Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
2012 Senior Games
Save the date for the 2012 Capital City Senior Games! It will be held on March 15 through 19 in 2012. Athletic competitions for anyone age 50 or better (don't you like that better instead of older)? Winners will qualify for the State Games!! WOOHOO
Competition is in table tennis, horseshoes, volleyball, basketball shooting, cycling, track and field, swimming and more!
Visit the website at www.visittallahassee.com or call 891-FUNN
See you there.
Competition is in table tennis, horseshoes, volleyball, basketball shooting, cycling, track and field, swimming and more!
Visit the website at www.visittallahassee.com or call 891-FUNN
See you there.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
GETTING ORGANIZED:
Essential Documents to Store in One File Cabinet
Working from a list that appeared in a Saturday, July 2, 2011, Wall Street Journal article, here are essential personal and financial documents that should be readily accessible by you or your heirs in an eldercare situation. Your personal
circumstances might not require having every item listed here, but the categories reflect the range of issues relevant to caring for an aging parent. Consolidating and organizing this information is not only a great benefit to you while you’re
living, it is also invaluable for your heirs.
By the way:
While having original documents and physical copies collected in one file cabinet
is a fundamental of good financial organization, maintaining an electronic backup
file, such as the online data storage programs offered by many financial institutions, is a superb secondary location for the same documents. Check with one of your financial professionals to see if they offer this service.
Marriage and Divorce:
Marriage license(s)
Divorce papers
Health Care History and Instructions:
Personal and family medical histories
Durable health-care power of attorney
Authorization to release health-care information
Living Will
Do-not-resuscitate instructions
Proof of ownership:
Housing, land and cemetery deeds
Escrow mortgage accounts
Proof of loans made and debts owed
Vehicle titles
Stock certificates, savings bonds & brokerage accounts
Partnership and corporate operating agreements
Tax returns
Life insurance and retirement:
Life insurance policies
Individual retirement accounts
401(k) accounts
Pension documents
Annuity contracts
Bank Accounts:
List of bank accounts
List of all user names and passwords
List of safe-deposit boxes
The Essentials:
Will
Letters of instruction
Trust documents
__________________
Working from a list that appeared in a Saturday, July 2, 2011, Wall Street Journal article, here are essential personal and financial documents that should be readily accessible by you or your heirs in an eldercare situation. Your personal
circumstances might not require having every item listed here, but the categories reflect the range of issues relevant to caring for an aging parent. Consolidating and organizing this information is not only a great benefit to you while you’re
living, it is also invaluable for your heirs.
By the way:
While having original documents and physical copies collected in one file cabinet
is a fundamental of good financial organization, maintaining an electronic backup
file, such as the online data storage programs offered by many financial institutions, is a superb secondary location for the same documents. Check with one of your financial professionals to see if they offer this service.
Marriage and Divorce:
Marriage license(s)
Divorce papers
Health Care History and Instructions:
Personal and family medical histories
Durable health-care power of attorney
Authorization to release health-care information
Living Will
Do-not-resuscitate instructions
Proof of ownership:
Housing, land and cemetery deeds
Escrow mortgage accounts
Proof of loans made and debts owed
Vehicle titles
Stock certificates, savings bonds & brokerage accounts
Partnership and corporate operating agreements
Tax returns
Life insurance and retirement:
Life insurance policies
Individual retirement accounts
401(k) accounts
Pension documents
Annuity contracts
Bank Accounts:
List of bank accounts
List of all user names and passwords
List of safe-deposit boxes
The Essentials:
Will
Letters of instruction
Trust documents
__________________
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tallahassee Senior Center Expo
I'll be there with many other vendors serving the mature community. The expo is open on Thursday, 9-8-11 from 5 until 8 p.m. and Friday, 9-9-11 from 9;30 to 12:30. Some new stuff, some vendors that have been here for a while and plenty of people to see and visit.
I'll have information about our local real estate market and information for getting assistance for things you may need around the house.
I'll have information about our local real estate market and information for getting assistance for things you may need around the house.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Daily Real Estate News
Some good questions and comments. Always speak with your accountant or tax attorney or elder law attorney before making changes. It will save you money and worry.
