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IS A 55-PLUS community for you? Do you want to spend your later years surrounded by folks just like yourself—mostly crotchety, demanding old people?
I’m joking, of course. But am I exaggerating?
My wife Connie and I made the move from our New Jersey single-family home to a nearby 55-plus community six years ago. Like the idea of a 55-plus community? Here are some factors to consider.
First, a 55-plus community requires defining. There are several types and sizes, from The Villages in Florida, covering 32 square miles with 145,000 oldsters and 230 pickleball courts, or mine with its nine three-story buildings on 15 acres and 108 condos total. A 55-plus community can include individual homes, townhouse apartments, condos or some combination of all three.
And don’t be fooled by the age designation. Fifty-five may be the minimum age but the typical resident is a lot older. The median age in The Villages is 74.6, meaning half the residents are older than that. My community is about the same. Only one of my golfing buddies is under age 80 and one duffer is 92.
This age thing brings up another feature of a 55-plus community: sirens and flashing lights. If you lump a lot of old folks in one place, you can expect health care emergencies on a regular basis and, yes, even deaths. It’s a constant reminder of our mortality and a bit depressing at times. In our building of 12 people, there are five widows, two of whom have lost their spouses since we bought our condo.
Will a 55-plus community save you money? Possibly, but don’t count on it. The total cost has many factors, including the size and design of the complex, how expenses are shared, and what maintenance is your responsibility. If you have an individual home, the outside care may be included, but not things like roof repairs. I, for one, overestimated how much we’d save by moving.
In 2018, our homeowners’ association (HOA) fee was $700 a month. Today, it’s $900, and expected to increase in a few months. There’s also a rumor we’ll get hit with an extra assessment to raise our community’s cash reserve.
The question is, would we be spending the equivalent—$10,800 every year—maintaining our old house? Years of experience say no. On top of that, my unit’s annual property taxes are $13,500.
Importantly, the homeowners’ association fee may not cover the HVAC systems if you own the property. Since buying our condo—built in 2011—we’ve replaced the water heater and air-conditioning at a cost of thousands. We live in one of the country’s highest-cost areas, so repairs here are also relatively expensive.
Homeowners’ association fees vary greatly. Other communities in our area have much lower fees, but they also have triple or quadruple the units. Size matters. The demands of the residents matter as well.
If you’re shopping for a 55-plus community, I suggest thinking about two things: avoiding hefty assessments and supporting resale values. If you want both, the community has to sink money into all forms of maintenance and amenities, even if it’s things you don’t use. Our community spends a great deal on landscaping and irrigation, but the expenditures are supported by residents and it clearly shows in the community’s appearance.
We bought our 2,000-square-foot unit for $580,000 in 2018. The same-size unit recently sold for $780,000 after a few weeks on the market. Maintaining resale values requires a commitment by the entire community to keep our standards high.
By contrast, low HOA fees and minimal cash reserves may put residents at financial risk. I have two friends in other states who were each assessed $20,000 for major building repairs to address deferred maintenance.
Rules are also an important consideration. If you have a home, there may be restrictions on the color you can paint the exterior. Pets are often regulated. In our community, dogs are supposed to weigh no more than 50 pounds, though we have yet to hire an inspector.
We can’t have gas grills on our balconies for reasons of fire safety, but electric ones are fine. Then there are rules about underage residents living with you. If you want your grandchild to stay, there may be a 30-day limit on the visit.
A critical issue is how many owners can sublet. Ask if there’s a limit on the number of units that can be rented. Our community limits rentals to 10% of units.
Amenities are valuable in varying degrees to different people. I don’t care much for our community pool, but many folks are there every day in the summer. The fitness center is used by some of the younger residents, while the pickleball courts are a clear winner.
If you favor a certain amenity, be sure it’s adequate for the number of residents wanting to use it. A friend lives in a condo community with more than 400 residents and one pool. They have to register in advance for a spot at the pool. Their clubhouse is also undersized for the community.
