When living in a large city or metro area, I think it makes sense to stay close to the area you already live in, when looking for a retirement home.  You get used to the amenities in a metro area that would be hard to find in a mountain, lakeside or other resort areas.   A 55+ community in a smaller town on the edge of a metro area is what most folks come to realize is the perfect solution.

A luxury 55+ community in the Atlanta Georgia area that sounds perfect is The Enclave at Pinetree Country Club. It is close enough where you can still lunch or visit with your long time friends and relatives in the metro area, yet enjoy the country club and on site amenities that 55+ like to enjoy.  It is located in Kennesaw GA up near I-75 and I-575, so it is part of the metro Atlanta area, but maybe not in the hustle and bustle your current home is.

New model homes are now open and ready to tour. Contact Robyn at the link above.

The Enclave at Pinetree County Club on SmallTownRetirement.com

I received a copy of The 50 Best Small Southern Towns by Gerald Sweitzer and Kathy Fields that has just come out.  Living in Georgia, I was very interested in seeing what towns the authors chose. Almost as interesting, was a section in the back of their book titled “Additional Small Southern Towns of Interest” where they listed 4 runner up towns from each state.  In Georgia these included Cartersville, Sandersville and Thomasville.  I have been hearing good things about these very towns, so this immediately validated my interest in this book.

The authors visited each town listed in the book (more than 150 towns!) and spoke with many regular lay people as well as professionals in each community.  These really are small towns in that their scope was towns with a population of at least a thousand but no more than 25 thousand. They list many other criteria in their book, too many to list here.

After their evaluations, they list 5 or 6 best small towns in each states (and the 4 runners up towns as mentioned above).  In Georgia, for example, they list Carrollton, Covington, Dahlonega, Perry, St. Marys and St. Simmons Island.  Being in the Atlanta area, I like Dahlonega and St. Simons Island best from this list from first glance, but maybe I should visit the other towns listed.  I do like Sandersville and Carterville from the runner up list they provided.

I found this book interesting, especially since at age 60 we plan on visiting as many places as we can to see what is out there beyond the rat race we just left behind.  We plan on visiting in our own state first then maybe working in some towns in neighboring states as a combination vacation and research trip.

Thanks to Gerald Sweitzer and Kathy Fields for providing such timely information for me and my wife Mary Ann.

PS: I will try to find out if Kathy Fields is still teaching the Simple Living classes in the Atlanta area that was mentioned in the bio of this book.  

Sandy Springs was once a small town north of Atlanta GA.  As the area grew, Sandy Springs became part of the Atlanta metro area but managed to stay unique with it’s own identity and the long term residents stayed.  Now Sandy Springs has become it’s own city and is under going rejuvenation. Then new city managers are doing a lot of positive things. It is almost like the old song Doraville, a little bit of country in the city.

Many of the long time residents are now empty nesters and entering retirement age. They are stepping down from their large homes but want to stay local, as they like living in Sandy Springs.  We visited one new community, City Walk Heights in Sandy Springs,  recently and the manager tells us many of the new owners are locals stepping down from their large homes but still want a quality home in Sandy Springs. We we quite impressed with the location, next to the new City Heights shopping area off Hammond Drive. The community has town homes and condos.  We looked at a town home with an elevator. The condo we viewed was one level. All had high 10 foot ceiling, hardwood floors, open kitchens and we very sound proof.

If you haven’t been to Del Webb at Lake Oconee lately, we have a lot of news to share with you. As the nation’s only Del Webb community with direct lake access, Del Webb at Lake Oconee’s amenities are underway, homeowners have moved in and the lifestyle is in full swing!Amenity Update

Construction began last month on the Club at Lake Oconee, the $9 million amenity complex. Scheduled to open this December, the Club at Lake Oconee includes a 21,000 square foot amenity center with an indoor pool, fitness center, ballroom, billiards room, arts-and-crafts room, tennis pavilion with six clay tennis courts, bocce ball, croquet court, pickle-ball courts, grandchildren’s park and a resort-style outdoor pool.Also, development is in full swing on the Lakeside Pavilion which is expected to be open in time for boating season this May! From the community docks, to grills and an outdoor fireplace, it will be here for your year-round use. The Lakeside Pavilion will also offer unique opportunities for onsite boat and RV storage.Lifestyle Update

