Tuesday, September 6, 2011

How to Find a Retirement Community



One of the most difficult decisions Baby Boomers have to make as part of their retirement planning is where to live after retirement.  It is something that my husband and I grappled with for months, and this appears to be true for many other retirees.

Here is a photo of the patio of the attached condo where we are living now. We also have a lovely view of a valley, leading to Saddleback Mountain in Southern California.  We enjoy our peaceful view immensely.

We currently live in a community called Laguna Woods Village in Orange County, California. It is a charming community with a large number of activity choices ... including golf, tennis, swimming pools, horseback riding, live theater, clubs and much more.  The downside is that all the housing was built in the 1960's and 1970's, so many of the condos are dated, unless they have been updated by previous owners.  The upside is that it is one of the most affordable places to live in a very expensive part of the United States, just five miles from the oceanside in famous Laguna Beach.

Properties in this community are available both to rent and purchase. Rents vary from about $1600 to $2800 a month. Purchase prices range from about $170,000 to over $1.25 million.  There is something for nearly everyone.

One of the reasons we chose this community is that it is near one of our daughters and two of our grandchildren.  We also have a number of friends who live nearby.  In addition, my husband still works and it is convenient to his job.
These are some of the things you will need to consider when you begin to start your search for a retirement community, too.

Factors in Choosing a Retirement Community

Proximity to family, especially grown children and grandchildren
Proximity to friends
Opportunity to pursue activities that interest you
Opportunity to continue to work or volunteer, if that interests you
Amenities, such as golf or tennis, which interest you
Proximity to high quality medical care
Proximity to other interests such as sports venues, live theater, etc.

Quality retirement communities are located in virtually every part of the United States, so there is almost certain to be one located within a reasonable drive of the people and places which are important to you.  In addition, this blog contains dozens of articles about retirement communities in a number of different areas in the United States, as well as several other countries.

If you are interested in learning more about where to retire, financial planning, medical concerns, family issues, Social Security, Medicare and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo credit:  Photo taken by author, Deborah-Diane

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great place to live Deborah-Diane. I'm trying to quit working too. It's not as easy as it should be but not impossible either. Keep at it.
    Dreamaker

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  2. My husband and I want to both retire in the near future. It's time. We are actually looking at a very nice CCRC in our area and like it a lot, some of our friends already live there and enjoy it very much.

    Great post!
    Happy Holidays!
    -Sandy

    ReplyDelete

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