The Quinns’ 55-plus community
Amenities add value to your property when it comes time to sell. New buyers may imagine they’ll use them all, though that’s unlikely.
Most 55-plus communities have an array of activities. Even our small community has groups for cards, exercise, bocce, a book club, tennis and pickleball. There are occasional trips, parties and social gatherings. Some owners are always involved, while others just want to live there and be left alone.
Both approaches are fine. If you’re a private person, however, know that there are few secrets in a 55-plus community. We seniors are adept at texting and various other means of getting the word out about one another. We know who’s going to physical therapy, how many are missing a prostate, who owns another home and whether their car is leased. Inquiring minds want to know—and they do.
Who runs the place? Can you participate in the election? Our community has an elected board. Only owners can serve on the homeowner’s association board and vote on matters presented by the board. You don’t want a community with a significant number of residents with no financial stake in maintaining its value.
There are monthly meetings to report on issues, review finances—and hear complaints. Our board has hired a company to handle bids for various contracts, and deal with repairs and maintenance. It’s a tough job pleasing us seniors. Our community is on its third on-site manager since we moved in.
State laws have something to say about how things are run in these communities. Our pool, while private, is subject to public pool regulations, including the requirement to have a lifeguard on duty.
Following the catastrophic collapse of a Florida condominium in 2021, a new law was passed in New Jersey requiring periodic engineering inspections of buildings. The inspection will cost the HOA thousands of dollars. Let’s hope no major problems are uncovered. We’ve already sued the builder of our community for unfinished and shoddy work.
Before you make a move, visit different communities and think about long-term costs and your social wants. Ask about the rules, and look at the bylaws and the last financial report. The seller should have them all.
Considering everything, after nearly six years in a 55-plus community, I’m convinced we made the right move. We’ve made many new friends and the people in our building are helpful. Most of the work and worry of owning a house are gone. Our expenses are more predictable. And the location, less than a mile from our home of 45 years, means nothing else has changed in our lives.
Richard Quinn blogs at QuinnsCommentary.net. Before retiring, Dick was a compensation and benefits executive. Follow him on Twitter @QuinnsComments and check out his earlier articles.
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The only issue I have with your community is it’s in New Jersey! HA!
My wife and I visited The Villages, FL for 10 days in April of this year. I would have moved there in a heartbeat, but if I did, it would be as a divorced man. My wife was not as taken by the lifestyle as I was.
Our two children will never live in our current home on six wooded acres in NC, as they are currently living in MD and TX. Neither child has children, so we have no motivation to “move closer to the grandchildren.” After we’re gone, they will inherit the home and undoubtedly sell it and split the proceeds so where we live doesn’t really matter.
We’re coming up on ages 74 and 70 respectively, and while we might consider a retirement community in the future, I doubt my bride of 50 years will be changing her mind any time soon…unfortunately.
Listen to your bride. When we drove through the Villages a couple of years ago, neither of us could wait to leave. There is an appeal no doubt, but I can’t figure out what it is. I have no desire to be in the middle of nowhere with thousands of people like me.
Take a look at the Villages using Google Earth and you can see what I mean. I don’t think the houses could be more jammed together.
While we are in a 55+ it’s just age that’s different. Apartments and homes for all ages are literally blocks away. I walk to my favorite coffee shop. In other words, we are not isolated, except the 12 people in our building are similar ages.
I’m having trouble seeing the difference between a 55+ community and aging in place, you’re just doing it in a more age-appropriate house/apartment. You have all the hassles and costs of home ownership, plus a more active HOA. When you can no longer manage independently you will have to find and organize in-home care, or a move to an assisted living facility. In contrast, when I can no longer live independently at my CCRC, I will simply move from a two bedroom apartment in the north east wing of my building to a one bedroom apartment in the south west wing. Meanwhile, I have access to a slew of exercise, cultural and social activities, an on-site clinic and occupational and physical therapists, and six eating venues, including two bars. But if you want to move here you need to get on the wait list and pass a medical check when you get to the top of the list.