The first homeowners have moved in and have already started enjoying the Del Webb lifestyle! JT, Del Webb at Lake Oconee’s full-time Lifestyle Director, has put together some amazing activities and has worked with the residents to start over 10 active clubs. Some of the most popular include the walking club, travel club and ladies club. Don’t miss out on any of the exciting activities and new friendships at Del Webb at Lake Oconee. It’s the perfect time to check out all that has happened since grand opening last summer.Call 706-454-5430 today and schedule an appointment to all see the progress for yourself! 

A SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist) told me that she knew of three couple who had put down 10% (about $35,000 each) on homes at Seasons at Lake Lanier Georgia. They reporterly are having trouble getting their money back after Levitt file for bankurptcy and shut down.  Surely you would think they would be the first to eventually get paid out of the process, if any.  Also wouldn’t the Georgia Real Estate Commission cover this from their $600,000 fund per person. I know it was a development company but surely they had a real estate license, don’t you think?  Anyone know anything new on this Levitt situation, please leave a reply.

What about the other Active Adult home builders, like Pulte Del Webb, Centex Corp., DR Horton Inc., Lennar Corp. and Toll Brothers Inc. I would think they would all be solid, but I though that about Levitt also.

Just spotted this news article and just about fell out of my chair.

 Levitt & Sons, the Florida-based developer of two Seasons communities in north metro Atlanta, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday in Fort Lauderdale, leaving hundreds of Georgia homeowners and dozens of prospective homeowners hanging in the balance.

The announcement late Friday capped weeks of uncertainty after Levitt stopped all construction work on its Georgia properties and laid off workers.

With communities at Lake Lanier and in Laurel Canyon near Canton under active construction, the Levitt hiatus pitched a number of would-be residents into a holding pattern with temporary living arrangements and stored belongings as they await the communities’ fate.

Wow!

More:

It seems I hear more and more about St. Simons Island Georgia as a vacation spot, a second home location and now a great retirement place.

St. Simons Island is part of the legendary Golden Isles near Historic Brunswick, Georgia, St. Simons Island lies between Jekyll Island and Sea Island.

Marsh’s Edge is a full service senior community located on the beautiful Saint Simons Island.  From the photos on their web site, it looks simply gorgeous, with lakes and live oaks around the property.  Already a vacation and second home destination, Marsh’s Edge is in the midst of legendary golf courses, distinctive boutiques, art galleries and antique shops.

I can imagine living here without the worries about home maintenance, yard work and other chores.  It would be like being on vacation all the time. The Wellness Center includes senior friendly exercise equipment and an indoor swimming pool.

Continuing Care Retirement Community

This is a Continuing Care Retirement Community. CCRCs are so named because they address the entire continuum of care with healthy seniors moving into independent living apartments, but having the security of knowing they can “age in place” thanks to assisted living and skilled nursing services on site.

A big part of Marsh’s Edge is the regular retirement community living. They have a good variety of accomadations including:

I think a trip to check out Marsh’s Edge on St. Simons Island would be interesting and worthwhile.

We have recently visited another Del Webb community located in Greensboro, Georgia on Lake Oconee.  Lake Oconee is one of the largest lakes in Georgia and known for its high end living at many of its established lake communities.  Del Webb is developing a 55+ community that will definitely appeal to those seeking a lake/resort atmosphere.  Located next to Reynolds Plantation, a premiere private lake community, Del Webb Lake Oconee residents will have lake access and a private community dock. You definitely get the feel of a resort community here and construction is underway for nearby upscale shopping and there are several really nice restaurants including the Ritz Carlton at Reynolds Plantation.  The model homes continue to impress us offering two and three bedrooms, open floor plans with great kitchen and bathroom designs. Tours and seminars are still being offered in September and this would be a great time to check out this community. 

