Monday, January 13, 2014

Retirement In The Silicon Valley


While the Silicon Valley is known for many things, high tech, great schools, and expensive housing, it is also actually a wonderful place for retirement. The options available for independent adult living, assisted care, nursing homes, continuing care, as well as home health care are abundant.

This is the first blog in a series about what some of the many options you have for your retirement in the Silicon Valley. Today I will talk about independent living for active senior adults.

Independent living in a retirement community means that you would have your own home, condo, or apartment, but the other people in the community would all be seniors. The age cut off depends on the number of units in the community. The smaller communities may have older age requirements, ie 62 years old vs 55 years old. 
In an independent Silicon Valley active retirement community there are generally some services provided but not true assisted living. Meals may be available or there may be restaurants on the premises. There may be shuttle services to take residents shopping or to doctors appointments. There are frequently recreational activities such as pools, golf, hiking trails, gyms, art classes, excursions to theatres and concerts, and organized card games.

Some of these independent retirement communities offer additional services for their residents, like maid services or in room meals. 

Purchasing a home or condo in an independent Silicon Valley retirement community is generally less expensive than an equivalent home in a non age restricted community. For example Los Gatos Commons has a two bedroom condo listed for $320,000 when no non age restricted condo in Los Gatos sold for less than $500,000 in 2013. There are also options for renting in adult only apartments or buying a mobile hone in an adult only park.

The cost of independent living monthly fees can be steep depending on what is included. It is not unusual to pay $1000 to $5000 a month for dues if meals are included or if there are a lot of recreational facilities offered.

These independent Silicon Valley retirement communities can be found all over the bay area. South San Jose has the Villages, Los Gatos has the commons, Menlo Park has the Commons, Palo Alto has the Hamilton, and San Mateo has The Gramercy just as a few examples. Whether you want a rural, suburban, or urban experience, you can find it in a Silicon Valley retirement community.

If you have any questions about buying a home in a Silicon Valley retirement community please feel free to contact me. 

Marcy Moyer
Keller Williams Realty
Ca BRE 01191194
650-619-9285

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