Our condo is one floor 2,000 sf and set up for seniors with safety bars in the bathrooms, etc. we have no responsibilities for anything outside our unit like roof, siding, landscaping, snow removal, sidewalks, etc. All our HVAC is in our unit and we control everything. We have indoor parking and two large storage areas in the garage.
We have every amenity we could need, large pool, gym, putting green, pickleball and more.
It is a a vast difference from our old three story house built in 1929 with lots of stairs and no bath on first floor, a detached garage on a sloping up 130 foot driveway.
Our condo is private, but only blocks away from our old neighborhood so friends, doctors, church, shopping are unchanged. We are near parks and sports fields and a short walk from a 300 acre reserve where you can look out over the entire NYC skyline in the distance.
It is not CCRC for sure, we could have live in help if necessary, but for now we will fight to keep our own place and independence. Although not a main consideration, we also have a significant asset growing in value.
Perhaps you’re arguing the point a little too forcefully! If you age in place, you’re responsible for all maintenance and you have to make sure your home is suitable for a senior. With a home in a 55-plus community, the place should be designed for an older retiree, and the exterior maintenance will likely be taken care of.
Update: several people moved to the new building at my CCRC from a large nearby 55+ community. I checked, and while there are a lot of activities, residents are responsible for all exterior and interior maintenance and there is no on-site healthcare. See here.
I would say that a 55+ community is fine when you’re 55, although I chose to stay put, but at 65+ you should be thinking about a CCRC and by 75+ you should have moved to a CCRC or be about to. Always assuming you can afford to.
I wouldn’t count on the exterior maintenance being taken care of. Friends of mine live in a free-standing house in a 55+ community and they seem to me to have the same maintenance issues as before, although some of the yard work is done. And then, Dick mentioned that replacing the water heater and HVAC is his responsibility. Getting rid of that kind of responsibility was one reason for my move to a CCRC.
Great stuff, Richard! Per your usual! I will keep this as a quality reference for the future!
I say this respectfully, but either you have never visited The Villages or if you have, it hasn’t been in the last 5 years.
I suspect you got your Villages is “32 square miles” from Wikipedia, but that number is seriously outdated. It is now 57 square miles (https://www.thevillages.com/faq/), and spans three counties. I agree with the median age, but what isn’t explained in web pages is the older age residents are in the north part of the Villages, which makes sense since that is where it all started. As one works their way south, the age drops the farther one goes. I live in the most southern part, and am surrounded by those my age…low to mid 50s. This is important because no matter your age, you can move to a section that closely reflects your age group. I go to my village driveway parties and hear late 1970s and 1980 rock where my mother goes to hers and hear music from the late 1950s. Location is important!
Yes, it is a retirement community, but surrounding the villages for those 55+ are Villages family developments with Middleton being the latest (https://mymiddleton.com/ ). These are homes for those that work in and support the Villages. I bring this up because while all ones neighbors are in our age demographic, one can go to the town squares and be surrounded by folks of all ages. Its nice to see teenagers without having to hear a basketball in the driveway!
After visiting 40+ 55 and over communities before settling in The Villages, size makes all the difference. After living here, any other 55+ community would be a disappointment. If you want to see for yourself, this is a great option as you have access to all the amenities as well as a golf cart (https://www.thevillages.com/lifestyle-preview-plan/ ).
A consideration in selecting a senior living situation can be the homogeneity of the place, especially politically. In the last presidential election, The Villages area voted around 70% for one party’s candidate. It might not be the best setting for anyone other than a straight, white, heterosexual couple with right-leaning politics.
IAD…I couldn’t agree with your assessment of TV more. We went on a 10 day “Lifestyle Visit” in April, and I was ready to move then! Unfortunately, my wife was not, so for now, we stay in NC.
I am planning on returning to TV for a second visit, but this time one for 30-60 days, by renting a place there for a few months. I am hoping that will influence my wife to reconsider.
I loved everything about it, except the ridiculous home prices and “the Bond.” But the amenities and the beauty of the entire community were amazing.