We just visited Del Webb’s new Active Adult Community at Lake Oconee Greensboro Georgia.  Lake Oconee has been a hot spot for those fortunate enough to “retire to the lake” for years. It is the home of Reynolds Plantation where homes go from $400,000 to well over a million.  The area has developed high end shopping and gourmet restaurants.  I have heard a lot about Lake Oconee and now after visiting can see why it is a very nice place to live.

Del Webb at Lake Oconee is coming along nicely. Most of the streets are in as well as the model home park and the sales center.  I toured several lot pods and was surprised to see high elevation lots with nice long vistas the fortunate homeowners will get.  In my mind I am thinking everything was going to be flat, but that is not the case. Also some very nice lake view lots were spotted on at least two pods.  

At the entrance will be a large community monuments with a gorgeous waterfall feature that should give quite an impression. Then the gated security follows as you enter this new 55+ community.  The sales center and model home park will be on the right. Looks like maybe 12 model homes from my count.  The 21,000 square feet activities center will be nearby.  The elevation slopes as you follow the Del Webb Parkway through the community towards the lake.  At the lake there will be two boat ramps and docks with about 40 boat slips for the community.  On the hill to the left will be a nice covered pavilion for picnicking with a view over the lake.  A quite interesting feature being planned is a RV and boat storage facility right on the property.  That would be nice to have your boat right in your community next to your boat ramp with no highway towing necessary.

My wife and I are still talking about this new community and I am sure there will be quite a stir the Ritz Carlton Lodge on August 3 & 4 when when the VIP preview event will take place. If you have an interest in 55+ lake property and communities, you need to go to Del Webb’s Lake Oconee web page and register for this VIP event as soon as possible. I believe it may be booked up but an opening is possible if you act now.  

We have toured two other Pulte Del Webb communities and were very impressed by the livable, energy efficient floor pans. There will be the same floor plans offered here, plus Villas.  There will be 895 lots on 400 acres, so this is a reasonable size community.

Del Webb at Lake Oconee community is located off Lake Oconee Parkway in the middle of Georgia’s Lake Country and very near the Lake Oconee Village shops.

Robert

We have visited another 55 community called Seasons at Lake Lanier near Gainesville, GA.  These homes are being built by Levitt and Sons.  The model homes are built and open for tours.  However, the club house has not been built yet.  Although they offer a video for viewing of the proposed club house, we were disappointed not to be able to view the proposed amenities.  They offer two and three bedroom homes.  Most of the homes are built with add-ons so you get to see first hand what options are available.  So, many of these features are not included in the base price quote.  We found the three bedroom homes to be quite spacious.  They do have completed and furnished basements which is an option in their home designs.  Their interior design team has done an outstanding job in furnishing these homes giving you insight into how your basement could be utilized.  Some are set up as game rooms with full bars, media rooms, or additional living space.  They do offer the option of completly finishing the basement space.  This 55+ community is located off the main road close to a very busy section filled with restaurants, grocery stores, automobile dealerships, etc. before reaching downtown Gainesville.  Upon entering the subdivision, I didn’t get the feeling of being in a resort community as I have with other retirement communities we have visited because of the proximity to the busy road.  However, this community will have fewer built homes (approximately 745) which could be appealing.    

Looking forward to going down to Del Webb’s Lifestyle Seminar for their new 55+ active adult community on Lake Oconee.  I signed up on their web site, and got an invitation for Friday August 3rd. The meeting is going to be at the Ritz Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation, so that will also give me a chance to visit that property that I have heard so much about.

This will be my first trip to Lake Oconee. I recently visited Lake Sinclair down hwy 441 at Milledgeville. They told me both Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair have pretty constant lake levels which at mainted by Georgia Power. So the lake does not go way down in Winter or even a draught, like some other Georgia lakes. One of my friends is almost a professional fisherman entering fishing contests all over the country, and he says the fishing is great. Well I haven’t fished too much since I was a kid, but it would be fun to do again.

I wonder if the Lake Oconee Del Webb community will have a 35,000 square foot club-recreation-activities center with a lifestyle director like their property at the Village at Deaton Creek up by Chateau Elan NE of Atlanta?  I will find out.

