If you’re following our Tooele community, and wondering when we’ll be up and running there, rest assured, we’re moving as quickly as we can.
Originally, we were hoping to pull permits last week, and to start writing contracts as well. Unfortunately, there was one last thing to finish with the city before we were able to move forward.
That item is underway right now, and we are staffing the sales office to answer questions and help get people started, but until the city gives us the green light, we are holding for a little longer.

55+ In Tooele

Sales office

The sales office is currently located at 960 N. 200 E. You might not find this address on Google yet, but if you get on 1000 N. and head to about 200 east, you should be able to find it pretty easy, as that’s the entrance to our subdivision.

Pricing is still being hashed out. We should have the final numbers ready as soon as we’re able to sign actual contracts. Already, we have several people who are interested and have placed reservations on homes in this community.

If you’re wondering what order we’ll be building in, we’ll be starting with our model homes, then we’ll work our way in and around the west side of the subdivision. We’ll also be submitting our clubhouse plans to the city soon. Since this is technically a commercial building, it sometimes takes a little longer to get approved and built, but we have the plans nearly completed and ready for submittal.

What is it like to live in a senior community?

In Tooele, there aren’t a lot of active adult communities yet. We’ve been building them for about two decades east of Oquirrh Mountain, but this is our first time in Tooele. Many people in Salt Lake and Utah counties are starting to see the benefit of living in these dedicated communities for retirees, but in Tooele, you might still be wondering if this is the right sort of community for you.

Here’s the facts, most people who move into a 55+ community are still active and strong. Many of you might not realize it, but we don’t build communities for people who need assistance living. Many of our homeowners are in fact, still working, though for many of them, if retirement hasn’t already come, then they are looking forward to it on the horizon.
This is a place to spend more time doing the things you love. Often, when people think about senior living, they think of nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. 55+ communities are neither of those things.

These are regular houses for adults who just want to be around others like themselves. And when I say regular houses, I really mean, better houses. They are built for retirees. Lets face it, you might be active now, but there are some luxuries that you didn’t know you’d like till now. For example, younger kids these days are moving into these townhomes that have three to four flights of stairs in their homes. Our homes, while technically considered a townhome, are all main floor living, with the majority of the homes having no stairs at all, at least, not unless you want them.
These communities are based on lifestyle. You come and live comfortably around friends you like, and neighbors you can relate more to. These communities are fun. You’ll love buying your next home in a Leisure Villas community. We look forward to meeting you.

Country View Villas is our newest 55+ community to become available. It’s also our first ever community in Tooele.

A few months ago, we started accepting reservations of the first few homes. They filled up surprisingly quick. As it turns out, there’s a lot of people interested in this new neighborhood. The big question has always been: When will it be open for sale?

Well, we finally have a date.

February 1st of this year, we will officially open our sales office to the public. We haven’t begun construction yet, but that is scheduled to start within the next few weeks. At that point, we’ll be up and running as fast as we can.

Tooele Active Adult Living

Details

This community is located about a block East of the Macey’s Grocery store on Main Street on 1000 N. and 220 E. Currently, there are 136 homes planned for this development. They will of course have our popular clubhouse which comes fully equipped with an exercise room, a theater, billiards, library, gathering room, and don’t forget the swimming pool.

We’ll also be building our four most popular floorplans that have been carefully designed and honed over the last few developments that we’ve built:

• The Grandview
• The Stratford
• The Windsor Court
• The Bristol Court

Over the years, we’ve built many different floorplans, and we are constantly modifying them, improving them to fit the lifestyles that best suite active adults who are at or near retirement.

We know that if you’re at or near retirement, you’re probably wanting to settle into a house that will be loads of fun for the duration of your retirement, help you find instant friendships with others your same age, a place which will be fun for family to visit you at, and is specifically adapted to help you grow into those later years, when mobility becomes an issue.

At Leisure Villas, we hate stair, and we love building friendships. Designing communities that are much more than sticks and bricks is our chief goal. We want to build a lifestyle oriented community, one where you won’t just take pride in your home, but in your community as a whole.

The people have always been the best part of any Leisure Villas Community. Often, after we’ve sold out one of these types of communities, the HOA has to form a waiting list to accommodate all the extra people who want the opportunity to move in.

Schedule

As with most of our communities while under construction, we will open our sales offices at 10am and go until 5pm Monday through Saturdays. As stated earlier, we’ll begin opening our sales office on Feb. 1st.

Construction will begin as soon as possible, with the first homes scheduled for completion later this fall or early winter. But as you may know, if you’ve been house hunting, you don’t want to wait until then to buy your home. Not only will these sell quickly and in advance, but those who buy their homes earlier will be able to pick out more of the upgrades and options to personalize their home to their tastes.

We look forward to meeting you, and we’ll see you soon!

It’s good to be finished with 2020. What a rollercoaster year. Now the big question on everyone’s mind, will 2021 be a repeat?

Sure there’s a Covid vaccine coming out, but there’s also a new strain of Covid. So has 2020 become the new normal? I hope not, but we’ll see.