My uncle and his wife moved to a CCRC when he turned 80. They have a beautiful 2000 sq ft apartment in a 10 story building, and the grounds are quite attractive. Not a lot of amenities, but enough to satisfy their needs apparently.
I am leery of Associations and people telling you how to live in your own home, but that is the price you pay for the benefits of a 55+/62+ or CCRC community I guess.
Great article Dick. I am 79 and wife is 81. We live in our home of 51 years which has 2 acres which has been well maintained. However, maintaining our property requires more maintenance than I am capable of. Nonetheless, we steadfastly hope to live here as long as we can. However, that can be a lot shorter than we hoped for.
Your article is a good guide if we ever have to go down that path.
Regards,
John
Has anyone found a 55+ guide (that is not an undercover sales brochure) that includes checklists of things to consider, recommended reserves, etc. For most of us this is the first time considering such a move. I’ve not even lived in an HOA.
At least some states prescribe such requirements.
I had hoped this article would provide a good starting point for that search.
You might check your local senior center for a course on elder living options. You might also check to see whether a local university has an OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) course that’s relevant. If you are considering a CCRC I recommend reading “Find the Right CCRC for Yourself or a Loved One” by Ruth Alvarez.
Thank you for the article. Only on HD would I find something that is helpful and the personal experience of someone I respect.
Appreciate your comment.
I really don’t understand your animus against CCRCs. As I understand it you have only ever visited one, which hardly constitutes a representative sample. It seems to me that a 55+ community has all the disadvantages of home ownership, while still consisting of “old” people. As I wrote recently, I am very pleased with my move to a CCRC, where I have made new friends and found more than enough to do.
I am switching my PCP to the onsite clinic, my next-door neighbor recently spent a few days in skilled nursing following knee replacement and followed that with onsite PT. Maintenance of the buildings is handled by the management, issues with my apartment (changing filters, hanging pictures, etc.) are handled by an excellent maintenance guy.
If you were incapacitated, how would Connie manage? No doubt your children would step in, but what living situation would you recommend for those who do not have children nearby, or, for that matter, a spouse?
I am not opposed to CCRC – except for us as long as possible and hopefully never.
I understand they are right for some people under some circumstances. I have a cousin who moved to one with her husband and they love it, but there were reasons for the move.
I suspect the need for them is growing regularly and will continue to do so. In our area they are very expensive and quite isolated. A person couldn’t walk to any store if they were able to. I would feel isolated and confined.
Obviously, you have to choose carefully. Mine is walking distance to cafes, restaurants, a grocery store, a library, etc. etc. It’s also on a bus route. This insistence on not moving is why my elder sister is still living alone in a four bedroom house with all full baths upstairs after a debilitating stroke. One of the unfortunate facts of aging is the need for compromise.
To me that is a good case for CCRC.
Yes. And I will wait until I am incapacitated before moving to one. I enjoy living in an area surrounded by all ages. Not just older folks.
If you’re incapacitated, a CCRC is highly unlikely to accept you.
If you wait until you are incapacitated you’ll be moving to a nursing home, not a CCRC. Given my CCRC is about a mile from the middle of town I’m surrounded by a lot more people and activity than before I moved. Not to mention a bunch of young staff people.
In my experience, the strength, and ironically, the weakness–of living in an HOA community of any type (mostly) comes back to the board. Is the board a well-integrated group of people who know what they are doing, or is it a bunch of emotional hacks bent on lording their authority over their neighbors? How involved are the residents? Do they take a genuine interest in meetings and other functions? And so on.
HOA’s can be a wonderful tool for building a great community, as well as enhancing life enjoyment and property values. Like any power tool, they can also be grossly misused, and horror stories abound, if that’s your thing. On balance for us, I’ve found they generally do more good than harm–but it all comes back to the board. Before moving into an area with an HOA, do a little research, and choose carefully. If you are civic-minded, and care to serve on the board, good luck–and keep in mind, as others have pointed out in the comments, no good deed goes unpunished.
Very accurate.
The board and owner involvement can make or break the community. So far our board has been good comprised of professionals as lawyers, accountants and former executives.
