<p>My DH and I are beginning to think about downsizing. We have started to look to see what’s out there…What are your thoughts on over 55 developments? The idea of a clubhouse reminds me of where my parents lived in Florida…and growing old (yikes!). </p>
<p>What are your thoughts about this type of living? What are you planning to do?</p>
<p>Our house is already downsized. I think we will stay put, but I have read about mixed age communal housing that I would be interested in if I was by myself.
H isn’t interested at the moment. His parents are both still in his childhood home, so he expects to be able to do that as well.( plus, he can’t weed out his tools, or toolboxes- he has so much stuff!)</p>
<p>Not interested. Around here, the over 55 developments got over developed. About 3 years ago, folks were wanting to sell those properties, and could not. A number amended their covenants to include families of all ages.</p>
<p>I want a smaller house, and probably in a planned community. But I would like families of all ages.</p>
<p>plan on staying put. we built our home 15 years ago with that intention. somehow an over 55 seems- IDK old?</p>
<p>I would love the social aspects as well as the smaller house. But I can’t see H ever agreeing to it.</p>
<p>My wife and I will consider it. There are 2 developments that we like about 5 miles from our D. Our taxes will be cut in half and the house upkeep will be significantly reduced. I could purchase in a nice community for about $100,000 less than I could sell my house for.</p>
<p>Might look in a year or two.</p>
<p>I would consider it, but DH won’t. He won’t even consider a condo; he thinks it’s too ordinary. </p>
<p>I would love to live in a situation like a college dorm for old people. Wouldn’t it be great to have all sorts of people around your age surrounding you? – some you like, some you don’t, but all are interesting. Just like freshman year. </p>
<p>We want to re-locate in next couple of years, leaving our great school system but need to drive suburb for a situation where there are more options for walking to destinations and more to do. We will likely have less square footage, consider accessibility and convenience as you age issues, yet don’t want an over 55 community until we “have to” do so. Being closer to the action in a smaller, but highly desirable (to us) location, will be pricier than what our more than doubled in value over 20 years house will yield. We aren’t far enough along in the process to know exactly how we will do the cost benefit analysis precisely yet. </p>
<p>Travelnut, I too, have your vision.
I will close on Friday on a condo in a more walkable neighborhood and close to public transportation options.
One level living, smaller square footage, higher price than my house will get, but the improvement to my quality of life (slightly shorter commute, no outside maintenance, ability to ‘lock and leave’) is the trade off.</p>
<p>I think it depends on your personal taste and interests. I would like to move to a smaller town, but don’t want to downsize much - I like my space! And I can’t imagine at this point - age 55 - that I would ever want a community of people my age or older. I like to mix it up. I would describe what we will look for is much like what travelnut describes. Walking to destinations and more to do.</p>
<p>NYC - public transportation every where, cabs and car services if you want to pay up. You could get everything delivered to your apartment (I had a fresh xmas tree delivered to my apartment, all set up on a stand). Museums, stores, doctors, restaurants close by. A lot of diversity - age, sex, racial, economic. </p>
<p>I don’t want to live in a place where I don’t interact with different age groups. That’s just me.</p>
<p>NO! to over 55 places. Perhaps good if all you want to do is golf, play cards and other nonintellectual things. Now- if they had a retired grad level degree required development I may find my intellectual elitism (vastly different than financial rich living- spending money on things is different) satisfied. Although, we could let in those with “only” a bachelors degree- like a HS classmate in many of the top classes who told me decades later he only had that (I wasn’t the least concerned).</p>
<p>We downsized to a single story house in a nice part of Tampa, FL. We like having old and new neighbors (90 plus to days old on our cul de sac). Like suburban part of town but know those in the more urban part. Great county library system, a must for us. Enough ethnic, religious and political diversity here, unlike some places in FL. Close to a U to be able to audit classes for free when over 60. Plus a series of courses for seniors on a regular basis. Able to be with likeminded people. We are both over 60 now. Plenty of people our age and older here but also schools and working people and not a retirement mindset. When we become elderly and not just old we will again downsize to condo or apt living. We are city people. It is hard to move to a small town where the locals all know each other et al. Or share ethnic backgrounds you don’t.</p>
<p>We live in a very large (thousands) development with various rules . Small yearly HOA fee for our part of it. Well run so things get done. I sometimes see questions about condo association problems- so much to consider before being a part of them. Had a vacation condo years ago. Some of the obviously rich owners (of the more expensive ones than we chose) were definitely material wealthy but not into books et al like we were. That’s when I learned money doesn’t always correlate with intellectual leanings (talking to some well read blue collar HS only grads reinforced that).</p>
