Category: Active adult communities
January 10, 2025 -- In a sign of what is to come from Florida's strict new condo laws, an entire condo building in Fort Lauderdale is for sale. The condo owners can’t afford the millions it will cost to repair it.
Damage from saltwater to the building's foundation is only part of the problem faced by the condo owners. Residents at Springbrook Gardens in Fort Lauderdale were forced to evacuate last September after an engineer warned of an unsafe foundation. The roof also needs expensive work, and there have already been many special assessments. According to one owner, the condo is spending $1 million in engineer studies and to get the building up to code. Foundation restoration work is estimated to cost over $4 million. There are only 18 units in the 70 year old building, so even though there might be some loan assistance, the cost per unit would work out to be about $222,000, a pretty large number.
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Published on January 8, 2025
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Category: Active adult communities
January 8, 2025 - The votes are in for Topretirements' 25 most popular active communities for 2025. Not surprisingly, Florida and North Carolina had the most winners at 5 each. South Carolina and Virginia were hot too, garnering 3 spots each. Connecticut had 2 winners. Pine Village in Flagstaff, AZ was the only community in the west to make the top 25.
All of the 25 were active adult communities, and most were designated 55+ (although the owners in all are predominately over 55) . Two were mostly specialized: Indian River Colony Club (retired military) and Carefree Cove (LGBT). In what appears to be a trend, very few of the communities offered golf as an amenity.
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Published on January 7, 2025
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Category: Active adult communities
October 23, 2024 - Residents of Florida are concerned, rightly, about the hazards of extreme weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. So it was interesting to see how two communities, designed to take whatever Mother Nature can dish out, and located in the center of the storm area, would fare after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Babcock Ranch near Fort Myers, and Hunters Point on Anna Maria Island weathered both storms with almost no damage, flooding, or electrical outages.
Babcock Ranch residents sat out the 'canes in safety in a designated building for refuge, and were even joined by residents of nearby towns. There was tree damage but no loss of power in either community. Communities like these are proof that with proper planning and strong building codes, people can be safe and property protected, even in the face of the ever increasing risk of climate disasters.The New York Times recently reported on the Babcock Ranch success in its "A Climate Resistant Community Passed Its First Tests" article .
The Hunters Point Blog proudly touted how well that community did in the face of the two giant storms. The difference in outcomes for these communities vs. others in other nearby areas is telling. While lives were lost, power went down for days on end, public infrastructure destroyed, homes demolished and knocked off their foundations, there was no flooding, power losses, or injuries at Babcock Ranch and Hunters Point.
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Published on October 22, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
August 1, 2024 -- Pocket Neighborhoods were a surprising favorite in our recent poll of your preferred type of community for retirement. (Use this link to see all results from the poll). Last week we did a feature on another winner, New Urban Communities, so here is the lowdown what you need to know about pocket neighborhoods along with some outstanding examples.
What is a Pocket Neighborhood?The most common characteristic of a pocket neighborhood is a group of small homes or cottages sharing a common, open space. That area might be for gardens, pedestrian walkways, shared yards, or gathering places, and recreation. The idea is to promote a close knit sense of community and neighborliness with an increased level of contact. These usable public spaces belong to everyone who lives in that neighborhood.
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Published on July 31, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
New Urban Neighborhoods Have "Lots" to Offer
July 24, 2024 -- New Urban Urban Community was the surprising winner of our recent poll of favorite retirement community types. Of the 5 possible choices in that poll, New Urban got 28% of the votes, narrowly beating out "I wouldn't live in any of these" and "All Ages Active Adult". That development prompted Patricia to ask if we were going to have an article about New Urban Communities, which was a great suggestion! Here is a link to all the results from "Your Favorite Types of Communities".
New Urban communities (often called traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) are an often overlooked choice for retirement. These communities deliver on many of the requirements desired by many baby boomers. Those include walkability, a neighborhood feel, bike or pedestrian access to a town/city center via paths or sidewalks, and an attractive environment with recreational possibilities.
Retro VillageNew Urbanism is, in our opinion, an oxymoron. “Retro Village" or "Retro Urbanism” might be better terms. That is because the movement seems more like a return to what towns were like before cars changed everything – there is really nothing “new” about it! There are plenty of examples of very old towns that are a perfect example of great urban planning – Savannah, GA; Washington, D.C.; Venice, FL; not to mention almost every walled city in Europe. In all of these cases residences are clustered around parks, shops, and restaurants – making everyday life possible without the hassle of cars and traffic.
