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55+ Communities

How To Choose the Right Patio Home

By northridgecottages

How To Choose the Right Patio Home

By now, you’ve read enough to know you don’t want a nursing home for your next address, right? But with all the recent developments in senior living, how do you choose the best place to live? It can be confusing, and if you find yourself in a time crunch to make decisions, it can be scary. Here are a few tips to guide you through the process and remove that fear.

 

First of all, look at the environment. Is the community well maintained? Ask yourself, Do they take pride in maintaining their property and grounds? Beautiful lawns and planting beds are a good indicator that the property manager is active and responsive.

 

Second, look at the amenities and calendar of events. You are looking for a home with enough privacy and yet enough variety to make your lives feel rich. You may not need new best friends, but friendly acquaintances? Ask yourself, Are there ways for me to connect with other people?

 

Third, take some time in the patio home you’ve been touring to visualize your new life. Imagine where to put furniture, dishes, desks. Do you like the configuration of the rooms? You need the personal space to process what you’re seeing, to ask thoughtful questions, to assess. Ask yourself, Can I picture myself living here?

 

Last but not least, assessing resident satisfaction is crucial. Take a stroll and visit with people who are out on their patios. Ask thoughtful questions, like What do you like most about living here? 

 

Deciding on a patio home is quite a decision, but it’s one you can be proud you’ve made. You are part of a growing community of seniors who are defining what it means to age in the 2020s…make it a life of simplicity, of being present, of making friends, of experiencing joy. Patio living is all of this and more. The North Ridge Cottages is here to serve you, and we want you to be happy living here! 

55+ Communities

There’s No Place Like Home!

By northridgecottages

There’s No Place Like Home!

Tips for Choosing your Patio Home:

The lure of owning your own home, feathering your own little nest is deeply ingrained in all of us. Growing older changes things, however. Bones creak, energy wanes, and a lifetime of accumulating clutter becomes overwhelming. Maintaining your home becomes more difficult. Does that mean you must sacrifice your freedom and independence? Absolutely not!

Part of the transition in aging healthfully and gracefully is in choosing to retain our independence in a way that makes sense. Today’s seniors are ditching their parents’ old folks’ homes in favor of living in a small community of new friends and neighbors. Choosing a patio home is a smart move for healthy seniors who want to enjoy this stage of life.

Faced with a choice of a small room in a senior living center or a small maintenance-free patio home, which do you think nine out of ten seniors will choose? You’d be right! Patio homes offer more autonomy with less upkeep. 


In choosing your new patio home, there are several things to consider: 
  1. What amenities do you find attractive?
  2. What community services are available?
  3. Is this a neighborhood you will find enjoyable?
  4. Is the floorplan one which will meet your needs?
  5. Are you able to live independently without 24-7 medical care?


These considerations make a big difference in the level of satisfaction you will experience afterward. 


Take the situation of friends of ours, Greg and Linda. They are in their 70’s, and were ready to downsize from their high maintenance home into something more manageable. They rented an apartment, and suddenly found themselves squeezed into a fourth of their usual living space with a big change to their way of life. Two months later they were ready to leave their apartment and are now looking for a patio home offering more autonomy. They represent one of a growing number who seizes the opportunity to enjoy age gracefully and independently. 


55+ Communities

Patio Home Living

By northridgecottages

Why is Patio Living Such the Rage?

America’s self-portrait of retirement has evolved into a more gracious setting. Instead of nursing homes, we are enjoying a new reality in aging. As in many other defining moments of their lives, today’s baby boomers are reinventing retirement living, and it’s certainly living up to its hype.

Patio living offers all the privacy of home ownership with all the perks of shared community. Your new patio home will be part of a cluster of other retiree homes, and it’s like having a neighborhood available when you want one, with all the privacy of single home ownership when you want to be alone.

Today’s retirees are shopping for flexibility and perks in retirement living, and patio homes do not disappoint. When you share a wall or communal space with others, you enjoy the option of making new friends and rich fellowship. Growing up visiting over the backyard fence continues, and it defines the friendliness of our communities. We represent that shift in outlook and are representative of the patio homes and villas being built across the nation. Retirees are flocking to these new concepts and we invite you to be a part of this growing movement.

Patio homes are smaller and more economical than maintaining the large homes of the past. They offer many ways to live well on less, including things like using public transportation, accessing non-profit services and streamlining income with anticipated expenses. By not having to replace appliances or repair furnaces, some of those big ticket items can be pocketed for a rainy day. That’s money in the bank!

