
  
• Providence Point (Issaquah) - 1,008 homes.
  
• Trilogy at Tehaleh (Bonney Lake) - 500 homes.
  
• Glen Acres Condominiums (Seattle) - 225 homes.
  
• AutumnWood at Brooktree (Tacoma) - 128 homes.
  
• Cascara at the Villages (Redmond) - 122 homes.

https://www.55places.com/washington/...ern-washington

Why not more? My guess is: escalating land values and loss of appreciation.

[flyingsaucermom]

Providence Point is aging. Either late 80's or 90's development. What I like about it though is that you can progress through last stages of life there. I worked and volunteered with clients at various levels.. active seniors, seniors needing support and seniors in the nursing home.

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Crazy Donkey and FlyingSaucerMom,

Thank you for these insights and specific references to 55+ Communities. After looking around, reading your posts and following your links I sense that hubby and I may be looking for something that isn’t as prevalent in the Seattle area as it has become here. I also sense that we may be “tweens” in the sense that our space requirements are still greater than most of these communities accommodate and yet we do desire the relative quiet of an active adult community. I have a big sewing and craft room set up as well as a large gym area on our lower level. Hubby has a sizable workshop for wood working and metal fabrication as well as robotics and 3D printing. I’m also an avid cook and grill person with indoor and outdoor kitchen set ups. We aren’t ready to relinquish our hobbies and interests; the Shea development is the one that most closely matches what we are looking for. It seems we will need to open ourselves to non-55+ communities with a focus on first floor master/laundry/kitchen with the potential to install an elevator/lift down the road.

I don’t know why but I tend to associate the Seattle area with a younger demographic in general. If that holds any water it may explain, at least in part, a lower overall demand for the kind of housing we seek. I have seen some amazing homes while searching online and am confident that we would find something to suit. There is a lot of vertical building here as well as developers seek to pack as many homes as possible into their subdivisions. A few years ago when I encountered an illness that spanned almost a year and three surgeries I learned the criticality of single level living. There were several months during which I was restricted from stair climbing. That experience has informed and continues to inform my decisions relative to real estate. Like anyone, we wish to age in place independently for as long as possible. I tend to take an unusually long view when approaching real estate decisions.

We are proceeding to the next step in the interview process that would require a move to your breathtakingly beautiful part of the country. I probably sound like a total tourist, but I can’t imagine ever tiring of riding your ferries that sail among the islands. We ride them as much as possible when we visit and have been fortunate to encounter a few marine mammals. There just isn’t anything like it.

Thank you again for your guidance and insights.

[CrazyDonkey]

You might be able to find a single-level house with all that you want and an attached workshop, but compromising on one or the other will increase your choices. Not likely you'll find what you want in a planned community.

Here's something that gives you a lot of what you want, for about $200,000 under your budget cap, leaving room for renovations/landscaping to suit your tastes.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...29539507_zpid/

And this, again with money under your cap for renovations, part of the Normandy Park Community, with tennis courts and swimming pool, Club house and private beach.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...48712260_zpid/

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Hi Crazy Donkey,
Yeah, way too much reno with these. We won’t have the time for it and I’ve lived through an awful lot of renovation work. I am certain that we would compromise before we got into this much work. It’s just not where we are at this point. There is a lot going on at Bonny Lake that looks like a potential fit for us, with some compromise. If it looks likely that we will move I plan to call the builders to learn what kind of flexibility we can get relative to finishes and minor modifications. As close to turn key as possible is the goal. The floor plans at Bonny Lake are single floor and no interior elevations or sunken rooms. I don’t know anything about the area but it seems a tolerable commute to Kent which will also be key. 12 years of DC traffic and at least an hour each way on a good day is more than we ever planned for.

I sincerely appreciate your help; I hadn’t seen the homes you sent me. It’s good to educate myself about the market.