Whatever happens with Covid, it’s out of our hands for now. But what about our economy? Every year, I like to put my finger on the dollar’s pulse and read the tea leaves to guess at where our market is headed.

Last year, my predictions weren’t spot on, but I’m guessing that not many people would have predicted 2020 to go as it did.

So all I can do now is look at where we’re at, where we’ve been, and make my best guess at where we might be headed. If you find my ponderings interesting, great. But remember, I’m no financial advisor. Please don’t make any financial decisions based solely off of my predictions.

2021 Economy

Looking back

For 2020, I anticipated a slow down in home sales, or at the very best, that they would stay fairly even, since 2019 was showing some signs of slowing. I thought price fatigue would drive the market, and was secretly wondering if we were due for a recession, however, many of the factors that drive the market were still looking strong and steady.

Then we had the market drop on us when Covid was announced. It showed signs of being a strong decline, ushering in a full blown recession. Then to my surprise, it rebounded so quickly, that it erased most of the losses, with exception to a few select industries. Many people who were playing the stock market, had a great opportunity to really boost their portfolios during that time. By the end of the year, we were even seeing record highs for many companies again, despite Covid shutdowns.

Also, during the Summer, the real estate market in Utah saw a huge boom. Suddenly, all inventory and homes under construction were sold out. In many instances, homes in new communities were sold out a year in advance! Because of this, my prediction that prices would remain steady was way off.

This surge in demand, along with Covid caused shocks in materials, and forced most builders in Utah to raise prices quickly and steeply. Lumber alone nearly doubled in price, and business shutdowns all over the globe made it nearly impossible to get a lot of necessary items, and those that we could get, we had to pay handsomely for. 

Currently

As we begin the new year, prices remain high. From what we’re seeing, approximately 25% of our new home sales are coming from out of state. Mostly California, Colorado, and Washington. This is a lot higher than we’ve noticed compared to previous years. Why this is happening, is better left to other speculators. But needless to say, that in addition to a robust and growing population here in Utah, we’re also getting a lot of people moving into our state.

Commercial building space is increasingly vacant. Where many businesses have been forced to send their employees home to work, they’re finding out that they don’t need the big office buildings as much anymore.

Also, while Utah may appear to be strong economically, especially in the residential real estate market, this is not the case for the entire country. Then again, Utah has often weathered economic difficulties better than the rest of the nation.

Looking forward

While last year proved that I’m not the best predictor of the economic future, if I were to take a guess at 2021, I would think that in Utah at least, we can expect to continue seeing rising costs of housing, with very low availability.

I’ve often written about Utah’s housing crisis. This crisis is brought on by very high demand and insufficient supply. This drives the affordability down for many households, and the builders that do attempt a low-priced housing option, are often forced to build communities that are so cheaply built and bland, that you can see them adopting that slummy blight that often plagues such communities after about 20 years.

In my opinion, this leads to a disturbing long-term future. The only way that I can see around this, is for cities and their residents to understand the need for more housing, and higher density housing. If existing land is available for more residential homes, then the supply of buildable land goes up, and the cost of that land will go down. This will allow and almost force competing builders to spend some of those savings on building higher quality homes.

Utah is in a transitionary stage. Most of us long-time residents are used to the small city way of life, and we resist changing to big city living. But Utah is growing, and if we don’t responsibly plan for that growth, we will inevitably build ourselves into the very thing we don’t want to be living with.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to get on my soap box. Utah has done a great job so far. It is however this writer’s personal opinion, and I don’t necessarily speak for Leisure Villas here, that Utah is in a housing crisis, and until developing new residential ground improves, Utah will continue to see rising costs of housing.

So yes I believe that 2021 will see higher demand for housing, and rising costs of those houses, especially as raw material shortages continue to be affected by Covid shutdowns.

 

We know that we have a lot of great folks, who are 55 and older, who’ve been following us for some time, wondering when our South Jordan, Utah community will be ready for sale.

Not yet… but getting closer.

For the sake of keeping you informed, I thought I’d give you an update as of today, December 7th, 2020.

Hearthstone Villas Progress

Development

As is the case with most new developments these days, this 55+ community in South Jordan has taken its sweet time in getting ready. We are happy to announce though, that all of our government obligations have been met, insofar as we now have permissions to move, full steam ahead.

Currently, we’re working on the underground development. This involves sewers, storm drains, water, electric, gas, cable and phone. We anticipate spending a good part of the winter working on these improvements, and being ready to start concrete and asphalt in the early spring months.

Since we’re still a couple of months away from turning in building permits, we’re going to hold off on opening the homes up for sale until we’ve made a little more progress on the underground work. Ideally, starting around February, we’ll begin accepting contracts, we think. This is by no means a firm date, but is subject to change, depending on weather and other factors.

From there, it’ll likely be the end of the year (2021) before we’ll have homes that are ready for occupancy.

Right now, the sewer is in half of the 1st phase. Over the coming months, we’ll get that and many of the other utilities run throughout all three phases.

When to buy?

