Minto Homes - Florida Retirement Communities

Until recently, I had never heard of Minto Homes.  Much to my surprise, however, I learned that Minto is a Canadian company that has been building quality projects for over 60 years.  Over the past few years, they have expanded into the Florida housing market, offering choices in a wide range of prices from about $200,000 to $1,000,000 in master planned communities.

If you are considering a relocation to Florida, there is a good chance that you may see some Minto houses in several of the more popular neighborhoods ... both those that are age restricted for senior citizens as well as those that are open to everyone.  Therefore, I thought it would be helpful to my readers to learn more about this well-respected home builder.

You can also find links to other articles about a variety of retirement communities in the United States and overseas by using the tabs at the top of this blog.

Shown below are the current developments in which Minto is involved.

Mento Homes in Florida

Harbour Isle on Anna Maria Sound

This is your opportunity to live along the beach on a private island in Anna Maria Sound (pictured above).  New homes range from about $380,000 to $500,000.  Although this is not a golf community, there are a number of golf courses nearby.  Within the community you will find a private clubhouse, pool, cabanas, and a marina.  The homes are energy efficient and your homeowner's dues include maintenance, for a carefree lifestyle.

Sun City Center in the Tampa / Sarasota area

This over-55 community contains paired villas as well as single family homes.  Prices for Minto homes in the community range from about $170,000 to $500,000.  There are other builders who also build residences in Sun City Center.  The community has its own hospital and several nursing homes.  There are about 20 golf courses, two indoor pools, an outdoor pool and many other amenities.  Minto offers a stay and play program that may interest you, too.  For just $99, you can stay in a Minto home in Sun City Center for two nights, while enjoying some of the amenities on the property.  This is a great way to decide if this neighborhood is right for you.

Twin Eagles near Naples

Minto has recently completed  two new model homes in this luxury development that contains two highly rated golf courses and a lavish clubhouse.  Single family home prices start at about $500,000 and go up to over $1,000,000.   If you purchase a home from Minto in this community, it currently comes with a free golf membership, although the members are responsible for paying annual golf dues.

Town Park in Port St. Lucie

This is another adult community for those who prefer to live in an age restricted neighborhood.  Home prices are very affordable, ranging from the $200,000's to the $300,000's.  The community offers a wide variety of amenities and is near a number of restaurants and retailers.

Better Business Bureau Report on Minto Homes

In doing research online, I did not find any complaints or angry articles written about Minto Homes.  I thought it was also worthwhile, however, to check out their Better Business Bureau report, just to be on the safe side.

The Better Business Bureau gives Minto Homes an A-.   The BBB has received four complaints about the company during the past three years.  Only one of the complaints occurred in the past 12 months.  Of the complaints that were file, one complaint was over advertising or sales; the other three complaints dealt with problems with the product or service that was offered.  All of the complaint files have been handled and closed by the BBB.

The BBB report goes on to say they they know of no government actions against the company and they have nothing negative to report regarding the company's adertising

Contact Information:

In addition to finding more information on the websites listed in the source section below, you can also call Minto directly at:

1-800-562-9606

Sources for the Information in this Article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City_Center,_Florida
http://www.minto.com/florida/new-homes/projects.html
http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/business-reviews/home-builders/minto-communities-in-pompano-beach-fl-27003727

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

Photo of Anna Maria Sound is courtesy of wikipedia.org/commons

Myths About Over 55 Retirement Communities

Having living in an age restricted over-55 retirement community for more than nine years, I have noticed that there are a lot of myths about these communities.  As a result, I thought this would be a good time to clarify a few things and dispel some of these myths.

What You Should Know about Active Adult Communities

1.  Many people believe that in order to move into an over-55 community both members of a couple must be at least 55 years old.  However, only the husband or wife needs to be age 55 or older.  Their spouse can be any age.  It is also possible for a resident who is over the age of 55 to have a roommate who is at least age 40, or they can have an adult of any age as their live-in caregiver.  There are also special exemptions for residents who have a dependent adult child who is mentally or physically handicapped, although you may have to provide evidence of the adult child's disability.  Contact the retirement community that interests you to see if they have any specific requirements or limitations, such as whether live-in caregivers can use the amenities.