Daily Real Estate News
Daily Real Estate News
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Daily Real Estate News
Daily Real Estate News
Looks like it's going to be more expensive and harder still for buyers to get financing for homes in the future. I understand the reasoning but if someone can put 20% down on a home, they are less likely to be a risky loan. Why punish them?
Looks like it's going to be more expensive and harder still for buyers to get financing for homes in the future. I understand the reasoning but if someone can put 20% down on a home, they are less likely to be a risky loan. Why punish them?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Economic Changes Alters Older Buyer Priorities
RISMEDIA, January 19, 2011—A joint study by the 50+ Housing Council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute shows the recession has made 55+ buyers more practical when selecting a new home. Design considerations have become less important, and financial concerns have become more prominent, according to the study.
Previous studies from these two organizations found that most 55+ buyers depended on home sale proceeds to finance a new purchase. The most recent data shows that option diminished during the economic downturn.
The study, “Housing Trends Update for the 55+ Market,” explores recently released housing data from the Census Bureau’s 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS) on the 55+ demographic. The report focuses especially on households living in active adult communities, either age-qualified active adult communities where at least one resident must be age 55+, other non-age-qualified 55+ owner-occupied communities (not explicitly restricted to 55+ households but nevertheless occupied primarily by people age 55+), or age-restricted rental communities.
“By the year 2020, as Baby Boomers move into this age bracket, almost 45 percent of all U.S. households will include someone at least 55 years old,” said David Crowe, NAHB’s chief economist. “The number of those households seeking housing better suited to their changing needs will therefore rise dramatically.”
Crowe noted that about 54,000 housing starts are projected in 55+ communities this year, a 30% rise from estimated 2010 levels, but still relatively modest production. Starts in 55+ communities are projected to increase another 46% to roughly 79,000 housing units in 2012.
In 2009, only 55% of new age-qualified active adult home buyers reported that their down payment came from a previous home sale, significantly down from 100% of respondents in 2005 and 92% in 2007. In 2005 and 2007, no active adult community buyers reported having to tap cash or savings for a down payment. In 2009, 45% of the average buyer’s down payment came from cash or savings.
Further analysis reveals other interesting developments. While median prices for new 55+ homes remain lower than 2005’s peak, a look at average home prices shows a big difference between buyers in age-qualified active adult communities and other 55+ community buyers. Average prices for 55+ homes dropped in 2007 and partially rebounded in 2009. But prices for age-qualified communities more than bounced back; they set a record with an average price of $319,000. Buyers in that group were more affluent, with average incomes of more than $80,000 a year. Twenty-seven percent reported earning $100,000 or more compared to fewer than 5% of such buyers in 2001.
“Most 55+ consumers—those who chose to move and those who stay in their homes—report that they are happy with their homes and communities,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. “But those who did move to an age-qualified community—about 3%—reported the greatest satisfaction, rating their homes and communities at nine on a one-to-ten scale.”
The desire to be near family and friends is the mature mover’s overwhelming motivation, the report noted. The design, amenities and appearance of the residence and the community remain important, but less so than before the recession. Buyers who fall into the 55+ age range that are moving into rental homes, both multi-family and single-family, cited a desire for less expensive housing as second in importance to living near friends and family.
Those who are able to buy are getting much more for less. In 2009, more than half of 55+ buyers said they were moving into better homes, but fewer than half reported that their new homes cost more than the old ones.
“Proximity to work” was more important than in the past for those relocating to age-qualified, active adult communities—12% in 2009 versus 2% in 2001—underscoring the trend toward delayed retirement in this age group. There was also a reported increase in the share of 55+ single-family homeowners who say they work at home—which may be a trend noteworthy to home designers.
A small, but growing share of older households is taking advantage of the ability to convert some of their home equity into a reverse mortgage or home equity conversion mortgage. They tend to be older, single-person households with lower household income and longer housing tenure. Those with reverse or home equity conversion mortgages represented more than 241,000 households in 2009, a 54% increase since 2007.
