Reply to Pro/Con of over 55 communities

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My grandparents moved to Laguna Woods (formerly Leisure World) right next to Laguna Beach, CA. This is a 55+ community.

They loved it. My grandfather was a former contractor and they flipped at least 12 houses within the 55+ development before they died. If you're into real estate, you can live in very nice areas for much cheaper than going rate in the surrounding neighborhoods outside the community (try buying a house in Laguna Beach...). If you are a RE investor, tons of opportunities to buy an older home, update it, and sell for big money without any competition from families or institutional investor money.

Other pluses: no maintenance, no yardwork, active security, easy access to golf/tennis/club houses, lots of activity-based (my grandmother led the Computer Club for 20+ years and taught thousands of retirees how to use computers and smart phones), discounted travel tours, etc.

Laguna Woods actually seceded from the adjacent city in the early 2000s because of escalating property taxes. So that's another benefit to a 55+ community that incorporates as its own jurisdiction - it can control property taxes to a degree.[/quote]

OP again thanks for this post.  These items you mention are huge.[/quote]

It is one of the few remaining areas in OC where you can still get in at an affordable price. And it is so close to the beach! Your grandparents were smart :) 
Another pro of Laguna Woods was the sheer diversity of housing in the development. Real SFHs, connected multi-level townhouses, single level connected garden-style town houses, 4-6 unit garden apartments (with no stairs - just long ramps up to the upper level units), condo towers with various degrees of assistance, etc. Really awesome 55+ community with a housing style to suit most preferences and budgets. They had studio apartments in small, no-frills elevator buildings if that's all you could afford. [/quote]

So interesting (and funny) to see this post. I live in Laguna Beach, moved from Bethesda 7 years ago.  I can vouch for everything both PP's wrote above.  [/quote]

TBH, my grandparents bought all of those types of houses in Laguna Woods and flipped them. I visited every single one of their homes, they'd have a new home every two years or so. They would renovate in place; my grandfather had great sub-contractors he'd use for every job. The first thing they do is renovate the kitchen. Then each bathroom. Then re-do the floors, maybe open up a wall. New sliding glass door that's much easier to open.

Once they hit two years, my grandmother would get antsy and start going to open houses to find the next unit to renovate. They did this for 20+ years, it was so smart. [/quote][/quote]

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