Since we still don’t have a firm date to open the homes up for sale, and so that you don’t have to keep calling every week, we encourage you to reach out to our sales staff, and get on their call-back list. We’ve already got a good sized list of interested homebuyers building up, and you don’t want to miss out on your opportunity to be among the first into this community.

Even when you get on our call-back list, don’t hesitate to call up every few weeks to check in. We know that you want to be in this community, and we don’t want to accidentally lose your contact information.

Hearthstone Villas is expected to be one of our highest amenity stocked communities to date. Aside from our standard clubhouse, we’re also including pickleball and horseshoe pits.

There will be something for everyone here, and we expect this community to be a huge success.

Until then, don’t forget to check back here often. You may call or keep tabs on our blog, as the time gets closer that we start opening up for sales. We look forward to meeting you.

In the mean time, we wish you a very merry and safe holiday season. The world may be going crazy, but this season is an excellent reminder of the things that matter most in our lives and our communities.

 

This week, social media is filling with things that people are thankful for. Perfect timing for Thanksgiving too.

With the holidays approaching, and uncertainty about family gatherings still in question, it might be all too easy to complain this holiday season. Despite the current situations we face, there are still many things that we can be thankful for.

One of the things we can be thankful for, is that this year is almost over!

Who knows what next year will bring, but this year sure has been wild.

Anyhow, with the end of the year, comes the holiday season, and for those of you who are looking for a new home in a 55+ community, you might be interested to know what our holiday hours are.

55+ Community Visits

Hours will vary

Usually, we’re able to give you exact times and days that our sales offices will be closed during the holiday season. This however, isn’t a normal holiday season.

As with most builders in Utah, we were slammed with unprecedented sales earlier this Summer and Fall. Because of this, many of our homes are sold out for several months in advance. We usually like to keep a healthy stock of ready-to-move into homes available, but that hasn’t been easy this second half of the year.

Because of this, our sales staff, depending on the community and their personal plans, may be taking extra hours off during this holiday season.

As such, if you would like to visit any of our fabulous 55+ communities during some of your extra spare time this Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, it would be advisable to call up the sales person at the community you are wishing to visit before you go out.

Just because one sales person might be attending one sales office, it is no guarantee this year that they will be attending every sales community.

Availability

While it may be discouraging to be house hunting when all the homes seem to be already sold out, don’t hesitate visiting one of our communities. It is not all-together uncommon for some people’s plans to change, which causes them to opt out of moving.

If you really like one of our active adult communities, and it appears sold out too far in advance, go talk with the sales agent there anyways. They can be very helpful in arranging a call back to you if somebody backs out of a contract.

Since we are generally very good about understanding the changing circumstances in people’s lives, we have often been able to accommodate these canceled contracts. In fact, they happen more often than you might think. So don’t be too discouraged. Let our sales staff know what you’re interested in, and they can keep you in mind, giving you every opportunity to move into the home that fits your needs the best, as availability arises.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and may the New Year bring health and prosperity to you and yours. We look forward to meeting you, and helping you find the home that best suits your needs.

 

Every year around this time, the temperatures start dropping and the snow starts flying. Most folks who’ve spent any amount of time in Utah, know that the cold season can bring great fun or great risk.

Today, I wanted to remind all of the great folks who’ve bought from us in the past, that now is the time to turn on your heat tape.

Even if you don’t have any snow on your roof, it might be a good idea to turn the heat tape on.

Our active adult communities provide the convenience of heat tape on our most susceptible homes, and we do it free of charge in certain locations. It’s one of those little extras that helps set us apart from other builders.

What to do about Winter?

Heat tape:

Most of our homes come equipped with heat tape. However, just in case you say, “Where is mine?” know that we only put it on the areas that are most at risk of causing dangerous ice dams in walking areas.

So for most south facing roofs, this heat tape is not necessary, and thus is not installed. However, if you have a north-facing roof, or one that is subject to a lot of shade in the Winter, then we will usually install heat tape if it looks like it’ll be a likely candidate for ice dams.

If we have installed heat tape in one of these areas for you, then likely, there is a switch, either behind your front door or in your garage. Often there are multiple switches, so take inventory of them before you flip one and call it good.

Once you’ve flipped it, you can leave it on all Winter.

But won’t that run up the power bill?

Yes and no.

The heat tape we install has a thermostat on the end. When temperatures are below freezing, it activates. On warmer days, it shuts off. So will there be days when ice doesn’t need clearing and its below freezing, sure, but there are other reasons to leave it running.

Sometimes, heat tape is run in a zig-zag pattern along a roof line. This style of heat tape can be turned on an off manually as needed.

We however have opted for an in-gutter style of installation with the thermostat to control it. This is done so that you can turn it on at the beginning of the season, and leave it on till spring. Frankly, with its thermostat, you could even leave it on year round, since it shouldn’t turn itself on during the Spring/Summer/Fall months.

Leaving this style of heat tape turned on throughout the season helps, because it keeps the ice clear of the gutters as the water drips into it. However, if you wait until the ice has already built up, then the heat tape will only serve to tunnel a hole through the ice and it will not keep the ice buildup from remaining or from growing.

