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"It will be our faces you see, not our backs." ~Volodymyr Zelensky
"Israel was not created in order to disappear - it will endure and flourish." ~John F. Kennedy
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Today's Community Review
Beau Coast, Beaufort, North Carolina
Cozy Beaufort is tucked along North Carolina's scenic Inner Banks and is the site of Beau Coast, beautiful community with eye-catching single family homes and town homes. Amenities include a zero entry swimming pool, two kayak launch sites and a day dock with direct access to the sea.
Previous Community Reviews
Casitas de Castilian, Tucson, Arizona
In sunny southern Arizona, Tucson is the the location of Casitas de Castilian, a charming, established 55+ community with adobe-style town homes, a neighborhood clubhouse, tennis courts, swimming pools and grounds dotted with palm trees and Italian Cypress evergreens.
Cascades at Southern Hills Plantation, Brooksville, Florida
Not far from Florida's Gulf Coast, Brooksville is the setting for The Cascades, a 55+ neighborhood within a larger all ages development. Cozy and wooded, The Cascades has single family homes, a resort-style clubhouse, a beautiful golf course, a lagoon-edge pool, meandering walking paths and much more.
Montgomery is near Lake Conroe in southeastern Texas and is the location of Bentwater, a beautiful waterfront community with private islands, a marina, a yacht club, a day spa and a wide range of home prices.
West Neck Villages, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is in southeastern Virginia and is the site of West Neck Villages, an attractive 55+ community with single family homes and condominiums clustered in villages around a golf course. Activities include outdoor concerts, exercise classes, wine tastings and more.
The Academy Village/Altura, Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is in southern Arizona and is the setting for The Academy Village/Altura, a 55+ community with Southwestern style single family homes and town homes amidst an abundance of open space. Amenities include The Arizona Senior Academy, a life long learning organization with a bounty of trips, classes, symposiums and lectures.
Highland Lakes, Palm Harbor, Florida
Palm Harbor sits on Florida's mid-Gulf Coast and is the location of Highland Lakes, a large, settled 55+ community with single family homes, town homes, lakes, a waterfront lodge, 27 holes of golf, three clubhouses, a good menu of activities and more.
Holiday Island, Holiday Island, Arkansas
On the shores of 53,000-acre Table Rock Lake in northwestern Arkansas, Holiday Island is a large resort community popular with baby boomers. Homes come in a wide range, and amenities include two golf courses, a marina, a recreation center, an amphitheater and more.
Carolina Preserve at Amberly, Cary, North Carolina
Cary is in central North Carolina and is the site of Carolina Preserve at Amberly, a welcoming 55+ community within an all ages development. Single family homes and town homes are for sale, and amenities include a clubhouse, a resort-style swimming pool, tennis courts, a putting green, a lake and an abundance of clubs, events and activities.
Heritage Pines, Hudson, Florida
Hudson is on Florida's Gulf Coast and is the location of Heritage Pines, a gated 55+ community with pastel-colored homes, a golf course, conservation areas, a bounty of clubs, an activities director and more.
Communities by State
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Age Restricted Communities 101
The kids have moved out. They have launched themselves into a career, parenthood, home ownership. You decide it's time to downsize. But how? Into where? You're still healthy, active. You're not ready for a continuing care community. The decision can be daunting.
A 55-plus or active-adult community is one option. The only legal exception to non-discriminatory fair housing laws, an age restricted community is run by a homeowners association that offers some exterior maintenance and amenities to its members. Amenities could include a private golf course, sizable clubhouse, 24/7 security, or transportation to and from local hospitals or shopping malls. Housing in such a community can range from modest condominiums to attached homes to luxury estates.
How will you decide? Are you ready for the time it might take? Demand for homes in active-adult communities is on the rise. You'll be competing against other baby boomers, maybe even some Gen-Xers. Start your research a few years before your retirement date. Find a real estate agent that specializes in master-planned communities or senior home purchases. The National Association of Realtors does offer training and certification for senior specialists.
Look at the location. Does it have the right weather? Is it close enough to family? Is downtown too far away or not far away enough? Will you have acclimate? What are local taxes like? Check out the neighbors. Are these the people you want to age with? Make sure you know what services might be available for you as you age. Is your 55-plus community near a hospital, a grocery store, a bank, a pharmacy? Can they get you to the hospital and grocery store once you decide you no longer want to drive? Maybe the community offers grocery delivery? Are there senior fitness classes, personal trainers?
Be sure you understand what amenities you are paying for. Some communities require that you buy an equity membership or hide the cost of that lap pool and golf course in high HOA fees. Inspect your prospective community's activity calendar. Does it have the right mix of leisure and lecture? Are there too many card tournaments and not enough day trips? Do you hate golf, need 39 shuffleboard courts? Is there an activities director?
Understand your prospective HOA. How long is the list of restrictions? Do the board politics give you pause? Will they force you through a long approval process? Will they ask you for bank records and references?
Investigate the community's financials. Are they solvent? How well did they weather the crisis when the housing bubble burst in 2008? And what about the builder? How long have they worked for seniors? Do they understand aging in place? Do they understand the need for zero step entries, wider hallways? Or have they just gotten into the game? Del Webb is credited with inventing the age-restricted community. Keep your eye on what they're building. Other companies to watch are Lennar, Shea, and Taylor Morrison.
Remember, you're not just buying a new house. You're buying a new way of life.
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