Age, deed restricted housing options grow in popularity
By Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Their new home is under construction in a development off
"We don't want to leave
While home sales in
"We are up to 86 sales to date in the
Age-restricted or deed-restricted communities are a form of homeownership that has been popular for several decades in Sunbelt states like
Deed-restricted communities can restrict an owner'?s ability to paint, renovate or alter the appearance of the home. They can also limit the number of vehicles on site by requiring all cars be parked inside the garage.
The rules are contractual agreements. Residents who break the rules can be punished by the homeowners association, which has the power to impose fines, place liens against homes for non-payment of fees and fines, and potentially confiscate homes through court action.
During the 20 years they lived in
They visited the
Home prices in
The monthly homeowner association fee at
At
In age-restricted communities, the rules require at least 80 percent of the households have at least one person be at least 55 years old. The other 20 percent of residents can be younger than 55. No children living in the household can be younger than 19. The Fair Housing Act permits age discrimination in age-restricted communities under the Housing for Older Persons Act.
Other rules are intended to establish community standards and maintain property values.
Homeowners in
But those rules and others suit
The high school sweethearts, now married 42 years, were born and raised in New Sewickley.
In 2010, they came back for the
"It'?s a community where you can rely on a lot of neighbors who are generally in the same circumstances age-wise and income-wise," said
He said it'?s nice to be able to go away for a month and come home to find the yard is in good shape.
Even beyond the developers'? efforts to create a community, the residents at
They have established a caring committee to look after anyone who is ill or in the hospital by cooking meals, visiting them and sending flowers. There'?s a bicycle club, an eating out club, a book club, men's night out, and wine and cheese on Friday nights at the clubhouse. The residents also have traveled together to
"If we take the dog for a walk, it could take an hour and a half to get around this neighborhood because people talk and we talk and everybody knows everybody here," said Mrs. Antoline, 62. "Several people have lost a spouse after they moved here and they say, '?That's why we moved here -- for the support of you all.'"
"Our residents frequently compare it to going off to college together where everyone's moving into the dorm for the first time and they'?re meeting people from different walks of life, from different places, with different experiences," he said. "They'?re doing all this together, and in that they build relationships and form community in a way that they can''t have in their current home."
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