Will be interesting also to see how the dock and association owned boats will work. Do you just pay a fee to use them?  If so, that may not be a bad idea.  As a former boat owner $$, I think I would rather rent.

Is it true they may be building their own town with this 55+ community?  That would be nice.  I am sure there must be already a good many stores and restaurants with all the other lake property homes and communities there at Reynolds Plantation.  As far as I know this will be the first Active Adult Community at Lake Oconee.

I hope they have some of the same model home plans that I saw at Deaton Creek. They had eveything we always dreamed of. My wife really like the cabinets in the kitchen and master bath.

I will take plenty of pictures and make a report when I return. In the meantime, I will try to find out more about the Lake Oconee community.

My husband and I recently became interested in checking out the 55+ communities.  I had seen advertisements about such communities in Florida and was excited to see these communities being developed in the State of Georgia.  We have now visited several communities by different developers and have increased our knowledge of active adult communities. Our lastest visit was to Deaton Creek near Chateau Elan, just north of Atlanta.  This development is built by Pulte/Del Webb and it is quite impressive.  These homes offer many features that are standard while considered an upgrade by other developers.  We were quite impressed with the cabinetry in the kitchens and baths.  Granite counter tops, lots of storage drawers and cabinets in both the kitchen and baths.  I was most excited about the size of the kitchens in several of the models.  Work areas were spacious and designed for those of us who still enjoy cooking and entertaining families and friends. The floor plans varied in size and offered either two or three bedrooms.  The largest three bedroom plan offers three full baths and one half bath.  We also toured the club house which was recently opened to the residents.  WOW.  From exercising, swimming, to cooking classes, this club house will offer most any activity you can imagine.  They even have a dog park and a park for your grandkids when they visit.   I would highly recommend you visit this community as you continue your search for retirement living.  We look forward to visiting additional  Georgia communities and adding comments about these visits. 

Georgia Active Adult Communities

Mary Ann and I visited the Del Webb active adult community The Village at Deaton Creek this week and were very impressed with the new activity center which opened last week and the model homes. The Village at Deanton Creek is located north east of Atlanta. For locals it is up I-85 on the exit for Chateau Elan and Road Atlanta.  This whole area has become a great area for active adults.

The activity center is a good name because club house does not do justice to this 35,000 square foot building.  It is the largest of its kind in Georgia. All the features and activities reminded us of being on a cruise. The lifestyle director gave us a tour.  We were not ready or expecting such a wonderful facility. It has everything.  The communities marketing material has this say: This active adult oasis, known as “The Club at Deaton Creek,” has been specifically designed to enhance and expand the active lifestyle for our current and future residents.” They are not exaggerating.

The entrance is grand and has a registration/service desk and lounging area like a lodge you would see out West maybe in Yellowstone or Montana. Soaring ceilings and wall of glass to the back overlooking the terrace and the river.

The Grand Ballroom is huge and could be separated by rooms but I could see a community gathering for a dance or party taking place here. At one end a group of about 30 residents were playing bridge when we attended. At the other end of this large ballroom was a professional cooking demo room, like you would see at Whole Foods.

The crafts room was actually two colorful rooms and had facilities for ceramic making including a kiln. Also a library/Wall Street Room with wireless Internet access.

The fitness area was huge, again set up like on a cruise ship only much bigger.  Nautilus equipment arranged to look out through the walls of glass. Flat screen TVs and plug ins for music and video.  At the end of the building was a Junior Olympics size indoor heated pool.  Adjoining locker and changing rooms were beautiful.

Outdoors there are upper and lower terraces just outside and part of the activity center overlooking the natural area and river.  Seating groups of wicker were arranged. Good place to sit with friends or by yourself to read a book. This area reminded us of a lodge we stayed at last year in Alaska. Oh, at the end is a huge outdoor swimming pool.

We did a home made video if you would like to take a look. This is our first video so please overlook the technical part but I think it will give you a good feel for the activity center.  For more information on The Village at Deaton Creek visit their website. For more reviews of active adult communities in Georgia.

With this community, you get both the advantages of a an active adult community and also small town living, even though it is part of metro Atlanta GA.