Open meetings are usually well attended. As usual there is a core group of owners always involved and others who just live here and pay their fees.
Dick, Thanks for a very insightful article.
Based on my experience living in a 55+ community for the last 18 months, I would say it is a great option to build a vibrant social network and prevent loneliness. However, such a community may not be the answer as you approach end of life.
If residents are able to live independently, even if it requires some home care, this will work. If children are nearby, that would greatly help. However, if health deteriorates further requiring constant monitoring/home care and visits from children are not always possible, moving to Assisted Living / Memory Care or CCRC facilities may be options.
Sundar Mohan Rao
You are right, but a CCRC is last desperate option for us.
If you wait until you feel you have no choice, you are likely to find you actually have no choice. Wait lists for good places are long and getting longer, you can’t just decide you want to move to a CCRC next month.
So you get home health care until you can get into one
Depends on the CCRC and the availability of space in assisted living. Typically you have to be healthy enough to start in independent living. I had to pass both a physical and a financial check to be accepted. Sounds like you don’t know much about CCRCs.
Regarding HOAs generally, there is a minimum practical size to have enough $$ flowing through the association accounts to be able to both enforce the restrictive covenants, and to have enough wise owners to keep the board populated with service minded folks who will do what is necessary to keep the HOA in the black. There is always a percentage of poor/cheap owners who do not want to see their HOA fees increase regardless of the effect on property maintenance and reserves. I am not going to put out a specific number for a minimum size, but if you can imagine what the costs might be when you inevitably have to sue owners to enforce your rules, or collect the dues, and then divide that cost by the number of owners you can get a feel for it.
We own two homes in HOAs. One is an over-55 and the other not. Both are in the 2500 owner size range. Unfortunately, there is a percentage of people who will not maintain their homes. And there are always some who don’t pay their dues.
Seems the larger the group, the greater potential for such problems.
Well, once the HOA has a reputation for being run in a business like fashion with rules fairly enforced, and dues collected, home buyers come in with these expectations and the problems become as minimal as they can be. And when the smaller HOAs cannot do these things this also impacts potential home buyers. Large special assessments are very unpleasant. It is much easier to take the medicine in smaller doses.
Absolutely. I argue that the HOA fee should be raised every year, even modestly to minimize the assessment risk. I would rather see a larger reserve
One thing I didn’t mention which may or may not be of interest. That is the economic status of the community. Before we moved in we had no idea about the people living there.
I guess looking at the place, the grounds, the costs was a clue, but we never considered it.
Fact is our community is not average retirees. A significant number have two homes, several three, nearly half spend winters in Florida. Walk through our garage and you will find only high end cars.
Many of the residents are retired professionals, business owners or executives.
The make up of the community may or may not matter, but something to be aware of in any case.
Dick,
Thanks for the article. My wife and I are in our mid-60’s and moved to a small condo community in the Detroit suburbs about 3 years ago. The 28 units are one and two story duplexes and we purchased a one story. The units are about 25 years old and well maintained by the HOA but we have few amenities. Our $375 monthly fee goes to maintenance, landscaping and snow removal. It is effectively an over 55 community with many residents over 80. People move in and stay. We did a kitchen remodel, replaced floors, painted and finished the basement before we moved in. We are starting a project to remodel the two bathrooms and laundry room in a few months. We are making it “senior ready” with a barrier free shower and grab bars. We intend to stay here as long as we can care for ourselves.
Dick, thanks for an excellent article, with lots to consider. We looked at a number of different types of housing before moving to Monmouth County, NJ, including 55+ communities. Some were beautiful and we even put a bid on one. It eventually sold for a $100K over asking. We eventually bought in a community that has a mix of singles, duplexes, and townhomes. We bought an end unit townhome with a 2-story sun room. It has an HOA but no age restrictions. It skews older, but there is a nice mix of younger couples with younger children, including our youngest son and his family a few blocks away. We are making friends, but the best friend we’ve made so far is a toss up between the Italian greyhound on one side, and the precocious 3-year old on the other.
