Pros and Cons: Living in 55+ Community in Georgia

I can’t wait for the day when I can seriously consider a retirement community. Crazy, right? Or is it these retirement communities are now affectionately called 55+ communities? Or, as I like to say, 55 and better communities. In the season of downsizing, I’ve heard from countless clients that they do not want to be in a 55+ community. And yet, many end up buying in those communities. What are the pros and cons of these communities? Let’s check it out!

The most obvious pro to a 55+ community is the low maintenance living typically; you’re going to find all single-level houses, which is perfect when considering stairs. However, you are going to have options. Let’s say that you want a bonus room upstairs or if you want a finished or an unfinished basement, and we do have those here in the Northeast Georgia area. Now, a majority of these communities cover exterior maintenance on your home. Unless that’s your thing, you are no more cutting your grass, pruning your bushes, etc. Then, well-cut away, but most clients look forward to the ease of living in these communities. HOAs also take care of the exterior maintenance of the home. So, think about things like house painting, stuff like that. You never have to do it anymore if you’ve never been in a 55+ community. You are in for a treat; most communities excel at resort-style amenities, which is a pro in my book. Think indoor swimming pools, outdoor pools, tennis and pickleball courts, dog parks, fitness facilities, and even classrooms equipped for cooking and art classes. These communities have typically thought of everything, and most of them even have beautiful walking trails and even a playground for visiting grandkids. I’ve even seen a community garden; they would kick me out of that.

Another benefit to these communities is the relative peace that you will find. You are typically not going to have to worry about your neighbor throwing any ragers. I would like to see that, though, teenagers, toilet papering trees, or even an abundance of kids. Now, this doesn’t mean that you’re not going to see kids. Kids, children still do visit their grandparents Afterall, but it won’t be a common occurrence or lots of kids that you’re going to have to dodge. While going to the grocery store, these communities offer a quiet atmosphere that many people enjoy but don’t mistake calm for non-active. Every time I’m in one of these communities with clients, I am amazed at the number of neighbors taking advantage of everything the neighborhood offers. I passed countless residents walking their dogs or out on their morning or afternoon jog; heck, my hand got tired from waving. They’re constantly waving as you go through these communities, warm folks.

Now, let’s talk about location. For obvious reasons, you will find that many active adult communities are conveniently located near interstates and with easy access to health care. You can find two active adult communities in Braselton on the same road as the hospital. We aren’t expecting this to be a necessity for you, and at the same time, many residences love being so close to doctors’ outpatient facilities and emergency care. If needed, it certainly gives your loved ones peace of mind, so these are some of the great things about these active adult communities.

Now let’s talk about things that aren’t so great. The most obvious one that people always bring up and consider is the HOA fees. Those resort-style amenities like lawn care and exterior maintenance, and you know all of the facilities that they offered that I mentioned earlier, well, those do not come cheap on average. You can expect to pay about 325 dollars per month for these HOA fees, but when you consider all the things that those fees cover, like trash service, lawn service, gym membership, and classes clubs, that 325 dollars don’t seem so bad after all. Right, it is crucial to learn about the health of the HOA whenever you’re doing your due diligence because the maintenance of homes and amenities facilities can be pricey. You want to make sure that the home is in good financial standing.

After all, you don’t want to be in a position where the HOA has to increase rates substantially or impose hefty special assessments to cover poor financial planning. It’s no surprise that one of the cons of an active adult community is going to be the lack of diversity now, you do have to be 55, of course, and most people will be on the better part of that off-putting. After speaking with clients who live in these communities, I have found that they see their community well because of the great amenities, clubs, and things to do. You’re going to find your tribe, and you’re going to find yourself among your people who share common interests and things that you want to do. My most recent client, who’s only been in the community for a couple of weeks, is already ingrained in two different book clubs, and another client found a new love of pickleball. There are pickleball instructors, for heaven’s sakes; another potential con can be the size of the homes.

Most homes in 55+ communities are designed for two adults to live comfortably, and as such, they tend to be smaller than homes on the broader market cater towards families. Many see this as an advantage so that the houses are easier to maintain clean on the inside. But if you like having the whole family over for thanksgiving, you may find space a bit tight. It’s also tricky when you find yourself coming from a 3000-4000 square foot home to a home that’s, you know, 1800-2400 square feet; most of these homes were designed to offer ample spaces for entertaining, and most of them have great open floor plans, but it would be a challenge if you’re hosting gigantic groups. one thing that you’re going to love though is that in the North Georgia area many of these communities offer homes on a basement and this lends itself to the perfect solution.

If you are downsizing from a much larger house, speaking of sizes of homes, let’s discuss the yard size. I see this con come up much more frequently when looking at communities when clients are used to coming from a much larger home. With that larger home comes a much larger yard, and well, because 55+ communities have smaller homes, the yard lot sizes are much smaller as well, and with that, you’re much closer to your neighbor. Look on the plus side; if you fall in your yard, your neighbor will hear you calling for help in all seriousness. This is something to consider, yet many neighborhoods offer plenty of homes that offer privacy, a lot of them back up to wooded areas. You’ve got great landscaping, so you can find homes that provide that privacy. So as with all homes, if that is something vital to you, seek it out, you’re going to see it, and we can help you find that private yard.

Need more videos about moving to Georgia? Follow and subscribe to our Youtube Channel!