For more information, visit www.nahb.org and www.MatureMarketInstitute.com.
RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.
Previous studies from these two organizations found that most 55+ buyers depended on home sale proceeds to finance a new purchase. The most recent data shows that option diminished during the economic downturn.
The study, “Housing Trends Update for the 55+ Market,” explores recently released housing data from the Census Bureau’s 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS) on the 55+ demographic. The report focuses especially on households living in active adult communities, either age-qualified active adult communities where at least one resident must be age 55+, other non-age-qualified 55+ owner-occupied communities (not explicitly restricted to 55+ households but nevertheless occupied primarily by people age 55+), or age-restricted rental communities.
“By the year 2020, as Baby Boomers move into this age bracket, almost 45 percent of all U.S. households will include someone at least 55 years old,” said David Crowe, NAHB’s chief economist. “The number of those households seeking housing better suited to their changing needs will therefore rise dramatically.”
Crowe noted that about 54,000 housing starts are projected in 55+ communities this year, a 30% rise from estimated 2010 levels, but still relatively modest production. Starts in 55+ communities are projected to increase another 46% to roughly 79,000 housing units in 2012.
In 2009, only 55% of new age-qualified active adult home buyers reported that their down payment came from a previous home sale, significantly down from 100% of respondents in 2005 and 92% in 2007. In 2005 and 2007, no active adult community buyers reported having to tap cash or savings for a down payment. In 2009, 45% of the average buyer’s down payment came from cash or savings.
Further analysis reveals other interesting developments. While median prices for new 55+ homes remain lower than 2005’s peak, a look at average home prices shows a big difference between buyers in age-qualified active adult communities and other 55+ community buyers. Average prices for 55+ homes dropped in 2007 and partially rebounded in 2009. But prices for age-qualified communities more than bounced back; they set a record with an average price of $319,000. Buyers in that group were more affluent, with average incomes of more than $80,000 a year. Twenty-seven percent reported earning $100,000 or more compared to fewer than 5% of such buyers in 2001.
“Most 55+ consumers—those who chose to move and those who stay in their homes—report that they are happy with their homes and communities,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. “But those who did move to an age-qualified community—about 3%—reported the greatest satisfaction, rating their homes and communities at nine on a one-to-ten scale.”
The desire to be near family and friends is the mature mover’s overwhelming motivation, the report noted. The design, amenities and appearance of the residence and the community remain important, but less so than before the recession. Buyers who fall into the 55+ age range that are moving into rental homes, both multi-family and single-family, cited a desire for less expensive housing as second in importance to living near friends and family.
Those who are able to buy are getting much more for less. In 2009, more than half of 55+ buyers said they were moving into better homes, but fewer than half reported that their new homes cost more than the old ones.
“Proximity to work” was more important than in the past for those relocating to age-qualified, active adult communities—12% in 2009 versus 2% in 2001—underscoring the trend toward delayed retirement in this age group. There was also a reported increase in the share of 55+ single-family homeowners who say they work at home—which may be a trend noteworthy to home designers.
A small, but growing share of older households is taking advantage of the ability to convert some of their home equity into a reverse mortgage or home equity conversion mortgage. They tend to be older, single-person households with lower household income and longer housing tenure. Those with reverse or home equity conversion mortgages represented more than 241,000 households in 2009, a 54% increase since 2007.
For more information, visit www.nahb.org and www.MatureMarketInstitute.com.
RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
3737 Four Oaks Boulevard Blvd
3737 Four Oaks Boulevard Blvd Come check out this one level, one owner, well maintained home in Southwood today for an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Home has rocking chair front porch, screened back porch, 2 car garage. Open floor plan with hardwood in dining area, and breakfast bar, split bedroom plan, large office area, volume ceilings. Walking distance to Town Center, greenspace frontage. Come check out this great home for a great price in Southwood.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Family Night at Broadview Assisted Living
I'll be giving a short presentation at Broadview Assisted Living on Fleishmann Road on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. the 19th of January. Please come to learn what I do to assist the mature property owner considering moving.
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