Life Beyond the Youth of Old Age
The Good -The Bad -The Ugly
FOR SELECTING YOUR DREAM RETIREMENT HOME
This Check List is for those looking for home in an Active Adult or All-Age Community that is not equipped to provide increased care or health related services. Please read "Definitions of Community Types" to help you understand the different types of communities that may apply to retirement and active adult lifestyles. Many of the items on this Check-List are obvious and many can be found in most of North County's Active Adult and All-Age Communities. We publish this list hoping that you will consider the points presented and add your own needs and desires to them to design a blueprint for your personal dream retirement home.
The Location-
∙ Near family or near an airport where you can easily travel to visit your family.
∙ A Climate that promotes a healthy and enjoyable retirement lifestyle- You can spend a lot of precious retirement days waiting for decent weather or you can move to North San Diego County and have nice weather most days, all year long.
∙ Convenient to shopping, good restaurants, freeways, part-time work, etc.
∙ Safe sidewalks, trails or a beach nearby by for walking and jogging.
∙ A low Crime area.
The Neighborhood-
∙ A "nice" neighborhood, beautiful to look at; clean streets, trimmed trees and well-maintained yards and homes.
∙ Low density of people in the neighborhood (small, detached home communities may be less crowded and less noisy).
∙ Few or no cars parked on streets (preferably no overnight parking allowed on streets).
∙ Quiet- No excessive freeway, road, aircraft or construction noise, no loud music, loud parties, rampant teenage drivers, barking dogs, children playing, etc. Cul de sacs make great playgrounds; the kids may be noisy and obstruct your driveway during the day (may be OK though if you love kids).
∙ Low crime rates (gated communities may have less crime).
Your Home-
∙ Affordable- You need to know what you can afford.
∙ Comfortable- Convenient layout, modern kitchen, comfortable TV/Family room, space to entertain and to allow visitors to sleep over. If possible, a nice-sized office, den or spare bedroom for hobbies, computer and reading.
∙ A place out of the house for messy hobbies- such as a garage, storage shed or workshop.
∙ A patio or balcony (beautiful views add everyday pleasure to living).
∙ A good air conditioning and heating system (western and eastern facing windows are nice to open if you have an ocean breeze).
∙ In good condition.
∙ Low upkeep costs.
∙ A low maintenance yard.
∙ Convenient living- Garage or carport close to the house, single-story homes are more convenient than 2-story homes and they may become even more convenient as a person ages.
∙ A good investment so you can sell it if necessary to pay for a more fitting place to live as you change retirement plans or retirement phases.
Safety and Health-
∙ Low crime rate area (again, a gated community is a plus).
∙ Near good quality Medical-care Facilities.
∙ Good and quick response ambulance, fire and police protection.
∙ A location that is free from hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or wild fires and is not located on or near major earthquake fault.
∙ Places available in the home or nearby to exercise such as swimming pools, exercise rooms, fitness centers, jogging trails, etc.
Religion-
∙ A place nearby for you to Worship in your belief.
Pets-
∙ A place where you are allowed to keep your favorite pets.
∙ Excessive dog barking is prohibited.
∙ A place nearby to walk your dog.
∙ Veterinary facilities nearby.
Availability of Leisure Activities and Entertainment-
∙ Many nearby Retirement Activities.
∙ Near Senior Centers or a Community Center- With many activities available such as card games, bingo, billiards, bunko, potluck dinners, dances and other social activities, discount tours, sports teams, etc.
∙ Near movies, live theater, the arts, night life, spectator sports, etc.
∙ Near a wide selection of good restaurants and fast-food places.
∙ A convenient place to work on your hobbies.
Travel-
∙
Nearby, low cost
RV parking (if you own an RV).
∙
Near airports and cruise ship ports.
∙
Your home should be in a safe neighborhood where you can leave it for extended periods of time without fear of burglary.
Participatory Sports-
∙
Team sports availability- Billiards, golf, tennis, softball, etc. teams,
Senior bowling leagues.
∙
Individual sports
that you like are availabile
such as-
Golf, tennis, pickleball, surfing, swimming; trails,
sidewalks, or beaches for biking, hiking, jogging and walking.
∙
Fishing available- Lake, deep sea, surf.
∙
Nearby beach/water sports- surfing, sailing, deep sea and surf fishing, ocean swimming and walking the beach.
Life-long Learning-
∙
Colleges, Universities and
community
sponsored classes available.
What has all of this have to do with Retiring to North San Diego County?
When comparing Best Places to Retire, North San Diego County offers; A
wide
Price Range of Homes
for retirees, has about average Taxes,
ranks tops in
Climate, has
Low
Crime Rates and offers a huge
selection of
Things to Do.
When selecting the best place for you to retire to, remember-
We Sincerely Wish You a Healthy and Happy Retirement!
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Disclaimer:
The above opinions are those of the writer. They are his own, and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the site they are posted on or of other sites affiliated with this
site. We apologize if we have offended you in any way and request individuals or
involving parties to contact us directly via email to request the removal of information deemed sensitive or harmful to them. We
value your opinions, please email them to us at
randerson3535@gmail.com. Please also read the
Disclaimer that applies to this website, it also applies to this webpage.
With our great Climate and huge selection of Senior Activities, we think
that it is one of the very best places to retire. Consider the following
widely accepted 5 Key Retirement Factors:
1) Affordable Housing
2)
Low Taxes
3) Best Climates
4) Low Crime Rates
5) Many Things
to Do
It is
OK to aspire to "Having It All." Include the parameters:
"Enjoyable," "Personal Safety" and "A Healthy Lifestyle"
in your
retirement lifestyle planning.
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