Other considerations

While heat tape and ice dams are always a concern, since the improper mediation of the ice can lead to dangerous walkways below, we need to remember a few other things:

Snow and ice removal from our driveways and sidewalks always becomes an issue during the winter. Often the maintenance crews like to default to throwing more ice-melt on concrete than should ever be used. This creates a much higher chance of the concrete chipping up.

So if you see anyone covering your concrete, unnecessarily, with excess amounts of ice-melt, remind them that it is decreasing the life of your sidewalks, and you might want to sweep some of it off.

Also, remember to park inside your garages, so that snow plows and those clearing your driveways can easily clean the concrete. Snow and ice that builds up on concrete can also cause damage to the concrete if left uncleared, not to mention the safety factor of slipping on a sheet of ice.

So this year, please be safe, and remain good stewards of your communities. Happy holidays!

 

 

Enough with Covid 19, who’s feeling the symptoms of Election Fever?

I know I am.

It comes with a headache, sometimes nausea, and often makes you want to social distance by much more than 6 feet.

The funny thing is, we go through this every four years. You think we’d be used to it by now. But every election year, it seems like the whole world is going to fall apart if one party gets elected over another.

I don’t know what the right answer is, but one thing is certain, and that is this: A Leisure Villas 55+ community, will still be the best choice for active adults who are looking for a new home.

Sorry if you don’t agree with this political opinion, but it’s true!

How will this election affect the real estate market in Utah?

Hot or Cold

If you’ve been following the market here in Utah for the last few months and years, you’re probably wondering why homes are becoming so expensive.

For you, assuming that you own your own home, this isn’t going to be terribly bad. The frenzy of demand has upped the value of your home also, so moving into a new place is going to be a fair enough trade.

The problem I see, is for new homebuyers. Where are they going to buy into? It used to be that you could have a starter home on a ¼ acre lot. Now those same lots are selling for as much as it cost to build a whole house plus the land, and that was only 10 years ago.

Now, a starter home looks a lot different. Very small footprints with lots and lots of stairs.

I don’t see this current election changing the pent up demand here in Utah for a while. There are so many people needing homes, so few job seekers looking to join the construction ranks, too much bureaucracy involved in permitting new communities and new homes, too many current residents who fight against new development, and now we can’t even get raw or finished materials in like we used to.

All of this we’ve been dealing with for several years now, but that last one, the shortages on materials, is new. If our new elected officials do anything, I hope they keep in mind these shortages. It’s a fine balance of juggling public health and economic stability.

Where do prices go from here?

For the foreseeable future, Utah home prices are likely to continue climbing. This Summer and Fall, we, along with many other home-builders, saw a massive spike in new home sales. This caught many of us off-guard, and because of this, we ended up selling in advance, a lot more homes that we thought we would. Most of our ready-to-move-into homes sold out, and we filled the next several months worth of upcoming builds.

As prices of materials have gone up, and as demand has climbed, we, along with most other builders, were forced to raise prices. Since there are even less houses on the market now, compared to how many people are needing to buy a home, the next year is likely to only see more price increases across all homes in Utah, Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber counties.

When will this housing boom end? Nobody knows. But you can bet that once you start seeing a lot of house flipping in the market again, then this streak will be nearing correction levels. At this point though, the house flippers aren’t in force yet.

Only time will tell. We started seeing slowdowns last year, but those all ended this Summer. There were some deals to be had last Summer and Fall, but I can only imagine that if you were trying to time the market, then last year was your year. Otherwise, you probably missed it, and we’re in for another 3-4 years of rising prices, and I don’t see that changing, regardless of who gets elected.

 

Halloween is here.

The decorations are going up and the election year is scaring everyone, what a fun season.

Have you figured out how you’re going to celebrate on the big day?

Maybe you’re over 55 and aren’t sure if a traditional Halloween is appropriate this year.

I think a lot of people are wondering the same thing. This year is a little different than most Halloweens we’ve had recently.

Do you participate in the trick or treating, trunk-or-treating, or do you set a bowl of candy on your porch for the roaming teenagers to plunder?

Covid Halloween

Where does Halloween come from?

To understand what to do on Halloween, I’d like to take the approach of remembering why we celebrate it in the first place.

Halloween seems like one of those odd holidays that should never have become an official holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good Halloween as much as the next person, but why do we even celebrate it?

As it turns out, Halloween is a very old tradition dating back about 2000 years ago. Remember when harvest festivals were a big thing? Probably not. Some of your parents might have though, or at least, had some version of it for when they finished harvesting for the year. I remember talking with my grandparents about the times when their family would all get together and harvest their fields. They’d then have a big party with the biggest meals of the year. My grandpa was a young boy at the time, and even when I interviewed him in his 90’s, he still fondly remembered getting a full pie to himself.

The old-time harvest festivals were somewhat related to Halloween, though Thanksgiving was probably more so. Back in the day, Halloween still had an other-worldly appeal. The old Celts used to believe that the dead would come back to Earth, or at lest visit near to it. Sacrifices of animals and crops were a part of this tradition, where they would invoke favor from the dead, or attempt to predict the future.

