Sussex County Delaware 55 + Active Adult Communities

When preparing oneself to move from a house where they spent much of their adult life to a new area, one must consider how to answer many questions. Among these questions are: What will I do with my free time? Besides my significant other, with whom will I socialize? Will I easily be able to stay active and healthy? These questions often lead to adults to consider age-restricted communities.

When making the choice between age-restricted communities and other communities, one must weight the potential pros and cons of each. Studying the advantages of each will help make your decision easier.

Typical Attributes of Age-Restricted Communities

* Planned Activities Galore. Most age-restricted communities appeal to newly retired persons by offering them a host of planned activities. Pros: This quells the fears that new residents will be bored in their new surroundings. It also makes it easier to meet people with similar interests. Cons: When there are a lot of activities planned, it usually means a lot of money goes into planning and executing these activities. Tip: Make sure your community offers the activities you want and not too many more. Also be sure to see whether the planned activities are included in your dues or if everything is a la carte.

* Amenities and more amenities. Much like planned activities, age-restricted communities usually offer more amenities than the average community. Indoor pools, dining halls, areas for large receptions, and even on-site restaurants are commonplace at age-restricted communities. Golf is sometimes part of the package. Pros: A lot of amenities mean a lot of choice on how to exercise and relax. Cons: Like planned activities, someone has to pay for all of the amenities in your community. For example, if there are not enough people to support a restaurant, it either closes or the homeowners subsidize it. Fees may spiral upwards if the community votes to raise fees to pay for all of the amenities. One tactic developers often employ is inviting surrounding communities to use their amenities. This saves the homeowners money on keeping the services running, but invites unknown users into your community. Tip: Ask your salesperson what the rules are about sharing the amenities with non-residents. Ask to see the budget and question whether there is enough money allocated to each item.
* Low maintenance yards and common grounds. Because many retired adults travel often and others are unable to easily do yard work, many age-restricted communities take care of lawns, plantings, and often beautifully landscape the common areas in a community. Pros: Less yard work means more time to do other, less tedious tasks. Less storage is needed if a mower, rake, and other gardening tools are not necessary to own. The community will always look good if it is maintained. Cons: Again, the theme is money. If you have a huge lot and there is much open space in your community, odds are that it will be expensive to maintain. Sometimes a company will agree to do the maintenance for a low starting price and then increase over time. Often when maintenance is included, there are restrictions about altering your yard, so gardeners beware. These retirctions sometimes lead to a sterile-looking community. Tip: Ask what is allowed in the community in terms of landscaping and other yard use.
* Similar age means likely similar life experiences. A lot of the times when one meets new friends, what is had in common allows guards to be put down. Much like when single, having common acquaintances sets people at ease, when meeting new people at new places, having common experiences allows for the introduction to become a friendship. Pros: Like explained above, new residents in age-restricted communities have many people of similar age and life background living among them. Chances are, people will have similar hobbies, interests, and this may allow for social opportunities. Cons: Variety is the spice of life, it has been said. If one’s life has been influenced by the young and old to this point, why should that not continue? Perhaps there is technology or music that would appeal to you, but many of your peers are not in that “scene.” Perhaps your neighbor would be outside of an age-restricted community. Tip: This is truly a personal decision, as only an individual or couple can decide what is right for them. Do you have other opportunities to meet people your own age? If so, perhaps some variety would be welcome.
* Lots of time often means lots of politics. When one is given time to discuss the issues of the day and then linger on them, they come to the forefront of everyday life. Pros: In respect to the community, it is often nice to have diligent members of the community following up with the property manager. Cons: There is a fine line between diligence and obsession. When utopia is not happening in a community, it may be due to several factors, one of which can be the budget. If a small group leads the charge to ramp up amenities, landscaping, and staffing, it can adversely affect those who are fine paying what they pay and receiving the services they are currently receiving. Tip: Unfortunately, any time there is an association and rules, there are those who will interpret them differently. This will happen anywhere with rules, not just at Age-Restricted communities. Call the property manager and ask if there are any pending issues. Ask your REALTOR to do some investigating. Maybe they have sold a house to someone who keeps them informed with the politics of the community.
* Many people together of similar age can lead to social circles/ cliques. This can range from people simply enjoying their group and not feeling the need to expand it to gossip and cliques that develop, much like high school. Pros: In regards to social groups that form, this, too can be healthy, as people of similar schedules and interests will spend more time with one another. Cons: In an environment where people will constantly run into one another, a home-buying experience can be ruined by one spouse’s or the other’s social experiences. One does not want to feel uncomfortable using the amenities or participating in activities when they are paying so dearly for them. Tip: Ask a resident if this exists. Take their responses with a grain of salt because you do not know the personality of your interviewee. However, you will learn if they are an issue at all.
* Children are limited in visitation time and often made to feel uncomfortable. If one has grandchildren or other youths that may visit, they may be restricted on their use of the community and even the length of time they may visit. Pros: One can likely count on having a more relaxing experience when there are not children in their vicinity. Typically, children are more likely to goof off and cause damage to the community, which is minimized by these rules. Cons: If one is a recent empty-nester, one never knows what their children’s needs are until that child is firmly on his or her own. A struggling economy might mean a homebound twenty-something. Divorce, babies, and health issues (yours and theirs) may make it necessary for one to stay with their parents for some period of time. Even if visting for short periods, make sure that they are welcomed in the community. If you want your children around, you have to live somewhere they feel comfortable visiting. Tip: Ask the salesperson for the rules regarding children. Tour the amenities and ask a resident how children are received.