2.  Often younger people of retirement age believe that everyone in an age restricted community is extremely old.  The truth of this may depend on how old the community is.  For example, the community where I live was founded in the 1960's.  Therefore, there are a number of residents who have lived here for 30 years or longer. Consequently, the median age is 76, although it has been falling in recent years because of the influx of younger retirees. There are thousands of residents who are much younger than the median age.  In fact, the Baby Boomers club is the most popular and fastest growing club in our community.  If you are looking at a new age-restricted community, the median age may even be under age 70.

3.  Sometimes people are hesitant to move to one of these communities because they have the impression that everyone is either a shut-in or that they spend their days sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs.  While there are definitely some shut-ins in any retirement community, the vast majority of people are very physically and mentally active.  In our community, we have a group of synchronized swimmers, horseback riding classes, tennis courts, two busy golf courses and a wide variety of exercise programs including line dancing, circuit training, yoga, water aerobics, and much more.  There is a large group of bridge players and over 200 clubs. There are also regularly scheduled dances throughout the community. 

4.  Another misconception is that your children and grandchildren will not be able to stay overnight in your home with you.  In truth, guests under the age of 18 can legally stay up to 60 days a year.  In fact, when one of our daughters moved to Southern California from another state, she and her two young children stayed with us for about six weeks until she found a job and an apartment of her own.

5.  Baby Boomers who still have active careers may feel uncomfortable about whether they should move into any place labeled a retirement community while they are still working.  However, about a quarter of the people who live in our community have jobs.  Some of them work full-time, like my husband, and others work part-time, as I did until I recently retired.  Not only do many people work outside the community, but our retirement community also offers jobs to hundreds of residents.  These residents hold a wide variety of jobs including positions as gate guards, bus drivers and office clerks.  Many retirees find that working part-time for the homeowner's association is a great way to supplement their retirement income.  In fact, homeowner's associations in retirement communities may be one of the easiest places for retirees to be able to find part-time jobs.

6.  Another mistaken impression some new residents have is that these communities are so safe that the residents do not need to practice good personal security.  As a result, it is not uncommon for people to leave their homes unlocked while they go for a walk, leave their cars unlocked when they visit friends, or leave their purses sitting in plain view on the front seat of their cars.  (I have frequently observed all of these behaviors.) Good personal security is as important in a retirement community as anywhere else.  While these communities usually do have a low crime rate, crime does exist.  It isn't wise to tempt outside visitors and workers in the community by practicing lax security.

I hope this has dispelled some of the myths that you may have had about living in a retirement community!  If you have other questions, please leave them in the comment section and I will modify this article to answer the readers' inquiries.


You are reading from the blog:  baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com

Public domain photo of a golf course is courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Would You Recognize a Heart Attack?

When my mother was 65, only one year older than I am now, she had a massive heart attack, followed by triple by-pass surgery the next morning.  Until the heart attack hit her, she thought she was only feeling a little uncomfortable because of the heat that day.  She and my Dad were in the process of cleaning out my grandmother's house after my grandmother had moved to assisted living.  They spent the day cleaning and packing up granny's belongings.  It was a hot summer day and my parents were carrying things in and out of the house, so the fact that my mother was perspiring heavily and feeling a little weak did not alarm her ... until she collapsed.

Symptoms of Heart Attacks 

We are all accustomed to the movie version of heart attacks in which a man puts his hands to his chest and collapses.  However, while this dramatic event will sometimes occur, it is not the first or most likely sign that you may be having a heart attack.  Listed below are the symptoms that both men and women should be concerned about:

Excessive perspiration, including a red face
Shortness of breath when you have not been exerting yourself
Indigestion
A heavy feeling in the chest or back
Achy, flu-like symptoms
Pain in the jaw, neck, back, or chest that doesn't go away
Extreme and sudden weakness or fatigue

All of these symptoms are especially alarming if they come on quickly and they are not relieved when you sit or lie down.   However, if you are experiencing these symptoms and cannot figure out why, you need to seriously consider the possibility that you are having a heart attack.

As you'll see in the comment section below, Domestic Diva said, "Your warning symptoms should be taken seriously. I think one of the reactions you'll find experienced by many heart attack survivors is that what they felt was somehow different. It wasn't quite like indigestion they've had before, or a flu they've suffered in the past. If you've lived to your 60s and experience a discomfort you've never had in all those years, it's worth getting checked out."  I moved her comment up here because I thought her words were something everyone should read.

