Category: Retirement Real Estate
February 17 - Sales of existing homes in the 4th quarter of 2007 continued the slide seen earlier in the year. According to the National Association of Realtors sales fell in 45 states; down 21% on a national basis vs. the year ago quarter. The median price declined a record 5.8% in the quarter. Prices increased in about half of the markets surveyed.
Hardest hit were Las Vegas, Jackson (MS), Sacramento, and the Riverside and Orange County areas of southern California. Foreclosures are often cited as the major cause of the declines. But all the news wasn't bad, showing that real estate is nothing if not local. Bucking the trend
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Published on February 17, 2008
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Category: Active adult communities
One of the primary drivers of where people choose to retire is the ability to be near loved ones. Often the perfect choice is a home that is close, but not too close, to those loved ones.
Now the over 55 community industry is joining in on that trend. One of their answers is to be seen in Victoria Park in central Florida near DeLand. This huge development is truly multi-generational, with traditional single family homes. Victoria Gardens also includes a special section, Victoria Gardens, which is a gated and age-restriction community within the overall development.
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Published on February 13, 2008
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Category: International Retirement
February 6 – Here is a great opportunity to vacation in beautiful Costa Rica, famous for its natural surroundings Topretirements is pleased to announce a partnership with Boomers in Costa Rica, a firm owned by U.S. expatriates Andrew Mastrandonas and Preston Gitlin. They have been leading the most reliable real…
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Published on February 6, 2008
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
January 30, 2008 -- Florida -- In a crushing 64% to 36% vote Florida voters overwhelmingly brought in a new wave of property tax reform in their state, passing Amendment 1. The amendment would lower property taxes. It increases the homestead exemption by $15,000, saving voters an average of $240. It also provides "portability" of protected assessed values for Florida residents, meaning that if they sell their homes and move to a new one they can continue to have a 3% cap on the assessed value for their "protected" amounts.
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Published on January 30, 2008
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Category: Retirement Real Estate
The real estate market in South Florida, one of the hardest hit regions of the country, affects thousands and thousands or baby boomers who are considering retirement communities there. Your Topretirements editor has been in the Sunshine State for the past several weeks - this report summarizes his microcosmic view of the Florida real estate market.
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Published on January 22, 2008
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Category: Baby Boomer Retirement Issues
Note: This article has been updated with the top 2011 active communities trends.
With many baby boomers expecting their first social security checks in the mail soon, the next obvious question is.... where will all of these boomers live in retirement? Indeed, a favorite baby boomer cocktail party conversational gambit these days is "Where are you thinking about living in retirement?" With big events like this afoot, we thought we would try our hand at predicting 2008's top 10 trends for baby boomer retirement communities. One thing is certain - baby boomers are so diverse that just about every retirement will be different. Here goes:
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Published on January 7, 2008
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Category: Retirement Real Estate
January 2 - The new year might have just rung in, but the news for buyers of retirement real estate is the same - buyers are cautious as inventory piles up, sales slow down drastically, and prices come down only slightly. A dire New Year's Day front page headline in the Miami Herald screamed about "Home Sales and Prices" being in a "Nosedive". But aside from the softness in the market for retirement communities, another worry has emerged - unfullfilled promises and communities.
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Published on January 1, 2008
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Category: LGBT Retirement
December 17 -- Gays and Lesbians in America have overcome many barriers and achieved more tolerance in many areas of their lives. Society is generally more accepting, workplaces have changed to accommodate domestic partner rights, even the armed forces are less restrictive. But as baby boomer gays and lesbians (LGBTs) begin to retire in large numbers, they are finding that retirement communities are the next frontier.
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Published on December 17, 2007
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Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
December 16 -- It's a very exciting day for John Brady, owner of Topretirements.com: his Op-Ed feature on the need for Property Tax Reform, Time to Retire the Property Tax, was featured as an Op-Ed in the Connecticut section of today's Times.
The thesis in his Op-Ed is that archaic property tax laws are not only unfair, but that they also hurt education budgets.
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Published on December 17, 2007
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Category: General Retirement Issues
One of the benefits of retirement is it opens up new possibilities for gifts. Whether it is for yourself, a friend, or a loved one; here are some ideas for holiday gifts that are fun and appropriate for the retiree's new station in life. In fact, in case you get asked to make a retirement speech, your friend might like the present better than your speech.
Golf - Lots of people get more serious about golf in retirement. Check out these ideas:
- Medicus swing trainer. If you have a perfect swing this tool stays in one piece. If you are like me, it breaks in 2 pieces at the end of the backswing. Get it to stay in one piece and you have trained the perfect swing.
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Published on December 10, 2007
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