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.
10 Reasons Why Retirement is Awesome!
Our readers have requested a reprint of this article, so here you go.
1. You get to decide what to do every day. Unlike the predictability of your former life (work, dinner, TV, sleep, repeat), now you get to decide each day’s structure.
2. There's time to give back. Many retirees find it enormously rewarding to volunteer their skills to worthy charitable organizations, whether it's the Lions Club, animal shelters, the food pantry or a community college.
3. Travel, travel, travel. Almost everyone's bucket list includes a trip to some special place, from the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China to the Grand Canyon.
4. Catch up on TV and movies you've always wanted to see. Maybe you were too busy with your career and kids to follow some of the great directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen and Robert Altman. Now you have time to go on Netflix, Amazon or even borrow CDs from the library.
5. You can still work part time. Just because you're retired doesn't mean you can't work part time. A lot of people carry over assignments from their old company, while others parlay their personal interests into a moneymaking venture.
6. Spend more time with family and grandchildren. Spending time together helps to form lasting connections between family members. Relish the opportunity of this time to create deep and wonderful memories that last a lifetime.
7. You can sleep whenever you want. Retirement isn’t about sleeping, it’s about recharging when you need it, not just when you can fit it in.
8. Senior discounts are yours for the asking! Take advantage of your age and experience with substantial savings. Google “Senior discounts” to get an idea of what’s available.
9. There's no pressure, no stress and no problems. It's the freedom that retirees appreciate so much: Freedom from the pressure to get ahead at work, get your child into college and keep up with the neighbors.
10. You now have the time to do nothing. Finally, there's time to enjoy the pleasure of sitting on the back deck and soaking up the atmosphere, reflecting on your life and enjoying the cool breezes across your face
10 Reasons Why Retirement is Awesome!
1. You get to decide what to do every day. Unlike the predictability of your former life (work, dinner, TV, sleep, repeat), now you get to decide each day’s structure.
2. There's time to give back. Many retirees find it enormously rewarding to volunteer their skills to worthy charitable organizations, whether it's the Lions Club, animal shelters, the food pantry or a community college.
3. Travel, travel, travel. Almost everyone's bucket list includes a trip to some special place, from the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China to the Grand Canyon.
4. Catch up on TV and movies you've always wanted to see. Maybe you were too busy with your career and kids to follow some of the great directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen and Robert Altman. Now you have time to go on Netflix, Amazon or even borrow CDs from the library.
5. You can still work part time. Just because you're retired doesn't mean you can't work part time. A lot of people carry over assignments from their old company, while others parlay their personal interests into a moneymaking venture.
6. Spend more time with family and grandchildren. Spending time together helps to form lasting connections between family members. Relish the opportunity of this time to create deep and wonderful memories that last a lifetime.
7. You can sleep whenever you want. Retirement isn’t about sleeping, it’s about recharging when you need it, not just when you can fit it in.
8. Senior discounts are yours for the asking! Take advantage of your age and experience with substantial savings. Google “Senior discounts” to get an idea of what’s available.
9. There's no pressure, no stress and no problems. It's the freedom that retirees appreciate so much: Freedom from the pressure to get ahead at work, get your child into college and keep up with the neighbors.
10. You now have the time to do nothing. Finally, there's time to enjoy the pleasure of sitting on the back deck and soaking up the atmosphere, reflecting on your life and enjoying the cool breezes across your face
Where to Retire Magazine Names Citrus Hills a Top 50 Community
We are proud to announce that the Villages of Citrus Hills has once again made Where to Retire Magazine's list of the "Top 50 Best Master-Planned Communities in the United States." The magazine spends more than a full year researching this list, which comes out in their summer edition every other year, so we are thrilled to announce that we have made the cut once again!
Where to Retire describes itself as "America's foremost authority on retirement relocation," so they definitely know their stuff when it comes to featuring the best of the best master-planned communities. The magazine was established in 1992, and it has since helped more than 700,000 Americans locate the perfect destination for their retirement.
This year's "Top 50 Best Master-Planned Communities in the Unites States" article points out that the competition among active adult communities is tougher than ever. There are more and more communities boasting popular amenities like pools, trails, and fitness centers, as well as dog parks, communal gardens, and the availability of green homes. With such fierce competition, it is truly an honor to be included on the magazine's short list of the very best of the best communities.
In addition to all of the standard amenities that you will find across all of the very best master-planned communities, the article also points out that Citrus Hills offers exceptional year-round weather and a location that offers quick access to the Gulf Coast and a number of beautiful parks, which makes outdoor activities extremely accessible. It also highlights the brand new PrimoVito Fitness Center, our four stunning golf courses, and all of the fun you can have with friends at the Tiki Bar!
Residents Fred and Meg Spurlock were quoted in the feature describing what it was that sold them on relocating to the Villages of Citrus Hills. For them, it was all about escaping the traffic around their Maryland home for the quiet and relaxing atmosphere of Florida's Nature Coast. The article also highlighted the fact that Fred enjoys the amenities like exercise classes while Meg is involved in painting classes and a number of women's groups.
One of the more interesting requirements for making the Where to Retire list was that all of the featured communities had to have plenty of room to maintain their current growth. With only 1,680 of the 2,500 planned homes currently built, there is still plenty of room for our community to expand for years to come.
While we are incredibly honored to be featured among the very best of the best master-planned communities, anyone who currently calls the Villages of Citrus Hills home already knows that the community delivers everything it promises and more.