We had heard there were some issues within the HOA board prior to us moving in. After moving in we found out how bad it was – 2 of the 3 members quit the board and moved out of the community. Despite that it is a lovely community, well maintained and populated with nice, well educated people. Early this year they organized an election to bring on 3 new members. A number of neighbors asked me to consider running for a spot. It is not something I had considered nor really wanted, but there clearly was a need for a new board. Long story short, I grudgingly agreed and am now the treasurer. We just went through a transition to a new property manager. There is also a significant amount of development going on around us, which will impact us in various ways, including traffic.
People ask me why I would take this on in retirement. I give the same answer that I did when colleagues and friends asked me why I would take on a management position. I have no desire or need for power. But some jobs are important for the employees, or residents, and they need to be done in an honest and competent manner. I think I can learn what needs to be done, and I believe I will do my best to keep the community safe, lovely, and neighborly.
Richard, you seem like a natural to serve on an HOA board. I’ll bet you’ll even get to do the HOA’s tax return, lol. Especially if you end up with the treasurer’s position.
I did accept the treasurer position. I’m learning how little I know about GAAP accounting.
I too had people urging me to run for the Board. I almost did, but then I remembered how I hated meetings. And they are held in the evenings which for me is even worse. Fortunately the time we have been here the Board has been good even though it changes a bit each year.
I play golf with a fellow on the Board and the issues they have to deal with are mind boggling. For example, we have a fob entry system to each building. The system is no longer supported by whomever installed it 12 years ago. Replacement fobs are no longer available, so if you lose one there is a problem. Don’t know yet what a replacement system will cost.
LOL my keyboard seems to have suffered a senior moment with my prior post. Well, maybe it was the keyboard operator. Anyway, nice post Dick. Many good questions to raise.
You should always find out what the politics are like before moving in. If you see election posters, receptions for the voters offering free wine and beer, and friendly people offering pocket voting cards, maybe the residents are having difficulty deciding how much to charge and how much to spend.
Yes, my smiling face appeared on the voting cards, along with the rest of my slate. If you have to tell the residents we don’t have enough money to pave all the roads right now, but we still have to pay off the money we borrowed, you may get some pushback. Since retired people have little to do, campaigning may be appealing to the idle sorts who used to be big shots when they worked. My buddy is running for the board, and I’m the head of the campaign committee!
You are right. We have a pretty organized system for board elections. One thing you don’t want is a penny pincher looking to hold down immediate costs at the expense of both needed and desirable maintenance. To our surprise our HOA fee did not increase this July. I object to that. I think the fee should increase at least at half the rate of inflation to avoid sticker shock in the future.
I live in a small community populated by folks once associated with the agricultural and textile industries, now both mostly defunct. Enter a nation-wide builder of 55-plus communities. The first I heard of it was from the poor lady at the zoning office who told me, “We’ve never had 3.000=-lus unit development before. We’re not set up to deal with it.”
But they’re here, and they’re different, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the residents through my physical therapy practice–they are of the age where many get to know the physical therapist pretty well.
Most are from out of state, and many are way out. The Jewish couple from Brooklyn, are joy to spend time. The inventor of the snowboard was a great conversationalist with interesting stories.
I hear about the problems with the HOA and the bad plumbing in all the first phase houses, but also about the camaraderie of the “pod”-mates and the great amenities center.
My close buddy and his family will net a nice sum when they eventually sell the adjacent family farm property to allow expansion of the community.
I don’t think it’s for me, but it’s an option I shouldn’t rule out of my future.
I grew up in an apartment until we were married, I never enjoyed the work around the house inside or out, so a place with none of that and still more room than we need, a family room we never had before, a fireplace and a 8×20 foot balcony for our personal outside space, was great for me. I resisted moving at least five years too long.
Connie’s severe problem with stairs sealed the deal.
