10 Things They Dont Tell You About 55+ Communities

10 things they don't tell you about 55 plus communities. Now, before you brace yourself for some big expose, I need you to know that nobody is hiding anything from you on purpose. Builders and HOAs are not sitting around a table, just like waiting for you to come in and see what they can get away with. It's much simpler than that. The sales tour is built to show you the best 45 minutes that they can possibly give you in that community on that given day. It is not to show you an ordinary Tuesday, so that's what we're going to discuss today. Not things that people are hiding from you, it's just things the tour does not bring up when you are there for that quick 45 minute, even sometimes hour to two hour tour. And by the end of this video, you'll know exactly what to look for instead of thinking that you're just going to get lucky because there are things that just aren't brought up during the tour and you don't find out until later. Okay, starting off strong here with number one, the HOA fee is just the starting number. Here's a scenario that I hear about a lot. You tour the community, you absolutely love it. The HOA fee is $275 and you think that's really reasonable and you sign. Around 18 months later, something comes in the mail and it is a special assessment and is for $8,000. Here's what actually happened. That $275 fee was not the full financial picture of the community. It was really just the number that was easiest to put on the brochure, which is why you'll hear me say you want to look into the financial pictures of the HOA. Do they have reserves? Are they planning for things that may happen in the future? For example, the clubhouse needs a new roof, the streets need to be paved, the HVAC in the clubhouse breaks, the pool needs a repair. A lot of times the communities that have a higher HOA fee, the reason is because not only are they preparing for long term, it's because they do not want to slap special assessments onto their homeowners in just a few years. These HOAs typically are ran with a large amount of reserves so this way they don't ever need to do what I just described. They are basically saving for that rainy day that we talk about. So now the question is, is when you're looking at HOAs, what you're really asking is, okay, what is the HOA fee, but then also I need to see the reserves and the full financial picture before making a decision. Okay, so number two, maintenance free has an asterisk. In most communities that means that your grass cutting is being taken care of both front and back and the snow removal is being done on the streets. It does not cover your roof or your HVAC and in some cases in some communities, the snow removal does not include the sidewalks and your driveway. And listen, it's not a scam. They are taking care of your lawn maintenance, but maintenance free does not mean no maintenance at all. You still have the things inside the home and on the exterior in some communities. For example, like I said, the roof, your HVAC, plumbing, anything that would go wrong inside the house. So while yes, it may sound great to hear maintenance free, it does not ultimately mean completely maintenance free. Number three, amenities and value do not mean the same thing. Here's a question worth sitting on. Of all of the amenities that sold you on this community, the pickleball courts, the clubhouse, the outdoor pool, the walking trails, on an ordinary Tuesday, how often do you see yourself using those amenities? Some communities have a ton of amenities that people use every single day. The pool, the fitness centers, the yoga studio, the pickleball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts. I mean, there's so many different amenities that a community can have. Others have these beautiful clubhouses that sit empty. In both cases, the brochure looks the same. You have these amenities that some people use and then you also have these amenities that no one uses. So when you're looking at different 55 plus communities, keep in mind, what are you actually going to use? Because while yes, all of these amenities sound great and wonderful, but if you're really not going to use them on any given day, then it really doesn't make any sense to go into a community that has all of the amenities that you're gonna pay for and not actually use. Number four, you are joining a culture, not just buying a house. Okay, so this one is a little different. So let me just slow it down a little bit. Every 55 plus community has a personality and oftentimes that's invisible during the tour. Some are highly social, lots of activities, people walking around on the sidewalks, people waving. You see clubs and different things at the clubhouse. You see people golfing. And on the other hand, others are quiet, private. They don't really want anything to do with their neighbors. They will sit on their front porch and have a cup of coffee or even sit on the back porch, but they really wanna be left alone. And listen, neither one is better. It's just about what you're looking for in retirement. This mismatch I often see when a very private person decides to purchase a home in a very social community that has lots of amenities. And they often find that they feel pressure to show up to everything, even though they personally do not want to go. On the other hand, I find that someone that is super social and is looking for that oftentimes picks a quieter neighborhood and then ends up feeling very lonely and isolated because the surrounding area was not what they anticipated. So my recommendation is to visit multiple times, visit during different seasons. Yes, have the sales tour, but then come back on any given day and just walk around yourself. Try and stop a neighbor, see how the community is. Tell them that you're interested in the community, that you're walking around to try and kind of get a feel, maybe feel them out, see what they say about the community. Oftentimes you can find people that will give it to you straight. They will not sugarcoat it and they will tell you exactly how your day-to-day is going to be. Number five, allowed and welcome are often two different things. And what I mean by that is oftentimes during my 55 plus communities visits, I get asked the question of, are my grandkids welcome to come to enjoy the amenities? Are they welcome to come stay with me? And what people often find is that there is a cap on how many consecutive nights or even calendar days your grandkids can come stay with you. So if you are someone that loves to take your grandkids for the summer, a 55 plus community may not be at the top of your list because they're often capped at 30 calendar days. And while yes, they are welcome to enjoy the pool and the amenities, there are some times where you have certain hours that you're allowed to be at the pool or they don't want the kids at the pool all day long because you have to keep in mind there are other 55 plus homeowners in the community that purchased in there for a reason because they did not want to be surrounded by kids. So ultimately what you want to ask is how many calendar days can my grandkids stay and are they welcome at the pool or are there certain hours that they can be at the pool? Number six, the rules will touch your daily life. Every community has a rule book, whether