Amenities, privacy and opportunities for fellowship are top priorities of today’s retirees. Savvy and discerning, they have done their homework, and the demand for alternative forms of housing demonstrates this shift in the market. The benefits of these social designs include better physical and mental health. Socially active retirees enjoy lower blood pressure, less heart disease and less depression. 

They also have a lot more fun! Making friends of other active retirees on your own schedule is a huge benefit of patio living. Instead of living in the close proximity of others within a condo or facility with private apartments, patio living offers privacy with a hint of openness. Smaller homes with exterior maintenance offers the best of all worlds.

Owners love maintaining their privacy with the option of developing friendships, and rate this as the #1 benefit of patio home living. Come visit North Ridge Cottages and envision your next home!

55+ Communities

Ready to Downsize? Here’s How

By northridgecottages

Ready to Downsize Your Home? Here’s How

Are you finding yourself suddenly ready to make a change and downsize? Most of us think about it from time to time, but suddenly when faced with home repairs and yard work you are ready to make a change and it can’t happen soon enough! There are a few things you can do to make this process more profitable.

The problem is that for many is simply knowing where to start. Boxes stashed in the attic suddenly demand sorting. It can be overwhelming, and that is just the beginning. Enlist the help of family to sort through a lifetime of cherished belongings. Decide together what to keep, what to give away, and what to discard. 

Prior to listing your current home comes a series of important tasks. To prepare your home for top dollar you will need to see your old house through new eyes. There are two factors to consider: price and presentation. You need the advice of a professional on how to assess your home’s worth. It doesn’t matter what your neighbor sold a home for just last year—your home’s unique features your location,  and current market demand will determine the asking price. Find a good realtor or appraiser to give you a realistic expectation.

Just as important is presentation. A good realtor knows how to stage a home to ensure viewers like what they see and can envision themselves living there. Listen to their advice. Not sure where to start? Others who have made this transition offer pointers:

  • Give clutter the heave-ho. Those endearing knickknacks turn off buyers. 
  • Spruce up your exterior. Look at curb appeal. Sweep away old cobwebs, plant a few flowers.
  • A fresh coat of paint may do wonders in some spots.
  • Organize your cupboards. Shoppers look, and they need to see a well-organized home.
  • Fix the obvious. Broken tiles and leaks in the roofing are going to drag down your price point.
  • Rearrange your furniture. Too much squeezed in a room doesn’t, “Buy me!” It’s all about the openness and flow.

You have a huge impact on what you earn and can then re-invest from the sale of your home. Some of these things should be considered before you put it on the market, because you’ll find yourself in the eye of the storm once you do. The happiest transitions take place with forethought, planning and preparation. 

55+ Communities

The Many Benefits of Cottage Living

By northridgecottages

The Many Benefits of Cottage Living

North Ridge Cottages offer the best of all worlds for the 55+ community. Free maintenance means freedom to pursue the pleasures of life without the headaches. Kiss snow removal, yard work, and gutter cleaning goodbye! Say hello to a breath of fresh air.

Look at our floor and plan and imagine a simpler life. This phase of your life is something new, something to be appreciated and enjoyed. Our goal is to provide the perfect setting. 


Another benefit of cottage living is the ease of taking care of less space. The home where we raised families is no longer required. Getting rid of the minutiae of life’s accumulated literally lightens our spirits. Cottage living is simple, more defined than a lifetime of acquired junk. You’ll love the simplicity at North Ridge.

You will enjoy community gatherings, of course, but we know that downsizing doesn’t mean you’ve downsized your family or circle of friends. One of the great amenities at North Ridge Cottages is a clubhouse for gatherings coming in 2021. Bring your social calendar, and decide on what interests you the most. 

Look forward to a new chapter, with new looks, a new feel, a breath of fresh air. Hoffman media offers a publication to whet your appetite for all the pleasures coming your way.

More than anything else, you’ll enjoy the time you add to your day with less to demand your attention. Suddenly you have time for a lovely evening walk, an afternoon nap, a cup of tea with a good book at sunrise. We invite you to all the pleasures of home with none of the headaches. We welcome you to cottage living.

Contact Us to schedule a walk-thru…

Email Us

or Call: (816) 877-1709

55+ Communities

Life Is Great When It’s Surrounded by Friends

By northridgecottages

Life Is Great When It’s Surrounded by Friends

North Ridge Cottages has a small-town feel within easy driving distance to the city. With only 37 cottages on the property, it’s easy to get to know everyone in this 55+ community. Our community clubhouse will be completed in 2021 and will be the hub of our community. We will use it to host community events and it will be available to our tenants to reserve as an event space. 


