Moving to a retirement home can provide a new lease on life with all of the recreational and social amenities they have to offer.
Retirement estates today offer a desirable lifestyle, amenities and safety features.
There’s a lot of truth in the adage ‘time flies’. Before you know it, school comes to an end, and you might find yourself married with children. Blink and you’ll find yourself waving your children goodbye as they leave home to make their way in the world. At some point you’ll walk past a mirror and realise that you’re getting old and that the time has come to change your living arrangements.
Moving to a retirement home shouldn’t be viewed as a daunting or upsetting prospect characterised by dull days and over-boiled vegetables. Indeed, thanks to significant changes and improvements brought about largely by forward thinking retirement specialists and developers, retirement living can represent a whole new lease on life.
Today, many modern retirement estates offer all manner of amenities such as in-house restaurants, country clubs, spas, gyms, libraries, activity rooms, on-site medical facilities and much more besides. Indeed, so accommodative are many new developments that there’s rarely a need to venture out.
Of course there are other benefits to be gained from living in retirement properties. For instance, such developments represent an opportunity to make new friends and expand your social circle. Other points to consider include the fact that modern retirement estates should include energy efficient features and top safety and security measures. Modern retirement properties are also purpose-built for retirees and offer different levels of care depending on your requirements which offsets the need to move again at a later stage.
The following are just a few examples of the kind of offering currently available on the property market:
Blue Mountain Retirement Village:
Located in George, this retirement resort offers several retirement home options which have been fashioned along Cape Dutch style lines. Residents have access to the adjacent lifestyle development where walks can be enjoyed amongst zebra and other small game. The estate lies within close reach of George Airport, Herold’s Bay, Victoria Bay, Wilderness and the Garden Route Mall. The new ‘Eden Meander Lifestyle Centre’ also lies just a stone’s throw away. The estate offers excellent security and access control as well as meals, a cleaning and laundry service if required. Different care levels are provided and a new Alzheimer division is being planned for the next phase of the development. Pets are allowed and properties are sold according to sectional title and life rights models.
Waterfall Valley Retirement Estate:
This elegant retirement estate in Johannesburg offers everything retirees and the not-so retired could possibly want and more. A variety of house design options are available, all of which are geared for care-free living. A vast array of facilities is available to residents including a clubhouse, a horticultural centre, walking trails, bird hides, a chip and putt and other golf orientated facilities, a tennis court, a gym, croquet, bowls, a restaurant, a library and games room, a business centre, an auditorium, a billiards room, an arts and crafts studio… the list goes on. Different levels of care are provided and access to top notch medical care and round-the-clock security come standard. Retirement properties can be leased according to a long term lease arrangement which applies throughout the estate.
Riverside Park Retirement Estate:
This attractive Durban based retirement estate offers two and three bedroom homes. Features of the estate include landscaped gardens, a recreational hall, a clubhouse, 24-hour access control, first level care up to assisted living and frail care, an emergency communication system, a courtesy bus for residents and easy hospital access. The estate lies within close reach of a popular bird park, Sun Coast Casino, ocean excursions, cultural tours, Gateway Shopping Centre, uShaka Marine World, a Barnyard Theatre, numerous restaurants and churches, walks, hiking paths and Prince’s Grant Golf Estate. Properties can be bought as per a sectional title model.
Of course, as is the case with any property purchase, it’s wise to live within your means and not overextend yourself, no matter how tempting the property may be. Obviously the cost of living in retirement estates vary greatly according to their location and offering and the level of care you require. With this in mind, be sure to read the fine print and understand exactly what you are getting yourself into before committing to a purchase.
Search through a large number of South Africa’s top retirement properties on sale via Private Property.