that be HOA restrictions, deed restrictions, and most buyers will just kind of glance at it and that's it. But here's the thing, some of those rules can brush up against your daily life. For example, there may be a restriction on the color that you can paint your front door. Can the community have a fence? If you can't have a fence, can you have an electric fence? If you can't have an electric fence, can you put up a natural fence? Do you have a dog that you do not want to walk every time they need to use the bathroom? Where are guests allowed to park overnight? Are they not allowed to park on the street? Is there a parking lot that they can park at? Whether or not you can rent out your place if life changes. For example, if you can no longer care for yourself anymore and you need to move back in with family, can you rent out your home? If you are a lock and leave it type of person that maybe lives in another country half the year or maybe you want to go to Florida and live there for half the year, that is something that you are going to want to ask because that is going to brush up against your daily life. Now, listen, I know that some people this may rub the wrong way, but in other cases, those rules are what is going to keep your community staying beautiful. Making sure that someone doesn't have a broken down car in the front lawn, just sitting there collecting bugs and grass growing up all over it and it affecting your property value. In other cases, maybe you don't want to stare at a hot pink front door. I mean, maybe you don't want to live next to Barbie's dream house. So that's why I'm saying it's just important to read those rules to make sure that you are not getting yourself into a situation. Number seven is one floor is not the same as future proof. A lot of people choose 55 plus communities because that often means one floor living. And while yes, 55 plus communities often have one floor living with no stairs to go up, you know, to a loft or a basement. That does not mean that there are no stairs at all. In some cases, there may be one, two, or even three steps to get up into your house with no railing. Or maybe you have a shower that cannot be modified later. While the problems may not exist now, what will they look like in the future? Maybe the hallways are not wide enough for a walker or even a wheelchair. So basically, just because it is one floor living does not mean it is set up for the future. Number eight, a 55 plus community is not a care plan. And what I mean by that is it is not considered assisted living. So if in the future, you cannot live by yourself, you will need to figure out your situation. Whether you have a family member come live with you, you have an at home nurse come every day, or you do need to move into assisted living. Now, this does not mean these types of communities are the wrong choice. Most people end up purchasing in a 55 plus home and end up living there for decades. But it is worth having an honest conversation with yourself on where do you see yourself 5, 10, 15, 20, even 30 years from now. Number nine, someday location may matter more than the clubhouse. I want you to picture yourself. It is an ordinary Wednesday. You're not driving, but you have a doctor's appointment. How do you see yourself getting there? How close is that doctor? Who is going to take you? Is there transportation available? Maybe you need to go to the pharmacy or the grocery store. How quickly can you get there? You really truly need to think about this before purchasing in a 55 plus community in an area maybe that is slightly cheaper now, but maybe 5, 10, 15 years down the road is not what you pictured growing old in. And while the clubhouse may make sense now and be very important to you now, you also need to plan for the future because that clubhouse is not going to take you to the pharmacy. It is not going to take you to the doctor and it's not going to pick up your groceries. And before I get to number 10, just know that I have a full list of every 55 plus community in Delaware. And that is down below in the description. So if you are interested in a 55 plus community, I have a full list. It breaks down the HOA fee. It breaks down what the amenities are, what types of houses, the price range, and it is packed full of information. And that is down below in the description. So if you want to go ahead and click that and it will get sent right to your email. All right. So number 10, which is know how you'd leave before you buy, what would it actually look like if you had to sell, if you needed to run it out, if life changed, essentially being in a 55 plus community, you do have a smaller buyer pool. And that is because at least one person in the household has to be over 55 plus. And because of that, your buyer pool becomes smaller in some 55 plus communities. Homes sell very quickly and in others they sit. Some communities restrict rentals, meaning you cannot have them at all. Others allow a certain percentage of the community. Others, it's kind of a case by case basis. And it's just something to bring up because I often hear, well, this will be our last house or this is our last move. And while, yes, you think that now, it isn't always guaranteed. So it is very important to just think about the future, even though I know that you're planning for right now. So here's where I want to leave you. This does not mean that when we go on a tour of a community that you have to be suspicious that like we're leaving little details out or you're not getting the full picture or you're not really seeing behind the scenes. That is not what this video is about. It's more so to get you thinking about the future rather than right now, because it is a big decision. But really what I'm trying to say is don't just fall in love with the clubhouse and the amenities. It's really fall in love with the area, fall in love with the community and then fall in love with the house. Because all three of those things are important, not just one. If you do want a quick, simple way to remember these 10 things, I'm going to leave you with the five F's. That is fees, fit, freedom, future, foundation. So those are the five F's and that's what you can take away from this video. As you're walking through 55 plus communities, whether it be new construction or a resale community, really just taking a look at your surroundings, taking a look at the homes in the community and then deciding what your future actually looks like. I really hope this video helped. If it did, be sure to give me a thumbs up. Be sure to subscribe to the channel. If you are interested in retiring to Delaware, I would absolutely love the opportunity to help you. My information is down below in the description. So feel free to send me a text, send me an email or schedule on my calendar and we can get set up on a phone call or a video call. Once again, I really hope that this video helped. If it did, be sure to give me a thumbs up. Be sure to subscribe to the channel and I will see you on next week's video. Hey, thank you so much for making it this far into the video. If you are interested in more Delaware retirement content, check out this video right here. And if you would love to tour Delaware new construction homes with me, check out this playlist right here. And don't forget, subscribe to my channel.