real estate CITY LIVING | NEIGHBORHOODS | DEVELOPMENT
Active adult communities Trading in extra space for carefree lives finished basements, appliance packages, fireplaces, hardwood, tile and slate flooring. Homes range from $250,000 to $350,000 with customization options available at the communities that were developed between 2005 and 2007.
By Shandra Hill Smith It’s a question many face once they’ve reached 55 or older: whether to downsize from a home that’s now too big for their needs. For many looking to trade in the extra space for a more carefree lifestyle, a viable option has gained in popularity in recent years. That concept of active adult communities allows them to keep busy – at work and/or through volunteering, along with socially – without being concerned with tasks such as home repairs or yard work. Here now, a look at three active adult communities, specifically for homebuyers 55 and older, in the surrounding metropolitan Atlanta area.
Soleil Laurel Canyon
Del Web Golf Course
Jim Chapman Communities Atlanta-based developer and homebuilder Jim Chapman Communities (jimchapmancommunities.com) offers both age-restricted and age-targeted ranch homes between its seven communities. At the agetargeted Concord Mill and The Springs at Sterling on the Lake, buyers 55 and older can move in, bringing younger household members along, too. The five other Jim Chapman communities – Brookhaven at Johns Creek, Brookhaven at Lanier Ridge, Brookhaven at Sugarloaf, Brookhaven of East Cobb and Haven at Slater Mill are age-restricted, meaning one person living in the home
should be 55 and older, with no residents falling under age 18. “These people have raised children; they love their grandkids, but they want to see everybody when they want to see them and they don’t want to see other kids all the time,” says Jim Chapman Jr., president. “They really like that type of feel, where it’s basically an adult community.” Jim Chapman Communities feature “maintenance-free materials in the construction of the home,” adds Chapman, who, for seven years, developed in and around Buckhead before shifting
his focus on active adult communities after discovering one in Alpharetta and researching the concept. With maintenance-free materials such as “vinyl-clad windows that won’t warp and don’t need repainting,” masonry materials like brick, and front doors made of fiberglass instead of wood, Chapman’s properties also are gated. Each community has a clubhouse, where residents may take part in activities such as bridge, bingo and happy hour. Features include covered porches, screened porches, finished upstairs bonus rooms,
Located 50 miles north of Atlanta on I-575, at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Soleil Laurel Canyon (soleillaurelcanyon.com) is one of six subdivisions in the planned 1,000-acre Laurel Canyon master development. The 350-acre development – with nearly 300 homes built today and a total of 728 planned – is an age-restricted property for those 55 and older. Today, more than 500 residents – average age of 64 – according to Mike Kinsey, senior sales consultant, call Soleil Laurel Canyon home. Kinsey believes 90 percent are fully retired, while the remaining 10 percent work either full time or part time. “What I hear from people about 30 days after they move in is ‘I had to learn to say no.’ And they say ‘we can’t do everything.’ It’s incredibly active.” After all, Soleil Laurel Canyon offers a $12 million amenity package: to include a 28,000-square-foot clubhouse, ballroom,
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A TRIO OF EXCEPTIONAL PROPERTIES IN ATLANTA’S HOTTEST WALKING NEIGHBORHOODS! FHA APPROVED | NEW CONSTRUCTION
MARION PLACE TOWNHOMES
3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths & 2 Half Baths Only Three Remain! Starting at $289,900
f or in f or m ation, contact:
INMAN PARK VILLAGE
3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths & 1 Half Bath Starting at $459,900
979 ORMEWOOD PARK DRIVE 4 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths & 1 Half Bath GLENWOOD PARK | Listed at $429,900
Ta c h a Co s tn er 4 04-274-8134 cell | 404-233-4142 office
Buckhead Office - 532 East Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404.233.4142. www.harrynorman.com Betsy Franks-Broker. The above information is believed to be accurate but not warranted. Offer subject to errors, changes, omissions, prior sales and withdrawals without notice. Equal Housing Opportunity.
42 INtown | March 2012
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