Advantage: Land Lease!

Prospective home purchasers sometimes stumble upon and are pleasantly surprised to realize the appeal of land lease communities.  They are out looking for a new home and discover an attractive land-lease community.

Unless they have lived in a manufactured or mobile home community before, the idea can trip them up as it seems to go against what they’ve believed all their lives.  Why should they start leasing land when owning it has worked for many years?

A land lease can work at most any stage of life, but the size of the homes and sites typically attract younger/first time buyers, small families, unmarried people and retirees.  The reason a land lease works is that it enables residents to own a single family home while enjoying the benefits of a private community at an affordable price.  The benefits include:

• Affordable living in a well-maintained community
• Private community amenities
• Annual shrub trimming and tree maintenance, landscaped common areas
• Professional accredited community management
• Private, enforceable community Rules and Regulations
• Low-maintenance housing costs less for upkeep, letting you use your money for more enjoyment with less financial stress

Compare your current expenses and worrisome lifestyle to that of buying a home in a land lease community.  You just may find that the financial value and added benefits will allow you to get more out of life!

Kris Jensen III

Get in on the Good Life!^®

800-458-6832

www.jensencommunities.com

Spring is here!!

Spring is FINALLY here after the long winter.  It is nice to see all of the flowers with such vibrant colors and the trees with the increasingly green leaves around the community.  Since I am retired I can sit back and enjoy everything that spring has to offer.  Not working also gives me the opportunity to catch up with my neighbors by walking around the community while enjoying the fresh spring air. 

It is enjoyable to freshen up our planting beds with mulch with the daffodils and tulips already up and by planting some geraniums and other brightly colored annuals.  It is also time to plant my small vegetable garden for some fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and any other vegetables this summer. We have a community garden area for our vegetable gardens which is a fun way to interact with my neighbors. It will be nice to walk out to my section of the garden and pick fresh produce to make delicious meals and share some vegetables with my Jensen friends.

I am also looking forward to spending time with my family when we gather to celebrate Mother’s Day.  It is my special day because I am treated like royalty and don’t have to cook.  One of my favorite Mother’s Day desserts is Strawberry Corn Cakes (check it out on foodnetwork.com).  My daughter & grandchildren make this dessert every year; it has become a tradition for our Mother’s Day gathering.

Hope your spring gives you the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and take advantage of the many seasonal hobbies and activities!

Get in on it

When You Retire You Have Housing Choices

The majority of new Jensen residents have owned a single family detached home on their own land prior to purchasing in a Jensen community.  A single family home is the overwhelming housing choice for most all Americans.  They don’t call it the “American Dream” for nothing!

When the time comes to find a more accommodating home and invigorating lifestyle there are several alternatives to consider.  Most people still want to live in a single family home; they just want it to have lower maintenance (inside and out) and a floor plan that fits their current needs.  Also, updates and options they never had and a home that meets their current budget.

The key is learning about new housing choices.  These include certain rules, restrictions and/or covenants from condominium documents, homeowners associations or land lease community rules.  Prospective buyers are usually eager for assurance that they will live in a pleasant neighborhood and that their investment will be protected.  They should also be sure that they can live with the community policies and requirements.  Good rules like fences make good neighbors.  But if you like to garden and the condo board does not permit any alterations to the exterior plantings, you should reconsider whether or not the place is for you.

When you live in a single family home on your own lot you are generally the master of your own domain (even though municipal or count regulations prevail).  In a condominium or a community with a homeowners association you will need to ask for the approval of the condo board.  It could be run by a professional property manager but is more likely run or at least overseen by a board made up of your neighbors (once the developer has turned the organization and responsibilities over and stepped away from the project).  If the group has the right experience and skills, they can objectively deal with the issues at hand in a businesslike manner.  Without the right knowledge and capabilities, a board can be subject to poor practices, financial difficulties maintaining the property and inconsistencies that come with peer pressure and internal politics.

In a land lease community the management of the community and enforcement of community requirements is typically completed by the original developer who has a vested interest and takes pride in their investment.  If the community has been sold to a new investor, they usually have the property management experience that will ensure a professionally run community for you to enjoy.  Most notably, you are not at the whim of other homeowners in the community and have no obligation to self-manage where you live like in a condominium.

As you look for a new home, be sure to educate yourself on the pros and cons of each housing choice so you can make the right decision with full knowledge and understanding.  Your next move should make your life more enjoyable than your current home and provide more freedom from ownership responsibilities.

 

At Jensen communities^®, we are glad and eager to help you.

Kris Jensen III

Get in on the Good Life!^®

800-458-6832

www.jensencommunities.com

Spring into a Cleaner Home!

Spring might be taking a little longer than we’d like to get here, but the sun is shining and the weather is starting to warm up.  When the crocuses and daffodils start poking out of the dirt, I can’t help but to get into spring-cleaning mode inside my home at Jensen retirement community!

