39 Roads

Recently, Retirement Relocation hosted events in Northern Virginia with developers from North and South Carolina.  We secured special offers for our clients and friends who were in attendance.  We also have a limited number of these offers from the developers to extend to those who could not be at the receptions or who live outside the immediate area.  The first is from Grand Harbor and its six communities on Lake Greenwood in South Carolina.  They are offering a complimentary two night “Stay and Play” Package, including a round of golf for two people for those who visit before May 31, 2007. 

Vista also gave a presentation on two of its communities in the North Carolina mountains.  On its Bill’s Mountain properties, Vista will give purchasers 15% cash back at closing (this would cover approximately 18-24 months of payments) or 15% off the purchase price.  They are also offering $1500 travel reimbursement at closing.  For its Blacksmith Run properties, they have the same travel expenditures reimbursement at closing and are giving $10,000 off the purchase price and $10,000 toward upgrades.  They also have attractive leaseback options on two of their model homes.  Vista’s offers are good until April 30, 2007.

I’ve also gotten a number of attractive offers in the mail recently to go look at properties.  One came from Alabama Shoreline for their Goose Pond Island properties near Huntsville, Alabama.  They are hosting Discovery Weekends in March where for $99 two people receive round-trip airfare, ground transportation, two nights lodging, meals, and either golf, fishing, or boating.  Their promotional materials boast amenities including a spacious clubhouse, 84-slip covered marina, community dock, and gated entrance.  Alabama Shoreline is offering lake access lots from $59,900, lake view homesites from $124,900, and dockable waterfront from $199,900.  I have requested more information on this community and other developments from Alabama Shoreline.

I also received a mailer with a similar promotion from Florida Waterway Sales for their Water Ridge location which touts “Lakefront Luxury near a Thriving City”.  The community, positioning itself as a “short drive” from Orlando, is planning amenities to include a spa and fitness center, swimming pools, tennis courts, and walking trails and features three freshwater lakes.  They are having a preview event March 9th-11th where you would get round-trip airfare and two nights hotel accommodations for $99 per couple.  This Grand Opening Weekend will also have boat and helicopter tours, meals, entertainment and an offer on developer owned homesites of no payments for 12 months with 90% financing.  Homesites start around $150,000.

If you’re interested in any of these offers, please call Retirement Relocation at 703-430-6411 or 877-55-RETIRE (877-557-3847) or via e-mail at info@RetireRelocateRelax.com.  Also, if you know of similar offers that you think our readers and clients would be interested in, please let us know.

In July 2006 Tennessee launched “Retire Tennessee”, its program to promote ten communities in the state as retirement destinations.  The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matthew Kisber said, “Tennessee has become increasingly attractive to today’s migrating retirees. We fully recognize this as a viable industry and we are now working to implement programs that would establish retirement migration as an economic development strategy.” 

Tennessee has chosen to focus on this form of economic development for a number of reasons: retiree recruitment is an established approach and will be growing with the number of baby boomers reaching retirement age.  Tennessee is ranked 11th as a tourism destination in the country, better positioning themselves for those who may be looking to relocate.  Retirees generally bring increased wealth to their area, creating new jobs and businesses, while tax revenues from this new base of residents exceeds the cost of providing governmental services for them.  For more information please visit http://info.tnanytime.org/tngov/?p=68.

A big player in East Tennessee is Rarity Communities which currently has seven or eight communities, most of which are located on or near lakes, rivers, or mountains.  The company seeks to integrate its developments with their natural surroundings through solid land stewardship.  Rarity Bay has been chosen as one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Communities” by Travel + Leisure Golf Magazine; it was the only community in Tennessee to receive this distinction.  Rarity Bay is located on Lake Tellico about 30 minutes west of Knoxville and also offers water sports, an equestrian center, and views of the Great Smoky Mountains.  The company also has plans for rapid expansion and will be introducing several new communities within the year.

North American Land also has a significant presence in the state, most notably with Rocky River Vista two hours east of Nashville.  The community sits on a bluff overlooking the Rocky River and is located near Center Hill Lake and a scenic state park.  The company also offers Eagles Ridge in Northwest Tennessee on the Kentucky border.  Eagles Ridge is located on 45,000 acre Lake Barkley and features spectacular views.

Many more choices are available and will be available in the state, and Tennessee will become a much talked about destination in the years to come. 

I’ve been asked recently a few times about college towns.  Auditing courses or earning a degree, cultural arts, sporting events, and other campus activities are a big draw- especially it seems for those who currently have positions in school systems or libraries or for those who grew up in a similar environment.  Before making a decision along these lines you may want to make an inquiry into how senior-friendly the students are as well as how inviting or inclusive the institution’s policies are.  One thing to be aware of is that part-time jobs may not be as readily available in a college town as many of these are snagged up by undergraduate students.

Some colleges have created special programs or classes for seniors while others include them in undergraduate classes.  You may want to ask about costs of taking or auditing classes or about discounts for seniors.  Because developers have used nearby colleges as amenities for their communities, many campuses have seen an increase in senior students and have had to limit the numbers who can audit a given course.  Colleges benefit from this relationship both directly from increased revenue and donations to indirectly with positive public relations with alumni or community members as they become ambassadors for the college, particularly in promoting the school’s offerings to grandchildren. 

An article on Back Roads, Charming Towns (http://www.backroadscharmingtowns.com/admin/trackback/13509) talks about alumni buying into condominium and townhouse communities near their alma mater as a weekend retreat for sporting events or other activities.  Many of these individuals use them as rental units as the number of students needing off-campus housing remains relatively steady.  Many of these graduates may make it back as full-time residents to enjoy the college town lifestyle year-round.  

In America’s 100 Best Places to Retire, 9 of the 10 “Best College Towns” are in the Southeast, with Virginia (Charlottesville and Williamsburg), North Carolina (Asheville and Chapel Hill) and Florida (Gainesville and Tallahassee) leading the way.  In fact the University of North Carolina at Asheville has the distinction of being the home of the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (http://www.unca.edu/ncccr/) which “has the threefold purpose of promoting lifelong learning, leadership, and community service opportunities for retirement-aged individuals” and offers a number of programs for retirees.  At Clemson University in Clemson, SC, seniors can audit classes at no charge. 

One of my favorites is Charlottesville, Va. which is consistently rated as one of the best places to live on the planet.  The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, is easily one of the top five public universities in the country.  Again, those over 60 who have resided in the state for a year or more can audit courses for free when space is available.  The city boasts a downtown walking mall, good climate, a lower cost of living than many areas, and an abundance of historical areas nearby.  One of my favorite restaurants anywhere is The Shebeen (http://www.shebeenpub.com/) which offers delicious South African fare.  I highly recommend it if you’re visiting the area.