Senior Housing

Senior housing with parking

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
Old bike
Old Bike

Much of the senior housing, or maybe I should say housing for people 55 years old or older is located in areas that are not very walkable. Many include the use of surface parking lots and underground garages.

The least expensive senior housing seems to be located in the communities that are the least walkable.

Couples with two cars can move in and drive anywhere they need to go. I am not a fan of that lifestyle at least not for myself. I would rather live in the city, own one or fewer cars, walk bike, or use shared scooters.

Walking is good for the legs and the heart and the brain too. Sure it takes time but maybe that is the reward for growing older, more time for walking.

Cars are expensive, parking is expensive, car insurance is expensive and so is gasoline. Having two cars is twice as expensive.

55+ housing options

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

IcecreamMy parents rejected 55+ housing because it was often in areas that are not very walkable.  When they moved at the age of 78 they chose to live in a single-level condo in the heart of the city. There was only one parking space which was fine with them.

They enjoyed walking to the nearby park and to restaurants. They could walk to the grocery store, take a bus or a cab or even drive.

When they were in their mid 80’s driving became more difficult for several reasons that mostly have to do with how the aging process can change a body.

They often had their groceries delivered and relied on family members and taxi cabs when they needed rides to doctors’ appointments or shopping.  They did most of their shopping online. It was much of a stretch. My mom often ordered items by phone from the catalogs that were around before internet shopping arrived on the scene.

Some older home buyers want the amenities that come with senior housing like exercise rooms, community rooms, and people to socialize with. My mother-in-law was quite the card player. She lived in senior housing and played cards with other residents. That was a huge part of her social life.

There is no one size fits all housing for people who are 55 to 100 years old.  I think I would be the happiest if I lived close to ice cream. I live in an area where there is a lot of beer but ice cream is hard to find.

What is an SRES?

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

What is SRES? Thanks for asking. SRES stands for Senior Real Estate Specialist. The specialist doesn’t have to be a senior but does have to specialize in real estate for seniors.

It is all actually quite interesting because there really isn’t such a thing as Senior real estate. Older houses are sometimes called “Historic” but never “senior”

There is such a thing as senior housing. Usually, it is housing that people have to be 55 or older to buy or rent. With some housing, a person has to be 62 or better to buy or rent.

The Senior Specialist Designation is through the National Association of Realtors. It is an area of study. Once the course is taken as I recall there is a test.

I have had many clients over the years who are 70 or older. I think my oldest client was in her early 90’s.  There is no one size fits all housing solution for people who are over 55. It mostly depends upon what kind of a lifestyle the person has or wants.

Health and money weigh into the equation too.  I have worked with a few people who are blind or almost blind. Some seniors like to jog and others don’t want a house where there are stairs to climb.

Sometimes families need help with a house that they inherited from a loved one. I have experience with that both as a family member and as a Realtor.

Some of my older clients have downsized while others have purchased larger homes. Sometimes it takes a larger house to meet the needs of a few generations.

Listening is the most important skill for working with seniors. It is best not to make any assumptions about the size, and style of a house a person might want.

I just renewed my SRES membership for another year. Feel free to call or write with questions. Boardman Realty is woman-owned and operated and I suppose technically we are senior citizens too.

Downsizing can be a challenge but we have done that ourselves and have helped family members and clients do the same. In fact sometimes I think about writing a book on how to pack up a life and move away.

Certificate SRES

 

The pandemic and early retirement

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

Early retirements are way up because of the pandemic. On average, 2 million boomers have retired each year since 2011, according to an analysis by Pew 3.2

.

million people retired in 2020.

I know several people who retired early and in the last 18 months because of the pandemic. Some were already 70 or older and others were between the ages of 60 and 65 at retirement.

The homeownership rate among baby boomers is 74 to 82% depending upon the age of the boomer. Baby boomers are mostly hanging on to their real estate due to the lack of suitable or affordable housing. It is actually less expensive to live in a larger house than it is to buy a smaller house, at least for now.

Almost 38% of homeowners between the ages of 65 and 74 have mortgages which is way up from 1989 when it was closer to 21%. Almost 28% of homeowners who are over 75 have a mortgage.

Retirement will be easier without a mortgage. We used to worry about paying mortgages in old age but now that seems easy compared with paying for health care and or long-term care.

On the other hand without mortgage payments, there is more money for medical expenses. I have read a few articles that discourage borrowers from paying off their mortgage early. I don’t agree with most of the articles which are usually written by people in the mortgage industry.

My advice to anyone who is considering early retirement is to pay off the mortgage first unless of course, you have a lot of money and a large retirement fund.

Transfer on death deed (TODD)

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

If you are doing a little estate planning consider your real estate. It is probably your most valuable assiet.  A transfer-on-death deed (TODD) allows for the transfer of title of real property to a named beneficiary at the death of the owner, or the last to die

House

of multiple owners.

The person named on the deed doesn’t have any right to the property until the owner dies and it can be revoked. The new owner also inherits any liens against the property.

A TODD can be helpful for estates that don’t need estate tax planning and where the only asset subject to probate is the home.

We often work with families and attorneys to sell houses after the owners have died. It can get complicated and take a long time for the estate to go through probate. The house can be put on the market while in probate, but the sale can not close.

Talk to your attorney about the transfer on death deed. There are pros and cons and I can’t give legal advice because that would be illegal. 🙂

If you need help selling a house that is part of an estate please call or write.

One in 4 will be over 65 by 2030

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

Minnesota is growing old.

By 2030, there will be 20,000 fewer K-12 students and 455,000 more seniors.
At least 70% of the Minnesotans who turned 65 in 2017 are expected to use long-term care services at some point. Maybe robots will provide hands-on care?

By 2030 Minnesota’s overall population is projected to grow 8.6% over the next decade, its senior population will surge by 56%.

By 2030 70% of those over 65 will need some form of long-term care. [FaceagingMN.org]

Aging in place is going to be a popular option for seniors who own homes and who can afford to keep owning them and are not facing serious health problems.

The homeownership rate among those 65 and older is in the neighborhood of 76%. Vacancy rates in assisted living and independent living housing combined are at around 15%.

We need more housing for all ages and single-family homes are still the most popular option.