How to Qualify to Move into a Retirement Community

Have you thought about moving to a retirement community.  They can be a lot of fun and are sometimes more affordable than the homes in the surrounding communities.  As a result, they are very appealing to many Baby Boomers and older people. However, do you know if you are qualified to move into one?

Once Baby Boomers decide that they want to move into a senior living community, they have to determine whether or not they are qualified. My husband and I discovered there are strict rules which are set by federal law.  In addition, the individual communities may have additional rules which they impose.

Senior communities are the only type of real estate discrimination which is allowed under federal law. Although age discrimination is allowed in these communities, the communities still must follow federal law regarding discrimination against people on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability.

Below are the primary requirements we had to meet before we could move into our home in Laguna Woods Village, the retirement community we chose.  The requirements in your community may be slightly different, although generally they will be quite similar.

Typical Qualifications for Living in a Retirement Community

According to federal law, one of the residents in each home must be over the age of 55.  A resident may have a spouse of any age. Apparently, trophy wives and husbands are welcome! In addition, a resident who is at least 55 years old may also have a roommate who is at least 45 years of age. (No wonder some of the women in my community look so young to me!)

A couple or individual may have a live-in caregiver in their home, as long as they have at least two bedrooms in their home or apartment.  In our community, the caregiver also has to be approved by the homeowners' association.  In addition, the caregivers are generally now allowed to use the community amenities, although they are sometimes allowed to participate with their patient in certain activities, since they need to accompany their patient to community events, classes, etc.

If a resident has an adult child who is mentally or physically disabled, that adult child may also be able to live with the residents, if they have the approval of the homeowner's association. I know of at least one mentally challenged woman who lives in our community with her mother. She loves to go to the stables and feed the horses, and sometimes even goes on a trail ride!

Minor children or grandchildren may not live with you, although they can visit for up to 60 days a year. Sometimes couples have moved into our retirement community while they still had a child who was finishing up college. As long as their college age student only visits during school breaks, there is usually no problem.  However, it is recommend that the college age student behave in a low-key, respectful manner while in any senior community.  Otherwise, the neighbors may start looking for any infraction which could cause the child to be kicked out.

Our Experience with the Retirement Community Qualifications

My husband and I were pleased to know we met all these requirements. As a matter of fact, when we moved into our community, we did have a daughter who was a senior in college. Moving into an over-55 community is one way of keeping your adult children from moving back in with you full-time after they graduate from college!

It is also common in our community for residents to have grandchildren visit for a few weeks in the summer. We love it, and our neighbors seem to enjoy having children around occasionally, too.  Our community allows grandchildren to take horseback riding lessons and one of the pools is open to children for a few hours a day.  We also are located just four miles from a beach and are surrounded by parks, so there are plenty of ways to keep visiting grandchildren busy.  Not all retirement communities may be as welcoming to grandchildren, which is something you may want to ask about before you move into one.

In addition to the federal laws, your community may impose additional restrictions on their residents.  For example, our community does a credit check and criminal background check before allowing residents to either purchase or rent a residence in the community.  It also has income and asset requirements as a way to reduce the risk that people will move in and then be unable to pay their HOA dues.

Personally, my husband and I have had no issues with our homeowner's association.  However, the rules could be stricter wherever you live.  You need to check them out thoroughly before making the final decision about whether a specific community will meet your needs.

If you are looking for additional information about where to live when you retire, financial planning, changing family relationships, health problems or more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page for links to hundreds of additional articles.

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

Photo of Laguna Woods Village Clubhouse taken by author, Deborah-Diane

Recreation in Retirement Communities

Are you trying to decide whether or not living in an over-55 retirement community would be the right choice for you? One important issue in choosing a home in the right retirement community is deciding what recreational activities are important to you. For example, my husband and I looked at a variety of over-55 communities and, even more important than the housing, we were interested in the recreational opportunities. For example, one of the communities we considered had an indoor track and swimming pool. Another had a golf course, but not much else.

One of the reasons we chose Laguna Woods Village in Orange County, California is because it had such a wide selection of recreational activities, including horseback riding. Above is a photo of me, in a red jacket, on a trail ride with other residents of the community. Every winter, the riders plant wildflower seeds as we ride along the trail. In the spring, we benefit from acres of gorgeous flowers.

