How Much House Do You Really Need in a Retirement Community?

With all of the amenities available to residents at the Villages of Citrus Hills, planning to spend your retirement years here is an easy decision to make. But where things get a little more complicated is when you have to decide exactly how much house you are going to need once you are living here in Florida.

In most cases, you will have a good general idea of how big of a house you are looking for, but we have learned over the years that spending just a little extra time weighing the pros and cons of going a little bit larger or a little bit smaller can be the difference between an almost perfect retirement and one that actually is perfect.

If you are struggling with deciding exactly how much house you are going to need in your retirement years, we suggest taking some time to talk through each of the following five concerns to see how each of them might impact your new lifestyle.

Where Do You Spend Time?

One of the biggest differences in the floorplans here at the Villages of Citrus Hills is the size of rooms like the great room, kitchen, and master bedroom. Depending on where you typically spend the most time, you might realize that you would like just a little bit more space in one of these places.

Of course, if you are the type of person who expects to spend the majority of your time out in the community or kicking back on your lanai, then any cost associated with upgrading these interior spaces will be a wasted expense.

Will You Be Hosting Guests?

The most common reason that many residents choose to go a little bigger on their retirement home is that they are expecting to host guests on a regular basis.

Whether we are talking about long-time friends, children, or grandchildren, having an extra bedroom or two when hosting visitors is always going to be a plus.

What Are Your Hobbies?

Speaking of extra bedrooms, if you are considering picking up a new hobby during your retirement years, you will definitely want to make sure that you have plenty of room to explore your projects without leaving clutter all over the house.

Crafting, puzzle building, and woodworking are all popular retirement community hobbies, and they all require plenty of extra space. And even hobbies like reading and writing can be much more enjoyable if they have their own space in your home.

What is Your Budget?

The first three questions probably got you thinking about pushing towards a slightly bigger retirement home, but the counterargument that you have to consider now is whether you can actually afford that extra space.

In addition to being able to afford the house itself, it is also important to keep in mind that larger homes will be more expensive in terms of maintenance and utilities.

How Do You Feel About Maintenance?

Speaking of maintenance, another great point to consider is that there are many options like the Care-Free floorplans at the Villages of Citrus Hills that include all of the necessary exterior maintenance on your home.

That means you won't ever have to bother with cutting grass, trimming the hedges, or exterior painting. But if you're the type of person who enjoys that type of work (aka crazy), you might not find much value in a home where someone else does the work for you.

Determining the right size for your retirement home is a complicated process that really boils down to analyzing your lifestyle, contrasting it with your budget, and finding the home that best fits those two together. And here at the Villages of Citrus Hills, we have options to cover just about any conclusion you reach.

5 Decisions to Help Decide Which Floor Plan is Right for You

Deciding to retire to a new home here at the Village of Citrus Hills is one of the best decisions a person can make. But that decision is also going to lead to some additional choices. One of the most significant follow-up decisions that you are going to have to make is choosing which floor plan is the perfect fit for your family.

There are an incredible number of options, and all of them come with popular features like open floor plans, spacious lanais, and stunning master suites. However, there is a subtle difference between each selection that can really improve the quality of your life here at the Villages of Citrus Hills.

To help you find the perfect floor plan for your Florida lifestyle, we have put together five simple decisions that will help you identify exactly which option is right for you.

Do You Want to Mess with Maintenance?

One of the biggest differences between the floor plans here at the Villages of Citrus Hills is that some options include exterior maintenance and others leave that work to the new homeowners.

If you don’t enjoy yard work, you will love the freedom that comes with our Care-Free Home. Residents in these properties never have to worry about any exterior maintenance on their properties, so they can spend more of their free time enjoying our activities and events.

How Many Bedrooms Do You Really Need?

The most obvious difference between many of the floor plan options is the number of bedrooms. Having extra bedrooms can be great if you need space for hosting guests or setting up your own craft room, but too much space will end up being more hassle than it's worth in the long run, so be careful not to go overboard.

Some of our nicer floor plans include entire guest suites, which could be a great choice if you plan on having friends and family visit on a regular basis.

Do You Need a Separate Dining Space?

Another feature that often ends up as wasted space is having a separate dining room. Our floor plans have a number of different dining room layouts, and some are more isolated than others.If you expect to have formal meals, this could be a nice feature. However, if you are the type of family that prefers to eat in the kitchen or in front of the TV, a separate formal dining room probably isn't necessary.

How Will You Use Your Kitchen?

The kitchen is another area of the home that varies quite a bit between floor plans. While all of the floor plans are going to have an open kitchen, the look and feel of those kitchens are quite different.

People who spend a lot of time cooking in their kitchens are going to require a lot more than people who just use the kitchen for the refrigerator and the microwave, so make sure that the kitchen in the floor plan you choose is going to fit your lifestyle. 

How Much Outdoor Space Do You Want?

All of the floor plans here at the Villages of Citrus Hills come with a fabulous outdoor space. But the size of those spaces can vary pretty dramatically depending on the specific floor plan you are looking at. Residents who expect to spend a large portion of their time outside often gravitate towards the floor plans with larger lanais.

No matter what floor plan you choose to go with here at the Villages of Citrus Hills, you are almost certainly going to be impressed with the end result. However, finding the perfect floor plan for your family could be the difference between a good retirement and a great one. Choose wisely!