The best retirement communities in the world
The best retirement communities in the world are those that offer the best values in housing, as well as security, convenience, and all the other amenities. We will look at active adult communities in the USA and overseas, and identify the top retirement communities once our research is complete. For now, we offer these articles about finding the best retirement communities according to the authors. The content of these articles represents the view of the authors and not necessarily GreatRetirementPlaces.com. Enjoy!
Retirement Communities - Trends to Watch
By Carol Fena
Right now retirement communities are "hot."
When there is a lot of interest in a subject, trying to predict the trends becomes important also. No one knows exactly what will happen in the future, however. It is fun to make predictions. Predictions should be more than wild guesses or pure intuition. Real estate trends can be based on demographics and money flow or something as simple as watching the traffic flow on my website about retirement communities for over age 55.
My website has categories for the areas of the United States. How much traffic flows to those states tells me something. The traffic can, in turn, be affected by something like the weather or a news story, so it changes minutely and temporarily. But over time, certain trends are strong. For instance, the state that consistently gets the most traffic is Florida. This tells me that a lot of people are interested in retiring to Florida and that is a consistent trend that has not changed over many years. It appears right now that this will continue to be so, although it could change at any time.
Recently, I have noticed a large increase of traffic to Southern California. Does this mean some people are opting out of Florida and considering California. Possibly, but I need to watch this trend over time because it may just be a temporary thing. The Midwest has been coming on strong more recently. What does this mean. It may mean more people are reaching retirement age in the midwest or it may mean more retirement communities are being built there, increasing the interest. It needs further exploration.
One category that is very strong is manufactured homes. What state are people searching in for these communities. It is interesting to note that people are searching for this type of housing in Florida more than any other state. Remember, all of this is on my website and I do not know if it would be the same on others, although I think it would.
You would be surprised to know that while people search for housing considered affordable, it seems a contradiction that they search for the highest quality ones (I can tell this by what communities they look at). This tells me that most people who consider mobile homes, which are more affordable, generally, than site-built homes, still want the better quality ones, and are looking really for good value. Of course, there are other factors that I won't go into here, that bring me to some of these conclusions.
My luxury retirement community category is searched more than my affordable retirement communities category which I find interesting. What does that mean. Are people searching for something unique. Despite what you read about the popularity of university towns, not too many people go to the category about communities near universities. This is probably because it is a small niche.
So those are some trends that I see. I see the active adult communities being more popular now and in the next few years, with their attractive offerings that appeal to a baby-boomer such as fitness rooms, golf courses, pools, and clubhouses. I see assisted living or apartments becoming more popular in another ten years as the population ages, and I see Florida as the leading destination. These could change any time and new trends may evolve. Of course, there are many more general observations that I do not have room for here. I will continue to watch the trends, and you can, too, on my website.
Carol Fena, Realtor and Webmaster for http://www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com.
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Six Reasons Why People Retire to Retirement Communities
By Carol Fena
Retirement communities are not just for the retired. At age 55, you are eligible to move into age-restricted communities or a community with no age restriction that is also right for retirement. You may be anxious to move to a community for many reasons. Here are some reasons why people move.
1) Your neighbors -- real estate statistics show one of the main reasons people move is because of neighbor problems. If I was a sales agent at a retirement community, I would ask my prospective clients, "How is your current neighborhood." If the customer starts talking about their neighbors with the barking dog, the teenagers with loud music, the eyesore home next door etc, I would know this was a serious buyer for a retirement community. Retirement communities have rules and restrictions that protect you from these stressful situations and seniors are flocking to them.
Seniors particularly are vulnerable and aging makes it more difficult to cope. It is true that retirement communities are somewhat insulated from the stresses of the outside world, but in a beneficial way for seniors. It is not selfish to want to live somewhere that is dedicated to your peace of mind, well being and happiness, but the fact is that seniors require more quiet and relief from everyday stress. It is especially true for those with any kind of health problem.
2) Home Maintenance -- this is also a big one--bad neighbors can get you motivated but constant upkeep of your current home will just wear you out. You have looked forward to doing things in your retirement years that are different from taking care of your home. If you want to travel you have to worry about who will watch your home. Your home is probably aging as you are, and consumes finances you will need for your retirement. Sometimes your floor plan isn't right for your senior years.
3) Climate -- the third main reason for moving and maybe the number one reason for those that move to another state is wanting a milder climate. As we age, we notice the cold more so we stay inside instead of going outside for needed exercise and the vitamin D from sunshine. Many seniors are snowbirds and can enjoy 2 climates by traveling back and forth. You can find the solution to this problem by being more mobile and sometimes creative. Creative solutions may involve timeshares, resorts, retirement rv parks, and even boats and cabins.
4) Health -- as we age, we may begin to have the first signs of disease, disabilities and illness. We believe that moving to another place may be good for us. This can be a place where the air and water are cleaner, a place where there isn't as much traffic, a place with more sunshine, a place with conveniences nearby, or a place closer to medical facilities we want. Health is the number one concern of aging seniors and often it requires moving.
5) Family -- there are many seniors starting to move to where their children live and this increases as they age. Problems can arise here: the area may be one they cannot afford. If so, the children must help out, if possible. The senior may wish to stay independent while the children wish the senior to live with them. These can be complicated situations and must be worked out in the families.
Often the simple answer is to help the aging parent to get settled into a retirement condominium community where there is help available 24 hours and maybe some assisted living services, if necessary, while still staying active as much as possible.
6) Social Life -- The freedom that seniors feel from not having job pressures gives them more time for social activities. Perhaps when they were in their career years they never had this time. Retirement communities are full of activities and opportunities to meet new people. You can be as socially involved as you wish.
These situations and more have made retirement communities extremely popular, and today, they are abundant, and in every state. They are helping many seniors to live the full and active life they always dreamed of in retirement.
Carol Fena, Realtor and Webmaster for http://www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com.
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