Heart Disease Does Not Discriminate

When you read the list of symptoms above, many of them can also indicate very common illnesses, such as the flu, a strained muscle, or heat exhaustion.  Because many heart attack symptoms are vague, it is no wonder that my mother thought she was simply suffering from the effects of the heat.  Although she was a smoker, she was not over-weight and she had no history of heart disease.  She had no idea that she was in the process of having a heart attack until she collapsed and woke up in the hospital.

Many people still think of heart disease as an illness that primarily kills men.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  Women are actually about 15% more likely to have a heart attack than men, and they have double the chance of having a heart attack within six years of the first one.

Everyone should know that heart attacks kill women as well as men.  In addition, women (and their family members) need to know that women, in particular, can have a heart attack and never experience any chest pain!  About one out of three women will die of heart disease.  About two-thirds of them will have no prior symptoms. 

Our family was fortunate.  My mother is still alive at age 81, sixteen years after her heart attack and open heart surgery.  She has gone on to live an active lifestyle and, until recently, played golf on a regular basis. While she is suffering from other age-related health problems today, I'm pleased that she was able to survive her heart attack sixteen years ago.

For more information about this killer disease, go to the website of The American Heart Association.

If you are nearing retirement age and want more information about how to have a higher quality of life during your retirement years, please check out the index articles below.  They contain links to a number of helpful articles on a variety of topics.

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement

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

Public domain photo of a heart is courtesy of www.morguefile.com.

Retirement Planning Is a Three-Legged Stool

Shortly before my recent retirement from my long-time job for a local school district, I attended a retirement seminar that was designed to help employees make sure they are financially prepared to stop working.  One of the things the speaker told us was that retirement is a three-legged stool, with Social Security as only one of the legs.  Here is how he explained it:

As mentioned above, the first leg of your retirement stool is Social Security.  This national pension program was never intended to be the only way that retirees supported themselves during their senior years.  Since recipients only receive a median benefit of about $1200 a month, this is not enough for anyone to fully support themselves.  If you had a stool with only one leg, you might be able to balance on it for a short while, but eventually you would fall over.

The second leg of the stool is a pension, annuity or fund.  At one time, many private companies provided their employees with a pension.  Today, only a few private companies still provide this perk, although some public employees, such as non-certificated school employees, still receive a pension.  Pensions are complicated.  For example, I had a job in which I paid into both the state pension plan as well as Social Security.  Therefore, I am able to collect both.  However, many people (such as California teachers) are only able to collect one or the other, in most circumstances.  If you do not have a pension, you may wish to take a portion of the money you have saved in your 401K or IRA and use it to invest in an annuity or investment fund in order to provide additional income.  This is the second leg of your stool.  At this point you have income from Social Security and income from a second source ... a pension, annuity or mutual fund.

The third leg of the stool, as suggested by the speaker at the retirement seminar, is your savings.  This is money that is accessible and not tied up in an investment.  It is money you can use in an emergency.  Everyone should have an emergency fund.  The size should depend on your available assets and your income.

The retirement consultant did not discuss the fact that the majority of Baby Boomers do not have enough savings to invest in an annuity or fund, let alone have enough put aside for emergencies.

However, if he had talked about it, he would probably have suggested that Baby Boomers find a way to earn a little extra money after retirement, as well.  As you will see in the Money section of this blog, I have written several blog posts over the years about ways that retirees can continue to earn money after they retire in order to supplement their income.  (We might think of a retirement job as the fourth leg of your stool.)

I have also written posts about how to save money, including cheap places to retire in both the United States as well as overseas.

In addition, you may want to consider downsizing.  Many people who have a lot of equity in their homes decide to sell the house, downsize and use the money they now have to put in savings and invest in various ways.  This is how they get the other two legs of their "stool."  Some people choose to get a reverse mortgage.  However, as I have mentioned in the past, this can be a dangerous decision and should only be reserved for people who are quite elderly.

If you are hoping to retire and you haven't saved enough money, you may want to check out some of the posts listed in the index articles listed below:

Gifts, Travel and Family Relationships

Great Places for Boomers to Retire Overseas

Great Places to Retire in the United States

Health and Medical Topics for Baby Boomers

Money and Financial Planning for Retirement

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

Public domain photo of money is courtesy of www.morguefile.com