Anyone ever consider one of these? I never thought I would, but I am hoping to move near the coast in the next couple of years - either to the Carolinas or Florida. Original thought was to buy a house in a regular neighborhood but I have some concerns about getting to know people in a new town at our age (I’m 62 & husband is 73). Some of the 55+ communities seem to have very active clubs of various interests from sports (we are not golfers or tennis players so the golf communities probably would not work) to crafts, art, sewing, cards etc. I wonder whether moving into a neighborhood where everyone is a transplant makes it easier.
Also, as we are getting older, the idea of the maintenance free grounds appeals to me a lot though my husband does like to putter in the garden - he is not in very good health so it is a struggle for him but he would miss it. I have had pretty bad arthritis since my 30s and enjoy having greenery but not gardening (I think I could live in a nice apartment with a balcony and potted plants quite happily). I also wonder how restrictive the rules for the yards are when they are being maintained by the hoa. For instance, if we were to move to FLA, I would love to have hibiscus and bougainvillea and would be upset to be told I can’t.
The thought of moving has been there for a while, but the 55+ idea is something I have just started looking in to. I do have a friend who moved into one a few years ago and they seem very happy. She is very into tennis and seems to have made friends very easily through that (I would love to be able to play tennis but have no eye hand coordination and never could hit a ball even before I wore trifocals so don’t think it’s going to happen now). I haven’t seen her in years but we are Facebook friends so I am going to ask her for some input though I think her experience will be somewhat different as they are both into playing sports.
I suspect their will be a lot of pros and cons to weigh but am interested to hear people’s thoughts.
I will just share that my neighbor’s parents lived in one, and had a difficult time selling it because everyone was selling at the same time. Just something not consider.
My parents live in one, in Sun City Center, FL. They were originally from the west coast, but my dad spent most of his career on the east coast or overseas. They rented at first before they bought to make sure they liked it. They love living there. My H just turned 55 so I guess we qualify now! (one occupant of each dwelling unit must be 55 or older).
swimcatsmom - we have the exact same plan - about 5-6 years from now. DH is very interested in communities in the Hilton Head/Bluffton SC area - I also want to look in FL. I like the idea of a single family one story home in a community with all the amenities - clubhouse, pool, etc. The 55+ appeals to us in terms of common interests - making new friends, etc. I want a community that is very walkable and more affordable than where we are now.
The only con I am aware of so far is that you do really have to check out the HOA rules and restrictions. Some of the communities I have viewed online do not permit fenced backyards - which I would want if we get another dog.
We are hoping to make our first scouting trip to Hilton Head in the fall.
It would be great socially, as pointed out, but I would actively seek ways to still interact with all age groups. I think I’d lose a lot of perspective and just plain fun not knowing other generations.
My mother lived in one and liked it. It was easy to make friends there.
One possible issue, though, is that in some communities,you can’t have your grown child who is under 55 live with you for more than a very brief period of time. Sometimes it makes sense for a young adult to live with a parent for a while – say, if the young person needs to save money for grad school tuition or if someone is ill. But that option isn’t available to residents of some 55+ communities.
And yes - there are restrictions on having a younger family member as a guest - I think there is a 30 day limit in some communities - in order to maintain the 55+ distinction.
Rockville - those are my thoughts exactly. The Carolinas are in the mix for us party because my son lives in the Charleston area. It would be nice to be close enough for weekend visits. Fla would be just a few hours drive though.
You’ll have to post what you think after your visit.
Marian - my son owns his house and my daughter and husband Are about to buy. I don’t think my chicks will be returning to the nest, just visiting (I hope)
Vabluebird - that is something I have thought about. I think having the infrstructure in place to meet new people in a completely new area might outweigh that for me though.
Thank you for the link Rockville mom. I thought Hilton head might be out of my price range, but Some look quite reasonable (I want a small house that is easy to take card of)
Exactly. The Del Webb Hilton Head community is really in Bluffton SC and while you can always spend more - there are plenty of homes under $450,000 - which is a nice reduction from our current location.
I am concerned re the size of the community - some are thousands of people and I think that might be overwhelming and overly complicated - but I am reserving judgement until we visit.
Del Webb has communities of various sizes all over the country. We are not limiting ourselves exclusively to Del Webb - but they seem to know what they are doing in the arena of 55+ communities.
Rockvillemom, although we’re not in a Del Webb community, we do have a home in a gated community in the HH/Bluffton area. Would be happy to answer questions on the area if I can.
The HH MLS site is a good one, and user-friendly. You can check out what’s available in the area in each community by plugging in your desires.
My grandmother used to live in a 55+ community for the winters. She really liked it. although she went back up to Michigan in the summers. Too hot for her in Florida in the summer. We live in Georgia and the summers can be hot. When we are older I will want some place cooler in summer. Just something to think about…
A friend recently bought a unit in a 55+ community. She is a widow and was pleasantly surprised by all the social activities that were going on in that community. She will likely sell her place in CA and permanently move to TX, where the community she bought is located. She hadn’t intended to relocate but somehow things turned out that way. I haven’t touched base with her since she talked about relocating and selling her CA place, so don’t have any update on how she likes the move.
We are not there full-time. We bought the home five years ago and are back and forth year round, even more now that my H has fully retired. It is a lovely area and we love being there whenever we can. We are not in a 55+ community, and I would recommend that you look at more than just Sun City. There are dozens of gated communities in the area and once you have your list of priorities, have a look at several. We did a lot of research online before looking in person. Depending on what you want, Sun City is quite far out from the Island, and even from old town Bluffton which is terrific. I actually thought that Sun City was in Okatie, but I may be wrong about that.
Feel free to click on my username and email me or send me a PM if you have specific questions.