Multiple studies show that connecting and sharing are top priorities for older adults. According to Active Adult Living, one recent study revealed that creating and maintaining friendships was THE top concern that four out of ten seniors voiced, even beating financial concerns. At North Ridge Cottages, our residents want to feel connected to the community and are looking to improve their quality of life. The privacy and layout of our cottage community, allows residents to live separate lives while maintaining close connections.


Seniors who are focused on taking care of their health are the most optimistic about aging. This optimism helps ward off depression and savor life. It’s true that aging ushers in many changes, but living in a supportive community offers adults the chance to connect with others who understand the challenges of aging, and who share similar experiences. Extending relationships beyond the four walls of a person’s home improves the quality of life for all. 


One of the ways North Ridge Cottages is different is our focus on building a social community for seniors. We encourage our residents to get out and get active in neighborhood activities, to join a shared interest group, or just chat with your neighbors. You’ll find that these connections are the backbone of this 55+ community.


We encourage you to visit North Ridge Cottages and experience the friendliness firsthand. 

55+ Communities

55+ Communities Are Growing Younger…Not Older

By northridgecottages

55+ Communities Are Growing Younger…Not Older

Aging has undergone a paradigm shift, and I hope you’re a part of it! Times, they are indeed a’changin! As baby boomers age, they are rewriting all the rules, and it is true for 55+ retirement communities as well.


Is sixty the new forty? According to the Huffington Post, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” With wisdom and maturity, the newly retiring baby boomers are coming to terms with fulfillment and redesigning their lives in the process. Nowhere is that truer than in the development of retirement communities. 


The outdated model of nursing homes as places to deposit a blue-haired granny no one has the time or inclination to handle is no longer true. Instead, communities are beginning to embrace these years before handling the needs of declining health. Residents in these communities carry on as they always have, living full lives, and determining how to spend their hours. 

 

Writer Brad Breeding is quick to point out in My Life Site that today’s 55+ communities are nothing like your granny’s retirement home. Younger retirees form the matrix of a growing body of newly aging people embracing this trend of freedom. They are characterized by good health, active lifestyles, and friendly natures. Whether they like to putz around in a garden or play tennis or cook gourmet meals, these new communities are more utopian, and they are catching on!

Come for a visit. Enjoy the amenities. Make some new friends. Ask questions, lots of them! The question isn’t, “Would I want to live here?” More appropriately, “Why wouldn’t I want to live here?” Don’t let your inborn skepticism derail you here. Just take the challenge. 

 

We believe that this new trend is going to continue to be the burgeoning niche in aging, a sweet spot between the property being too much to handle, and the need for round-the-clock nursing care. Yes, aging folks are going to require skilled nursing care at some point…but that point is further and further on the horizon as the baby boomers age on their own terms. 55+ communities are embracing the paradigm shift, and it’s about time!

55+ Communities

Choosing Your Next New Home When You’re 55+

By northridgecottages

Choosing your next home when you are 55+

Tell-tale signs begin to surface…mobility issues, property maintenance issues, health issues…and suddenly you realize it’s time to look into retirement living. Like all major life decisions, you will experience angst, ambivalence, a certain amount of depression, and a whole lot of confusion as you navigate this uncharted territory. We are here to help you through this transition, to reassure you that the best still lies ahead.

 

Choosing an active adult community for your next home offers you an excellent transition between the rigors of maintaining the home you once enjoyed and the confinement of a nursing home. Bridging this gap offers you or your loved one many more years of pleasurable living. This is not a sad ending, but a joyful beginning of your next glorious adventure.

 

What is a 55+ Community?

Active 55+ communities are age-qualified communities designed for those 55 years or older who want to enjoy their retirement years free of the rigors of mowing, weeding, shoveling snow, and maintaining their homes. North Ridge Cottages offers independence, privacy, and community while still providing a neighborhood of support and friendship.

 

An adult community is perfect for healthy seniors who enjoy their freedom and don’t require assistance. It is far more affordable than a residential care facility and the transition for many is seamless. In Retiring Right you are encouraged to discover the pros and cons of the various choices before you. 

 

There is a sweet spot for living as one has for many years and a sweet spot for making that transition to a new way of life. If you have been hanging onto the past, life is no doubt getting more difficult. The danger in hanging on too long is finally facing the need to finally move into residential care. Seniors may enjoy many years of independent living when they make a more timely transition into an active adult community.  

 

Stephanie Caldow in Psychology Today listed several characteristics to look for in choosing an active 55+ community. Incumbent in the decision-making process is the willingness to do your research. Visit the community. Meet some of the members as you take a walk through the neighborhood. Ask pertinent questions. You are looking for a place that feels like home, a place with warmth, and a sense of community. Visit the site at different times of day, to assess sunlight and community traffic.