By the way, she loves her PT.
i don’t mind small jobs around the house, like mowing the lawn, but for anything more complicated, I pay others. It is a lot less expensive than paying those monthly HOA fees. Been there, done that in Florida when raising a family. It was a big pain in the behind. Also do not want to live with just others my age. It’s nice having young families around. I keep busy and work out at F45, where the average age is probably in the 30’s, with some in 40’s or 50’s. I’m 73 and am treated like everyone else, and when I’m there I forget about my age. Being around younger people does that.
And I’m sure she’s also loved.
This is great. One question I have about 55+ communities is why younger people (like in their 50s and 60s) don’t move there and people in their 70s and 80s do. I get it about the younger group—they don’t feel “old” yet and don’t want to hang out around “old people” all the time. But my theory is that the older group chooses the 55+ community as a way to avoid a CCRC, which sounds even scarier to many people.
As I shared in a Forum post last week, my father-in-law thought moving to a 55+ community was a good option for them once my MIL’s Alzheimer’s had advanced. He understood that their long-time home with stairs and one block from a busy street was not safe for her. But it wasn’t a good option. She needed more care than he and in-home caregivers could handle properly and is now in a memory care facility.
I also have lots of neighbors in our condo community who are 70s/80s. It’s not a 55+ community but skews heavily to empty nesters/retirees on one end and students on the other (college town, rich parents buy them a condo to live in and then sell it). Many of our older neighbors moved to our town to be closer to kids/grandkids in the area. They didn’t like the idea of a CCRC so moved into a condo. We’ve also had several deaths and several residents move to CCRCs after awhile.
I’m also struck by the similarities between your situation and ours, with the exception of ours not being designated 55+. We have a 2000 SF condo built in 2019–we are the original owners. Our HOA fees have gone up from $500 to $700 in the past five years. Thankfully, property taxes in California are more controlled than in NJ. We paid $738,000 for the brand-new condo and pay about $6500/year in property taxes. The sizes of our communities are similar, too—we have eight four-story buildings (first floor is the garage) with five units per floor, for a total of 120 units.
We’re actually having a range of second thoughts about our condo as we come up on our fifth anniversary of living there next week. I may even write a piece about it.
Yup, big difference between a 55+ and a CCRC. Several folks here have aids, nearly everyone has cleaning people, but not like a CCRC which I dearly hope to avoid.
You seem to equate a CCRC with a nursing home or assisted living. In fact there are many similarities between a 55+ community and the independent living part of a CCRC with the CCRC having the added benefit of on site assistance and medical care if needed.
I really don’t know where you got this doom-and-gloom image of a CCRC, but it is far removed from my lived reality in one.
Very insightful. Thank you.
Dick,
I remember my dad was always involved in his community. He took on leadership rolls in various organizations. His life was a roller coaster, liked one day, disliked the next, repeat.
As a youngster, I learned no good deed was ever universally appreciated. It was a challenge to please everyone.
What I found odd, appreciation of his efforts came after he moved on to other causes and organizations.
Eventually, he learned to leave leadership roles to others with thicker skin. He worked in the background in positions such as secretary-treasurer, where he could influence while avoiding public criticism.
Sounds like you love where you live which has more advantages than disadvantages. And I think that’s your message: Lots of give and take. Good point.
Our upcoming move to a new CCRC will be an adventure I’m looking forward to. My wife, not so much. It’s only a few miles away from where we’ve lived for over 50 years We’ll have a foot in each camp and enjoy the best of both worlds.
Seeing older people gives me hope I can be one too. It’s the youngsters who remind me I’m a dinosaur making me feel older I want to avoid.
Great article. However, I’m afraid for my wife to read it.
I be one of those older people, and to tell the truth being around older people can be depressing far more than being around younger folks. There is certain status symbol being among the young and to me it makes me feel a tad younger.
Being around those our age or older makes one realize there is an end to it all. I’d rather think I can make plans twenty years in the future.
Refusing to recognize reality is rarely a good idea.
Thanks for your detailed insights. There is nothing like experience from someone with skin-in-the-game to help get past all the smiling, happy, and oddly young people in the colorful brochures.
Nothing is always as it’s made to be.