Superstitions were high, and in some cultures, this became a time to hope for one’s future mate. Games were played to predict one’s future spouse, anything from tossing labeled nuts into a fire, throwing peelings on the ground and hoping they formed initials of your future lover, and other superstitious and occult traditions.

Halloween has always been a little creepy, though surprisingly, it had less to do with the past than it did with the future. Now days, it has more to do with candy, kids, and cuteness, mingled with a few scary movies for the older ones.

Probably the most scary trend that I see, is how people are now dressing up their animals for the festivities. Pet costumes are one of the newest fads sweeping the country. Every year, more people are torturing their animals with cute little costumes.

So the way I see it, Halloween was born from ancient European traditions, most of which immigrated to America along with their practitioners. But it is a constantly evolving holiday, and who knows where it’ll end up after this Covid mess has run its course.

Perhaps you have a chance to influence where it goes from here.

Suggested changes:

Since Halloween is evolving, here is a small list of possible changes you could try.

• Maybe you should steal from some older traditions. You could turn Halloween into another Thanksgiving, getting together as family to share a spooky themed meal eating from all the canned groceries you harvested this year at the supermarket, but would normally never get around to eating, like those cans of asparagus and lima beans that usually get reserved for when the food bank comes knocking on your door for donations. Wouldn’t that be a fun trick on your kids?
• Use the holiday as a matchmaking event for your children’s future spouse.
• Take bets on predicting the future, things like the upcoming winter weather, who gets into a new relationship next, who wins the presidential election, or who contracts covid first.
• Have a family history party and everyone shares and interesting story they learned about their deceased ancestry.

Or you can make up some new, more popular traditions, like:

• Seeing who can come up with the most ridiculous pet costume.
• Experiment with creepy fun obstacle courses or pranks for managing new ways of delivering candy to children without having them knock on your door.
• Having family parties, where you play fun Halloween games, share candy, and keep the festivities to those who are closer to you.
• Trick or treat on social media only. I don’t know how that would look, or how there would be any treats involved, but you can use your own imagination.

Or you can go about your Halloween traditions like you always have.

Whatever you do, be safe, have a great Halloween, and don’t let Covid convince you to cross over to the other side just yet.

One of the most anticipated things to happen in a new 55+ community is when the clubhouse gets finished.

It’s what many early move-in residents look forward to, and what many residents to follow fall in love with.

In our North Ogden community, Cherry Springs Villas, we are nearing completion of our clubhouse. While the interior is pretty well finished, the exterior is going through its final stages this month.

Almost there

What’s left?

For the most part, the swimming pool is all that remains to be finished. Surely there are some asking when this is likely to happen. Tops Pools has been working tirelessly there for the last couple of weeks to prepare the pool for opening.

Soon, the deck will be poured and the fence will go in. Once both of those are completed, then the pool will get plastered. This is followed by a couple weeks of curing and balancing.

The idea was that the pool would be opened up for use later this month, even if only for a short time. If the weather stays warm, and this year, who knows what really will happen, then we might try to open it for a little while.

However, the more likely scenario is that we’ll get the pool filled and balanced right in time to winterize it. We’ll see how things progress, but its about that time of the season. The good news is, that the pool will be ready to start up in the Spring because it will be fully finished, inspected and ready to play.

Will we get to use the clubhouse?

In this year’s environment, this is a question that we’ve been asked quite often. It seems that due to Covid 19, the whole world is becoming increasingly anti-social. Not the best thing for a community with a clubhouse, right?

Well, in answer to that question, yes, the clubhouse will be available for use. As it opens, as with all our other current communities, we simply ask the residents to be cautions and respectful of other people’s health.

Ideally, we are all responsible adults, and we should be able to know when we might be putting others or ourselves at risk by being around others. So we urge careful consideration, but the clubhouse is there for the residents of Cherry Springs Villas, and we hope that you will enjoy it.

Is it worth the HOA dues?

Here’s an interesting misconception. Many people believe that their HOA dues are there to support the clubhouse. While it is true, that the clubhouse does require some maintenance, the HOA dues have nothing to do with the construction of the building itself. Nor is the clubhouse the largest part of an association’s financial obligations.

I’ve sometimes heard complaints that people didn’t want to pay HOA dues because the clubhouse wasn’t done yet. However, the largest expenses of a community like this don’t get eaten up by the clubhouse or it’s swimming pool.

The largest expenses are the landscaping, and more specifically the water. In the Summer, its all the water and mowing that make the yards look so spectacular. In the Winter, it’s the guys who remove all the water that comes in the form of snow.

Then there is also insurance and reserve funds that replace worn out exterior parts of the community as the place ages.

The clubhouse itself is an expense that we as the builder foot entirely on our own, because we know that you value this in a 55+ community. It’s the sort of place we want to build, and for you to enjoy. We have never relied on HOA dues to build your clubhouse. Often times, if we can help it, we try to get these clubhouses built in the beginning, unlike other communities who might push it off till the end, and may even then, try to shirk their promise of building one.