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Published on July 23, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
July 18, 2024 -- The results are in from our recent poll of your favorite community types, which we labelled "The Search". In 2 polls featuring 10 different types, we asked our Members and visitors to vote on which type of community they would most like to retire in. The results came in much as expected, but there were also some very big surprises. In Part 1 the favorite was far and away 55+ active adult communities - it got 34% of the votes. In Part 2 the surprising winner was New Urban Communities, which garnered 28%. Golf and RV Resort communities were way down at the bottom, attracting very little interest. Over 400 people voted (thank you!) Detailed results below.
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Published on July 17, 2024
Comments 6
Category: Active adult communities
July 14, 2024 -- We had to read this one a couple of times to believe it- yes, Taco Bell is starting a retirement community. It is called The Cantinas and is located near San Diego, California. Their marketing slogan is "Come Live Más at the ultimate playground for your inner eclectic grandparent". So... Taco Bell joins Margaritaville as a hospitality company offering a new kind of branding for retirement.
In a world where unconventional branding is becoming the norm, Taco Bell’s venture into retirement communities reflects a broader trend of companies diversifying their offerings. This shift is not just about food; it's about creating lifestyle experiences that resonate with different demographics. For businesses looking to establish their unique identities in such evolving markets, effective marketing strategies are essential. One key aspect of this is link building, a service that SERPninja specializes in. By enhancing online visibility and establishing credibility, linkbuilding helps companies like Taco Bell craft compelling narratives that captivate their target audience.
The idea for The Cantinas is pretty revolutionary. Not really a real estate development, it is a place to come and stay for a night or weekend, eat an early dinner at Taco Bell (with the promise of an enhanced dining experience), and have all kinds of recreation fun. In another piece of copy they promise low impact sports, old school arts and crafts, and next-level leisure: two days full of retiree-inspired recreation that’ll knock you off your rocker. Rewards members get first dibs on overnight stays ($50) and weekend passes ($150).
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Published on July 14, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
July 11, 2024 -- Continuing on from Part 1 of last month's "The Search" feature, here are 5 more retirement community types for you to vote on at the bottom of this page. With 10 community types to consider, we broke this series into two sections to make it more manageable. Part 1 results are shown at end of this article.
Voting Instructions
You and/or your partner are the buyer in this exercise. Read these descriptions and then vote (below) on which community type you would choose. If you already own your retirement home, pretend that you just retired and have a clean slate – which of these 5 community types (or none of the above) would you take. The choices are presented at the bottom of the article as an instant poll – vote and then you will instantly see how others have voted. These 5 options are part 2 of the exercise. Next week we will give detailed results.
Please take a moment to vote, because the more input we get the more valuable the poll will be. Vote on the TYPE of community, the ones listed below each type are shown to give you an idea of the type.
1. Very Large 55+ Active Adult
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Published on July 9, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
March 19, 2024 - Our faithful correspondent Yolande recently continued the pursuit of her perfect place to retire in South Carolina’s Low Country. She started her explorations in Charleston, then worked her way north, ending up in the Myrtle Beach/Conway area near the North Carolina Border. She visited some of the newest active communities from Lennar. Her always interesting and frank reactions are shown below. Note: We just love these site visit reports from our Members - feel free to share yours!
Yolande's Report
Charleston, Summerville, Myrtle Beach, SC
I flew into Charleston International airport; loved the awesome customer service and the airport. Easy to get through and around. I rented a car for the time I was there.
My hotel was in Mt. Pleasant which is a half hour from the airport. I was told it was the "Beverly Hills" of the South with homes starting at $1MM. I've been to Beverly Hills a lot, but I saw no resemblance. I enjoyed staying in the area since it was close to the ocean. The weather was nice for the season, low 70s. It did get windy and cold the day before I left.
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Published on March 18, 2024
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Category: Active adult communities
January 27, 2024 — Thanks to a Member suggestion, we have now added the capability for you to add Comments to our reviews of Communities (you could always do that with City reviews). This is designed so you can tell us about your experience with that community, or ask if…
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Published on January 27, 2024
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