Robert and Mary Ann
SmallTownRetirement.com

I toured the brand new 35,000 activity center at the Village at Deaton Creek. This is a new Del Webb 55 and better community located near Chateau Elan, northeast of Atlanta, GA. 

 This activity center is wonderful  Take a look at the live video I taped this week.
Village at Deaton Creek Activity Center.   I promise you have never seen anything like this. It is the largest of it’s type in Georgia. There are walking trails, tennis complex, mini-parks and a lifestyle director who will coordinate social activities in the community. The bridge club was meeting in part of the ball room when I was there. The Junior Olymic indoor pool looks great. Out pool has plenty of decking and chairs. 

Robert, SmallTownRetirement.com

In a 100 mile radius around Atlanta GA, Boomers and Seniors will have their choice of several new 55+ retirement communities that are under construction right now. Georgia is one of the best states to retire to if the number of new retirement communities and the high number of Internet search inquiries are considered.  Many people who relocated to Florida are now coming back up to Georgia because they are just getting hammered on the high costs of property taxes and home insurance.  Atlanta metro area is now home to over 5 million people and as is the case nationwide, people like to retire to a community close by.  Parents are retiring to Georgia to be close to their adult children who found jobs there as the econony grew over the last few years.

Del Webb/Plute has three very nice communities under way and Levitt and Sons also have three active adult communities in progress. These offer numerous amenities, modern recreational facilities, breathtaking surroundings and livable home designs that make active adult communities a great place to live and relax.

One exciting community is Del Webb on Lake Oconee.  This community will offer great access to Lake Oconee where I understand fishing is wonderful on this large relatively shallow GA lake  Del Webb at Lake Oconee will offer more than 850 homes located across 400 acres bordering Lake Oconee and adjacent to award-winning Reynolds Plantation. 55 Plus Lake Property Retirement Communities are hard to find. Look for this community to be available in late Summer but you can get more info at the link above as well as get on their email list for announcements and invitations to visit. Lake Oconee is situated 75 miles east of Atlanta on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia.

Sun City Peachtree Pulte/Del Webb’s Vikek is directing the development of Georgia’s first Sun City Retirement Community in Spalding County on the south side of Atlanta Georgia. It will be a 3,400 homesite community and will include a 38,000 square foot amenity center, a championship gold course and a softball field.

Levitt and Sons has active adult communities in these locations, all within close proximity to metro Atlanta:

Seasons at Laurel Canyon (Cherokee County) by Levitt & Sons is located in Canton GA and has 766 home sites on 350 acres. The prices are $200,000 to $400, 000 based the floor plans and lots. It features a large clubhouse that will be the center of social and physical activities.

Seasons at Lake Lanier (Hall County) by Levitt & Sons is located in Gainesville GA. There are 744 homesites on 410 acres. This is an Active Adult 55 Plus community located on Lake Lanier. Prices are $200,000 to $400,000 and up. The model homes are now available for touring. If you get a chance take a visit and I think you will be impressive with the location and the wonderful livable floor plans and designs. Again, lake property retirement communities are hard to find.

Seasons at Seven Hills (Paulding County) by Levitt & Sons is located in Dallas Georgia on the Western edges of metro Atlanta. There are 724 homesites. Prices range from $200,000 to $400,000.

In addition many local builders are developing communities of the 55+ type or offer nearly the same amenities like ranch style or master on main, walking trails, swim/tennis with clubhouse. On such community is Mountain View located off Hwy 140 East of Canton. Several builders in this community. Price ranges in the low $200s to $300,000. RL Glosson Homes 678-493-0696 is one of the builders. There are two sections,  Autumn Ridge at the top with wonderful mountain views and Creekside. Mountain View is located on the top of a high ridge with wonderful mountain vistas. Mountain property in the metro area - nice!

Make a weekend visit to tour these communities and take a look at the model homes, clubhouse and other amenities.  I think you will be impressed.

For more information visit  Active Adults communities in Georgia
For information about retirement communities inside the Perimeter in the City of Atlanta 

Robert Fowler
55 Plus Communities