Anyhow, for those of you living there now, we hope you enjoy your clubhouse. For those of you still considering a move here, we look forward to meeting with you and seeing if one of our luxury 55+ communities here, or in any of the other cities we’re building in, are the fit you’ve been looking for.

 

If you’ve been following us and waiting for our 55+ community to start selling, the wait is nearly over.

We’ve finally got pricing, and we’re about to open up for sales.

As of today, September 28th, we are taking reservations, but in the next couple of weeks, we’ll have the homes ready to write contracts on.

As we so often do, we’re trying to offer the first few units a discounted price from what we believe the market to be at. This means that if you act quickly, you can be one of the first few people into this community at the best prices its likely to see. 

Country View Villas

Build Schedule

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be taking reservations on our 1st four buildings. As soon as we record the plat, we’ll start converting those reservations into contracts, and writing new contracts. The 1st TEN contracts will be at our early-bird pricing.

Here is the order that we are building in:

1. Building #1: Which will have two of our models, and a Grandview with a loft for sale, and a Windsor Court for sale.
2. Building #2: Which will have two more of our models, and a Stratford for sale, and a Bristol Court with a loft for sale.
3. Building #14: This will have a Bristol Court, a Bristol Court with a loft, a Windsor Court, and a Windsor Court with a loft, all for sale.
4. Building #12: This will have a Windsor Court, a Windsor Court with a loft, a Grandview, and a Grandview with a loft, all for sale.

(See our floorplans page for details on our current floorplans)

During this time, we’ll also be submitting our clubhouse plans for building. Since that is technically a commercial building, they tend to take a little longer to approve through the cities, but we will strive to begin construction on it as soon as possible so that our homeowner can enjoy the amenities it provides in as quick a time as possible.

Pricing:

Rarely do we post pricing on our website, since it can fluctuate so rapidly, especially in this turbulent market. But for the first 10 contracts (reservations converted to contract are included in this number), we will be offering these homes at our early-bird pricing, which we feel is somewhat of a discount on the current market.

Why are we doing this?

There are multiple reasons, one of which is the hassle factor involved with being the first movers into a new subdivision. For example, our construction schedules for this new community are not fully developed yet, and so building completion dates will be very flexible until we get moving full speed.

Also, we like to reward those who are willing to take a chance on a new home without having seen it completed first.

So what’s the early-bird pricing? Here you go:

• Bristol Court: $ 309,900
• Windsor Court: $ 339,900
• Stratford: $ 364,900
• Grandview: $ 369,900
• Bristol Court w/Loft: $ 354,900
• Windsor Court w/Loft: $ 384,900
• Stratford w/Loft: $ 409,900
• Grandview w/Loft: $ 414,900

How do I reserve my home?

Just call 801-653-1291. One of our helpful sales agents will work with you to reserve your place in Tooele’s new 55+ community, Country View Villas.

Also, in the next few weeks, we’ll be setting up a temporary sales office on site, so keep an eye out for that. But till then, don’t hesitate to call. These first ten homes could sell out quickly.

 

 

I hate to keep visiting this topic, but I thought this might be interesting to some of you.

When people started going back to work, we were hoping that life might start returning to normal. Maybe that was too much to ask.

It is times like this, though, that we realize how global our whole economy has become. I remember when President Trump started his hard stand with China and our trade policies. This affected some of our building material options, but mostly it impacted our flooring.

Though it caused some headaches, the real trouble with building our senior communities, and all new homes for that matter, began this year with Covid.

Supply and Demand Craziness

Too much demand, too little supply

As soon as the recession was confirmed this year, everybody decided to do their part to correct the issue. Governments enacted unprecedented stimulus, and individuals stuck at home got bored and started buying tons of stuff.

On top of that, everyone has been so inundated with the idea that if you buy into the stock market when its low, then you make more money as it goes up. Well, it seems that all of this ended up boosting a large portion of the market. However, with all this spending and buying, nobody was actually working.

Now we’re faced with a three month shortage in over half of our raw and finished building materials.

Since April and May in Utah, we’ve seen a significant increase in the demand for homes. Communities that we thought would take till the end of the year to sell out, are already sold out now.

This is great from a selling standpoint, but from a building standpoint, its a shock. Considering that most of our materials come from out of state, many from places that were fully shut down for three months, we’re now struggling to find enough materials to build how we need.

Some examples

The first thing we noticed to take a hit was appliances. For the last two decades, we’ve been proud to offer GE appliance to our customers. A couple of months ago, after we robbed all of our model homes of our GE appliance, and got no confirmation of when we’d ever be able to see another GE package, we were forced to switch to other brands.

Then we started seeing a major shortage on trim supplies, like doors and moldings. All of a sudden, many of these parts, much of which comes from out of state, were depleted.

Imagine our surprise when lumber jumped in price by a whopping 50%. Crazy! That’s not the end of it either. Continuing lumber shortages are threatening another 50% price hike in the near future.