<p>I have gone past trailer parks and there are snowbirds here, plus Sun City in county and The Villages (highly Republican- not for us) further away. Because this area draws so many old people there seem to be plenty for the retired age group without being immersed in it. Also plenty from up north- Midwest and east so no sense of being an outsider. I can stay indoors summers instead of winters.</p>
<p>That dorm idea- in college you self selected for a common interest- the school. You can’t go back. Went to the parent part of son’s college summer orientation. Stayed in a dorm room on the same campus I was at eons ago. No way do I want that again. Sure, it was nice to go through the breakfast line without cooking or cleaning, and with all foods included. But- to not have one’s own private space/kitchen/bathroom isn’t for me anymore. Remembering back to college- think of all the grumpy old people with life experiences instead of freshman naivety. </p>
<p>I dread living in a nursing home someday filled with average people- but then, if/when I need one I likely won’t be able to notice or care.</p>
<p>Being chatty tonight.</p>
<p>M and F sold their house in a NYC borough and moved to a gated retirement community in NJ. Dad died 6 months after. Thank goodness they had moved. My Mom could, and did, meet people in similar situations and had similar interests. She met friends to travel and cruise with, a bridge group, a singles group that went out out every weekend for dinner and had themed parties. She was so busy, including volunteer work in various organizations and her church, that I could never reach her. </p>
<p>My father died when my Mom was only a few years older than me. I would definitely consider a retirement community.</p>
<p>Oldfort, I would love to retire to NYC. H and I have strongly considered taking over the apartment D1 lives in because she is thinking of buying a place in Manhattan next summer. We love her UES location across from Central Park and near The Met. It is ideal. We have to decide whether to spend the monthly cost now until we retire.</p>
<p>If you purchase in an over 55 community they do not lock you in there. You still interact with people of all ages by doing things in the town.</p>
<p>I’m in my 50s and H is in his 70s–we are a few years apart. Currenty and for the near future haec no interest in living in a 55+ community. we like where we currently live and our neighbors. My folks (currently 85 and 90) are on waiting list of the retirement community many of their country club buddies all live in. We all feel it’s a great idea!</p>
<p>H and I would like to move to a college town. Something like a Madison or Evanston, but warmer. I do NOT want to move to Florida and go to a retirement community no matter how nice. (3 of our 4 parents live there as snowbirds) </p>
<p>My father died leaving my mom a widow at 61. She stayed in her suburban house for a while until she retired and she went to Florida to a community. For her, as a widow, it was good since there were other women for her to befriend and she had an active lifestyle there for about 20 years. My in laws never gave up their house and kept it until they died in their 80s. I would prefer to keep my house if I could, but if not I would want to be in a more urban area where there was good transportation so I would not have to drive. Transportation is hard in suburbia if you become elderly. The elderly IMHO are usually poor drivers and often are dangerous to themselves and others on the road. A guy drove into our office building a couple of years back (fortunately only the car was hurt) - he only lived a few months longer after that. He was fairly ill I guess. </p>
<p>I love NYC, and perhaps a lot of walking would be better for health reasons, but going up and down the subway stairs is not so good for the aged, I think. I was in NY last weekend and it was fun with all the people and holiday decorations, although I have to say I got kind of claustrophobic among the crowds at Rockefeller center looking at the tree. I had to walk through there at a peak hour. There are a few other urban areas that I like as well.</p>
<p>I like warm weather and the beach, but I don’t really like the “DelBocaVista” lifestyle (remember on Seinfeld?). After a few days of swimming or golf, I am not sure what I would do with myself. I have an uncle who played golf every day for years and years. I guess he loved it. I would like to be able to go to museums, plays, concerts, lectures etc.</p>
<p>I know some people whose parents moved to the 55+ community to be closer to their children. I think that idea sounds ok. </p>
<p>
Me neither. I’m pretty averse to most planned developments anyway. I don’t like the sameness of the architecture. That said, I think co-housing communities like this are intriguing: <a href=“http://peterboroughcohousing.org/”>http://peterboroughcohousing.org/</a></p>
<p>I’ve got 55+ gated communities near me here in Florida. I don’t want to ever live in one of those communities. Too structured and not for me. I know everyone living in the retirement communities isn’t selfish, but it seems the walled community isn’t much different than when someone turns their back toward me as if they want nothing to do with me and others in the general community outside the wall.</p>