In addition to the horseback riding, the over-55 community where we chose to buy a home has two golf courses (one of which is shown in the photo below), five pools, seven clubhouses, two gyms, tennis courts, over 200 clubs, an auditorium for live performances, and another auditorium appropriate for bands and ballroom dancing. In addition, we are only five miles from the charming community of Laguna Beach, which has its own assortment of restaurants, theaters, art festivals and other activities. With such a variety of activities, I didn't think we would ever get bored or run out of things to do.

In fact, one of our biggest challenges is limiting our activities. We are constantly invited to join clubs, go to concerts, or sign up for activities. Fortunately, everything is very inexpensive. My husband pays $8 for 9 holes of golf, and I pay $6 for a trail ride. One of our granddaughters can also take riding lessons there. Group lessons for beginning riders are $11 for grandchildren.

Across the United States, there are hundreds of retirement communities, including some by such well-know developers as Sun City.  Some retirement communities have golf courses; some are located on lakes or near the ocean; others are near colleges.  You have the choice of being in a cold climate with snow skiing or a more tropical climate with year-around mild weather. Retirees need to consider what they would enjoy doing after they retire before they purchase their retirement home.

Whatever retirement community you choose, give a great deal of thought to the recreational opportunities which are available both in your community and in the surrounding community.  Evaluate how much it will cost you to pursue your favorite hobbies before you buy a house. You want to be able to continue to have some fun as you age. My husband plays golf with people in their 80s and 90s. He hopes to be able to keep up his golf the rest of his life, too!

If you are looking for great places to retire or other retirement advice, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this page to find links to hundreds of other articles on where to retire, health concerns, financial planning, family relationships and more.

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

Photo credit:  Photos taken by author, Deborah-Diane

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

Do You Hope to Retire?

One of the biggest concerns of millions of Baby Boomers is how they can afford to retire.   With 10,000 or more Baby-Boomers turning 65 every single day, our generation is beginning to be called a senior tsunami.  My husband and I are perfect examples.

Now that I am 69, and my husband is 73, we thought we would both be retired by now. However, life has thrown us a few more curves than we expected. While I retired at age 64, my husband is still working as an investment advisor.  Even with his financial background, the reality of trying to maintain or lifestyle is a challenge.

It's obvious to us that Social Security will not provide enough money for us to retire ... at least not in California! We have some stocks in our IRA, but they do not produce enough income to replace what he has traditionally earned over the years. Considering how low interest rates and dividends currently are, we do not feel that we have enough assets in reserve for both of us to cut loose from our jobs and assume we will be OK for the next 20 or 30 years.

When we look back at how much the cost of things have increased during the last few decades, we worry that our current assets would not cover our future expenses.  In addition, like many Baby Boomers, we worry that Social Security could be cut in the future, since Congress has not addressed the coming shortfall in the Social Security reserves.

What to Expect from Baby-Boomer-Retirement.com

In this blog, which I began in 2011, you can join my husband, friends and I as we explore some of the actions we have taken or plan to take in order to retire.

In addition, you will find articles which explore retirement communities in the United States and abroad, additional sources of retirement income, ways to save money, and issues such as health problems, financial planning, grey divorce, Alzheimers, senior alcoholism, Social Security, Medicare and depression in retirement.

I welcome comments, ideas, and suggestions that readers would like to share with others who are also trying to figure things out. Many of the comments left by my readers have inspired me to write articles about their questions or suggestions.  It seems that we Baby Boomers have spent our lives trying get things figured out, haven't we?

The quest continues right into our slightly tarnished Golden Years.

My goal is to continue to write and build this blog for the remainder of my life ... since we Baby Boomers are going to continue to have an effect on society for decades to come.

Our retirement is going to be a thrilling ride, and I invite you to join me in exploring our options.

If you are looking for information on specific retirement topics, including where to retire in the United States or overseas, medical issues that might affect us, financial planning, changing family relationships and more, please use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this page for links to hundreds of additional articles.

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

Photo credit:  Photo of author is property of Deborah-Diane; all rights reserved.