Almost every branch of construction is facing some kind of shortage. This is resulting in higher prices and longer wait times. Items that were almost guaranteed to be in stock now are unlikely to be available for at least another three months. Longer in some cases. 

What to do

I’ve heard of some builders who’ve begun stockpiling materials and equipment. Do you remember a few months ago when people did that with grocery stores? Yep, it’s happening right now, but with construction companies.

Many of them aren’t comfortable that the items they need over the next year will be available, so they’re adding to the problem.

Since construction time-tables often take on the form of several months, even years of planning, these short-term delays, while they may get resolved by the end of the year, may impact scheduling and budgeting headaches that last well into next year.

This requires all of us in the construction industry to be on our game, keeping our orders and lead times planned accordingly. Still, even with the best of plans, we’re all going to be struggling to keep the pipeline flowing flawlessly.

It’s funny, but every time I think that this year couldn’t get any more weird or challenging, it does. Best of luck to you and yours. Here at Leisure Villas, we’re doing our best to keep things moving along so that you can move into your ideal community with as few headaches as possible.

 

Over the last couple of months, we’ve been getting a lot of phone calls about our newest 55+ community in South Jordan, Utah.

Yes, we do have a project going in there. No it is not for sale yet, but it will be in the not too distant future.

We’ve just barely started breaking ground there. Perhaps you’ve noticed it as you’ve driven northbound on Bangerter Highway. It’s the newest development about to start south of Salt Lake Community College.

Hearthstone Villas

Timeframe:

There will not be any homes for sale this September. In fact, we’re not sure if we’ll even be selling anything before the end of the year. Currently, we’re waiting to see how long the development phase will take. Nothing is worse than buying a house and not knowing when you can move in.

As far as getting the actual houses constructed, we’re aiming for foundations to start going in around the end of February. Granted, if we can start sooner, we will. That would mean, if things go the way we hope they will, then we should have homes ready to move into by around the fall of next year.

Like I said though, we’ve still got a few months of uncertain scheduling, especially as we go into winter, that may affect some of our plans.

However, as soon as we are ready to open the homes up for sale, we’ll post it here on our website.

What is different about this community?

Is there differences? Yes, there will be.

Every time we start a new community, we have to re-evaluate how we do things. We’re constantly trying to provide the most current amenities, and practices that will give your home and your community the things that you value.

One of the things that we’ll certainly install in this community, is pickleball courts. We’ve built these before in a park that we constructed next to one of our previous subdivisions, the Villas At Pioneer Crossing, in Lehi. We did this as an experiment, and with the popularity of the sport, we’ve decided to include some courts in Hearthstone Villas.

Another thing that we’re considering doing, is installing the infrastructure to accommodate electric vehicle charging in every garage. I don’t think it’ll be a huge surprise to anybody that electric vehicles are slowly working their way into our daily lives. It won’t be many years from now when a good percentage of us will be driving them.

There may be other changes as well. We’re always striving to improve our product and our processes. We know that if you’re searching for a 55 and older community, then you’re not usually interested in a starter home. For that very reason, we don’t build starter homes. We build homes that match your current expectations for what a home should be, with the lifestyle to go with it.

Welcome to South Jordan

We’re excited to start selling homes here. Don’t forget to check back here often, to see when we’ll be ready to help you make the move that’ll make all the difference in your retirement.

 

 

This has been one of the most frustrating, exhilarating, and interesting years that I can remember. How about you?

Every now and then, I attempt to predict the market, especially as it relates to the buying and selling of homes for folks who are 55 and better. I’ll often give a re-cap of where we’ve been, where we are now, and where I see us going in the future. Covid 19 blew all my predictions completely off course.

As we’ve gone through these last few months, I think we’ve seen the best and the worst that our country can throw at us in many ways.

An Economy With No Rules

Starting with 2019

For the whole of 2019, most of the financial world was predicting a recession. This never materialized in the way we thought it would. As the year drew to an end, the economy was still going strong, but most people were feeling the recession at our doorstep.

During this latter half of the year, sales started slowing to a minor degree. Some homes had to offer a few incentives to move buyers in. All signs were pointing to a real recession at the beginning of 2020.

First half of 2020

This year started out pessimistic, and not just because we would all be enduring the political battles of an election year.

Despite all the predictions, and hopes for the economy, I don’t think anybody could’ve predicted what would happen next, though I’m sure there are a few people who’ll want to take credit for it all in hindsight.

First we get the Corona virus panic, which shocked the stock market and the grocery market! This was followed by a quick plunge in our economy. It was the trigger for the very recession everyone was predicting.

What nobody was predicting, was how fast things would rebound. With everyone stuck at home for a couple of months, household projects and childhood education and activity products boomed. While the leisure business suffered, other parts of the economy saw record highs.

This propelled us into a lighting recovery, that was far from evenly spread. This created shortages in supplies of everything from computers to lawn-care products, to side-walk chalk, and of course sanitation products.

There was also a lot of political unrest from activist groups, though that’s a topic we’ll avoid diving into here.