I usually start with the kitchen which is hardest rooms to clean because it is the one that I use the most. As you know, I love cooking. Keeping my refrigerator stocked with all kinds of food through the winter months is important, but I sometimes buy more than I need. Spring is the perfect time to get my kitchen back into tip-top shape by cleaning out expired or unwanted food items, cleaning the fridge and pantry shelves and reaching those often-neglected nooks.  

No matter what room you decide to clean first, you’ll need a good set of tools to get the job done right. Here’s my list of essentials:

• Those dust mops on a flexible pole for getting underneath your appliances and furniture – this one is important! Once the duster is dirty you just replace it with a refill, no need to wash them.
• Sponges, rags and cleaning cloths. Old tee shirts and towels make great reusable rags – and a run through the dishwasher is the best way to keep sponges clean.
• Vacuum cleaner with attachments that can reach into tight spots. Make sure you check that your vacuum cleaner is working well, and change your bag!

My favorite part of freshening up my retirement home for spring?  The help, of course!  My granddaughter always comes by to help me clean areas that require a lot of bending down or reaching up, like the insides of lower or upper cabinets.  And once we’ve finished, I always cook her something special in my nice clean kitchen!

What’s happening in your retirement living community?

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March Madness

Whether or not we enjoy winter weather, it is easy to get a little itchy this time of year.  The cold temperatures and shorten days limits our access to sunshine and its positive effects.  Thanks to the high school and college basketball tournament games over the past week there was a lot of excitement leading up to the “Big Dance” selection shows for the upcoming men’s and women’s collegiate tournaments.

Winter typically makes for slower times in the housing market but despite the blizzard this year we have generally had some good weather for open houses and showing homes.  This has been great for people out looking and taking advantage of a great time to buy a new or resale home.  As the market continues to heat up, those who act now will likely look back and know they moved at just the right time.

At Jensen’s we will continue to offer Open Houses as winter turns into spring.  We look forward to the bulbs popping and buds blooming!  There is nothing better than landscaping coming back to life and how it complements a home and site.  Please come visit and take a look.  You can find information on our Open Houses on each individual Community Page.  Click here to see where we have communities.

We hope you enjoy March Madness and all the excitement of the college games.  When you need a break in the action, treat yourself by getting outdoors and looking at homes for sale.  You will find some of the best values in a long time.  Unfortunately, like the tournaments the low prices will not last forever!

Kris Jensen III

Get in on the Good Life!^®

800-458-6832

www.jensencommunities.com

Signs of Spring

Spring is in the air!!! The first day of spring is less than a month away, but I’m already starting to see signs of the good weather around my Jensen retirement community.  And wow, after the pounding we took this winter with the snow and the cold, I’m ready for some sun and warmth!

Some people grumble about March – it lingers, dredging up last-ditch attempts at snow and generally acting like full-fledged winter – but I look forward to it.  I know the end is near when the calendar hits March 1^st, and I love to take note of the harbingers of the season, such as:

• It stays lighter later.  Sure, it’s only a little bit longer a few minutes every day – but by weeks end, I’m always amazed by how quickly that time adds up.
• Spring training for baseball starts!  Nothing puts me in the warm-weather mindset than seeing sunny Fort Meyers in the sports news! 
• The cherry blossoms start blooming – and the National Cherry Blossom Festival takes place.  When the kids were young, my wife and I took them to Washington, D.C. during their spring break to see the blossoms in all of their glory.  Now I always looked forward to that national symbol of good weather coming. 

As for my Jensen community, the signs of spring are everywhere– the crocus flowers, their purple buds poking through the snow slogged ground, and the robins returning to the awakening dogwoods. Folks are talking about getting back on the golf course, starting the pool season and breaking out the warmer weather clothes. You can see my neighbors begin walking outside more, prepping their gardens and perennials and even making plans – for spring!

Flyin’ Free

Time to Make Your Move

Deciding the right time to sell your home and move to a more suitable home is no easy task.  From the business end of the decision there seems to be too many issues to think about.  Complacency is seemingly more comfortable than taking action.

It is however advantageous to be proactive.  The reasons at first may seem overwhelming with too many issues to make this BIG decision.  We realize that we are dissatisfied with our current home or lifestyle.  There are persistent problems we want to solve and would like to find a better, more enjoyable way to live.

There may not be a better time than now to make a move for these reasons:

1. Many home choices on the market.
2. Exceptionally good home values.
3. Ridiculously low interest rates.
4. Do not need all the rooms in the current home or to maintain them.
5. The front and back yard has become a place to take care of rather than enjoy.
6. The children are not moving back and they don’t need us to store their stuff.
7. There are other alternatives to hosting a family get together than at the old house.
8. It is your time to enjoy some freedom and have more fun.
9. There are things you would rather do than clean the house and take care of the yard.
10. Spending time with family and friends, volunteering, learning a new craft, traveling, or simply having some more “fun” should be our priorities.

Maybe the question is not why it’s so hard to make a decision but what are the real reasons we are trying to make a decision in the first place?  We encourage you to be proactive in finding your own version of the Good Life and we would be pleased to help in any way we can.

Kris Jensen III

Get in on the Good Life!^®

800-458-6832

www.jensencommunities.com