Category: Active adult communities
December 4, 2012 - You can't beat it when your biggest dream comes true. When we started Topretirements.com 6 years ago we imagined this site would be a place where members would share their knowledge and experiences about the places they know and visit. So when we read Carole's amazing post this morning in the Comments section of the "Tell Us Where You Are Going to Retire - And Why" Blog article, we knew our dream has been realized. Carole has shared a newsy, factual, and interesting report on her travels about the communities she and her husband are visiting in South Florida. She's not only provided many useful facts and figures, but she also tells us her impressions, which can be so valuable.
We've reprinted some of her posts in this article not only because they are so good, but because we want more people to see them. Although the post to which she responded now has a stunning 557 comments, the only people likely to see her comments are our Daily Digest subscribers, since the original post dates way back to February. In the interest of geographic
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Published on December 4, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
October 16, 2012 -- Few topics can generate strong opinions like Home Owner Associations (HOAs). There are people who have a visceral reaction to them, while others see them as a necessary and beneficial part of living together in a community. In today's update to our original 2009 article, Joe West, one of the most knowledgeable people in the country on HOAs and CEO of Community Associations Network, shares his expertise on the basics everyone should know before they commit to living in any
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Published on October 15, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
Note: This article provides our 2012 list. Here is where you can go to see the "2014 List of the 100 Best Active Adult Communities"
August 8, 2012 -- The results are in, and Topretirements members and visitors are most interested in exploring active adult communities in Florida, North Carolina, and Delaware. Those 3 states accounted for 60 of the 100 most popular communities. Left in the dust were the 3 next most favorite states - Arizona (8 communities), Texas (7), and Tennessee (5). As was the case with our 2011 List of the Best Active Adult Communities, Sun Belt states achieved near total domination over their colder brethren. (See also: 100 Most Popular Towns for Retirement - 2014).
Florida, the runaway favorite, topped the 2012 list with an amazing 35 communities (it had 40 in 2012). North Carolina improved its showing from 10 to 13 on the 2012 list. Delaware was close on NC's heels with 12 communities on the list - by far the best representation of any non-Sun Belt state.
We take several conclusions away from these results:
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Published on August 8, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
July 30, 2012 -- We are pleased to announce a helpful new feature at Topretirements - active and 55+ community listings will now have a photo in addition to the description, basic facts, type of community, website/phone number, and list of amenities. We added the photo to try to make these mini-reviews more helpful and interesting. Obviously not many communities have the photos yet, but we will add them over time and as new communities are added. If you have any photos to share, please forward them to us. You can see some of the communities with photos on our Florida Directory of Active Communities (look for the smaller photos below our Showcase and Top Listings).
Recently a member lamented that we do not have
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Published on July 30, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
By Stephen AndersonWhen we first bought our home in Mexico, nine years ago, it was a pretty good decision. Real estate prices were lower than in the US, the Lake Chapala area was known for some of the world’s finest weather, the cost of living was substantially lower, and it was safe.
Unfortunately, even before the recent outbreaks of kidnaps, murder, and extortion in this area by the drug cartels, my wife and I had decided to return to the US. Having to deal with all the corruption, the crooked government officials, the unethical business practices, and the courts that do nothing against crimes perpetrated against
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Published on June 9, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
Note: This is the second in a 3 part series. Here is the link to see Part 1, "Destination Williamsburg, Jay Michaels Retirement Tour Bus". Part 3: 5 Years Later on the Bus
Last year about this time, I reported on my travels to Williamsburg, Virginia and Chapel Hill, NC in search of a retirement destination. My wife Jane and I have continued our search over the course of the last ten months, visiting a number of active adult communities, and wanted to share some observations from our travels. We welcome input from people on our search.
First of all, let’s review again the things that are important to us in choosing a retirement destination. We presently own a seasonal home in north central Pennsylvania and our children reside in Cleveland and Washington, D.C. We want to live in one home and be able to visit our children without always being dependent on scheduling air reservations in advance. Close proximity to an airport and good health care are also very important. We are both recently
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Published on May 14, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
By Shannon Keating
April 9, 2012 -- Want to live somewhere cutting edge? The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) just released its 2012 awards for builders of 50+ communities, and the list is jam-packed with builders of some of the nation's most innovative active communities.
If you're unfamiliar with them, the NAHB is a trade association that helps promote the building industry and develop solutions to its issues.The various groups within it analyze policy issues, conduct consumer research, analyze economic and real estate trends, and in general work toward improving housing.
These awards are the NAHB's nods to the most exciting, talented and
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Published on April 9, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
April 3, 2012 -- So let's assume for a moment that you have come pretty far down the line toward buying your dream home for retirement. Whether it's in a 55+ community, an active adult community, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, or just a home in a regular neighborhood - what are the steps you need to take to protect yourself from a bad investment and unpleasant surprises? This article is Part I, which covers the major financial issues to look out for. Part II will address due diligence concerns relating to community and social issues. As always, before you make a major purchasee consult with your real estate professional, attorney, or financial advisor.
1. How solid is the financial situation of your developer or Home Owner's Association?
There are a host of questions under this topic, but the basic one is this - can the organization you are about to join weather a storm, either physically (think hurricane, fire, flood, tornado) or financially. It is worth
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Published on April 3, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
Updated December 20, 2017 -- Originally published March 20, 2012 -- This is a frequent question we get at Topretirements: "Where in North or South Carolina is there a retirement community that has similar amenities as The Villages in Florida? I am not looking for size, I'm looking for the same quality of life that I have enjoyed for the last 5 years here in the Villages". Here is our take on that question, concentrating on the Eastern U.S. (for the Western U.S. see "Does The Villages Have Any Alternatives").
Parking at The Villages
A Refresher, What is The Villages
For those not familiar with it, The Villages, located south of Ocala in Central Florida, is one of the largest active communities in the world with over 110,000 residents. The Villages has 3 town squares (Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing, and Brownwood) that provide shopping, restaurants, and
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Published on March 20, 2012
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Category: Active adult communities
March 6, 2012 -- Residents at Harbor’s Edge in Norfolk, Virginia are cheering today, celebrating the reversal of an unpopular policy prohibiting assisted living residents from eating in dining rooms reserved for independent living. The policy change was made in the face of negative publicity supporting long term residents who, after dining for years with friends and co-residents, found they could no longer eat in the same dining rooms. The threat that the policy might have violated the Fair Housing Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act could have also been a factor.
Judith Schapiro was one of the affected Harbor’s Edge residents who were briefly barred from the waterfront
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Published on March 6, 2012
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