Why People hate Living in 55+ Communities

Imagine living in a neighborhood with top of the line amenities, clubs to occupy your time, and several hundred residents similar in age to you. Sounds pretty nice, right? Well, not everything in a 55+ community is going to appeal to everyone. Some people are chomping at the bit to turn 55 so they can move into one of these communities, but of course there are people who are adamant about avoiding them at all costs. So why would you NOT want to consider living in a 55+ community? If you are considering moving to Georgia, I want to be your real estate agent! If you are searching in an area that I can’t help with, I can put you in touch with someone who I know and trust will help you make this move as seamlessly as possible. We have several of these huge, amenity filled neighborhoods here in  north Georgia and have seen a big increase in retirees to the area, so why would you not want to live in a 55+ community?

One of the first things that might keep you from living in one of these retirement communities is the cost to do so. You are going to pay a premium to live in a 55+ plus community, both for the price of the home, and for the HOA fees. Let’s take a look at house prices in some of the most popular local 55+ communities. At the time of filming this video, the average sales price of a home in Village at Deaton Creek is $504 thousand dollars, Cresswind at Lake Lanier’s average was $627 thousand, and Del Webb Chateau Elan was $568 thousand. In Village at Deaton Creek, you’re going to pay $3,300 a year in HOA fees, $4,068 a year at Cresswind Lake Lanier, and $3,456 in HOA fees at Del Webb Chateau Elan. In Cresswind at Lake Lanier, you can find properties ranging all the way up to just shy of one million dollars right now… crazy! You’re paying a pretty steep price per square foot most of the time in these communities, like almost double what you would in some cases. Now, the caveat to this is that you don’t have to take care of your own lawn and you have amazing amenities right at your fingertips, not to mention all of the clubs and social committees that come with these neighborhoods. You’ve got access to indoor pools, outdoor pools, pickleball courts, tennis courts, book clubs, community gardens, coffee groups, art clubs- all kinds of different activities to help keep you active without ever having to leave the community. Someone made a really great point about the cost of these fees if you look at it over the course of your life. If you move into Cresswind Lake Lanier when you’re 55 and pay $4,068 a year- that’s $40,680 over the span of 10 years. By the time you’re 75, you’ve spent over $81,000 in HOA fees just to use those amenities and have someone cut your grass. They made the point that they would rather live in a non-55+ community with smaller amenities and HOA fees and put away the money they save to leave to their kids one day. If this is not applicable and you want to spend the money you have worked hard to earn now, go for it. Some folks felt like their money was going to waste paying for amenities that they didn’t use, but if you don’t think you will take advantage of them, it would be a better idea to look in another neighborhood that didn’t have such steep fees and would just pay someone to come maintain their yard. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that expensive compared to some 55+ communities in other states where you can pay a thousand dollars a month in HOA fees. Or, if you’re in a townhome community here in north Georgia paying $1,000 a year and that only covers yard maintenance and one small pool, the HOA fees don’t sound that crazy based on the amenities that you get. 

Another downfall to these expensive HOA fees is that they are going to be very strict. I get comments just about anytime I mention HOA’s from people who say they would never live in a community with an HOA because they don’t want to be told what to do with the house that they own. In most neighborhoods in Georgia, you are going to have a bit more relaxed HOA’s, but in 55+ communities, you can expect them to be more on the strict side. You’ll have board members that live in the community and spend their time cruising around on their golf carts patrolling the neighborhood and making sure everything is just as it should be. These communities are absolutely beautiful to drive through- never a blade of grass out of place or a weird colored house because the HOA is keeping close tabs on everyone. Something we also hear complaints about in these communities is just that- members that drive around patrolling the neighborhood and keeping an eye on everyone. I helped a client move into one of these neighborhoods and she said one of her biggest complaints is the nosey neighbors.

It is a retirement community after all, most people are retired and their new passion when moving into these neighborhoods is checking up on everyone because they have nothing better to do with their time. They’re quick to tell you if your trash bin was at the bottom of the driveway for too long, or ask you where you were if your car was gone overnight or who was at your house if there’s a different car in the driveway. Again, some people love this about these neighborhoods. People like to feel seen, so having someone check in on you is a perk to them. Some retirees thrive in a community with set rules because they don’t want to hear people outside at night having company and being loud, they want everyone to wheel their trash can back to the garage an hour after the truck comes through the neighborhood, and they want to know who is coming in their neighborhood to visit you. Like all things we’ll talk about today, it’s all about perspective. If you find yourself being annoyed by nosey neighbors, you might want to reconsider. If you are the nosey neighbor, you will most likely thrive. Most of these neighborhoods have around 80 to 100 different clubs. That’s a ton of opportunities to learn a new skill, spend time working on a hobby, or meet new friends. However, some residents complain that these groups can feel very clique-ish and hard to infiltrate. They complain that these communities can feel like high school all over, with everyone broken up into groups like the jocks, nerds, and cool kids. Other people love being able to find people with the same set of interests right in the area you live.

One thing that some people really struggle with in these communities is the lack of diversity. People will often make the comment that they don’t just want to be surrounded by other old people. There is still quite a range of ages from 55 to however old the oldest member of the neighborhood is, but someone made the comment that they did not like living in a neighborhood where it felt like someone you knew was dying regularly. They also missed seeing kids playing in yards and like having families of all ages around them, as they felt it helped them stay young. In most of these communities, people under the age of 55 can only visit for a capped amount of time, typically two weeks. This means if there was a major life event that took place and someone needed to move in with you, this is going to be a problem. On the other hand, someone said they were glad to not have to listen to kids outside playing all the time. Grandchildren are allowed to come over and visit and use the amenities while they are there, but someone said they felt like they were doing something wrong by bringing their grandkids to the pool one afternoon, that they could feel some of the other residents’ annoyance with them being there. It all depends on what you enjoy!