Stimulus also had an interesting effect on the market. People who lost their jobs could suddenly start making more money by not working, than they could by working. So while many industries were seeing booming sales, the amount of people transferring from those harder-hit jobs to the in-demand jobs were few. This led to even more scarcity of resources.

Any time that resources are scarce, the prices tend to climb. I can’t say if priced climbed very much in most places, or if this all combined to keep the market stable, but in any case, our economy recovered surprisingly well.

Second Half of 2020

Utah’s economy has seen some bewildering statistics because of Covid. Our housing market has seen sales that have been better than we’ve had for the last couple of years. And this out of a year where we thought that sales would be struggling.

Utah still maintains a shortage of new housing to supply the demand, which means that home prices are likely to resume their upward trends, after about a year or so of smaller price increases.

While we expected a slowdown in housing, we instead ended up with a housing boom here in Utah. I don’t know how the next year is likely to shape up, but this has been one of the wildest rides I’ve seen in a long time.

This has led one of our projects in Herriman to sell out months before we expected it to. It has also caused us to step up our build schedules in Vineyard, and our homes are selling quickly in North Ogden and Saratoga Springs as well.

If you’ve been considering a move to a 55+ community, don’t wait for the next down-turn. It seems that we found it and are quickly moving away from it.

 

 

 

For a little while now, I’ve thought it would be fun to add some good recipes to this blog. When living in a 55+ community, its easy to entertain guests. Maybe its your grandkids coming to visit for a Sunday dinner, or maybe you’re getting together with some neighbors in your home or in the clubhouse, but having a few secret recipes can be a fun way to add some flavor to your next meal.

So here’s one that I thought I’d share, one that my wife cooks occasionally, and I have come to love. It’s a carrot dish, with a foreign flare.

Not-Boring Carrots

Summer-time means fresh veggies

There are few things that I enjoy eating in the Summer-time that come in a can. I love to stop by farmers markets, or check out the in-season produce at my local grocery store to find what’s fresh.

Among my favorite finds are carrots. Nothing beats a freshly pulled carrot raw. But next to that, is a great cooked carrot. I’m not talking about boiling it till it turns to mush, though, with the right broth, even that can be amazing. No, I’m talking about mixing in a few things, giving it a slightly steamed, slightly fried flavor.

Moroccan inspired

My wife is great at finding recipes that nobody else uses around here. Whenever we’re invited to dinner, there’s always a sense of curiosity, and occasionally I’ll admit, trepidation. Not all of our recipes turn out to be great crowd pleasers.

Most of the time though, they are healthy. It’s this search for healthy living that inspired her to turn to other parts of the world that don’t entirely rely on butter, salt, and sugar to flavor their food. This carrot recipe is one that we have found to be safe in a traditional group, but different enough to turn the perceptive foodies nose in its direction.

Directions

1. Prep your spices by mixing them in a bowl. This saves time, and lets you keep a better eye on your carrots so that they don’t burn. Add your cumin, cilantro, mint, paprika, parsley, chili powder. Set this aside till you’re ready for it.
2. You’ll want to prepare some carrots and shallots. You could probably use onions, but shallots pack more flavor per ounce than regular onions. Plus they have a slightly unique flavor. And since this is more of a carrot recipe than an onion recipe, I like to keep the onions less of a feature. Dice the shallots, then slice the carrots into thin pieces. I think the correct term is julienne. I don’t know if cutting them any other way makes a bit of difference, but you want them thinner than just chopping them into 1 inch chunks. This lets them cook faster and absorb more flavor.
3. With a little oil, (I prefer grapeseed oil, since it has a very high smoke point, and tastes way better than olive oil in my opinion), sauté the onions on medium heat in a pan for a few minutes till they’re translucent. Add the carrots and cover them, cooking for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally until they’re tender all the way through.
4. Now that the carrots are tender, add your spices. Mix it in good and cook for just 2-3 minutes longer.
5. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Naturally, the fresher the ingredients, the better, but this recipe doesn’t need a lot of each herb, so something dry can often do in a pinch, especially if you don’t want to by a whole thing of parsely, only for such a small portion. But despite the meager quantities of each of these, they all combine to add a very subtle and surprisingly flavorful dish.

1 lb carrots – Julienned

½ C diced shallots

1 T Oil

¼ t cilantro

1 t mint

¼ t paprika

½ t parsley

¼ t chili powder

1 t salt

 

This week, my wife came to me and said that we needed to go on a date for the weekend.

“Great!” says I. “Where?”

That’s the big question. With everywhere closed down or highly restricted, it might seem hard to find any entertainment.

What’s an active senior to do?

It took me a little head scratching, but I think I’ve come up with a few ideas. I floated a few of them by her, and she even approved.

So if you’re wanting to take your sweetheart out for the evening, but are struggling to find anything to do, hopefully I can spark some ideas.

A Night Out On The Town?

Options for our virus wary world

I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy finding something to do. The usual suspects are either shut down till further notice, like my favorite Edison Street Events, where you can usually catch a silent movie with a live organist, or live music at Sundance.

And if a place isn’t shut down, I know it makes my wife very nervous, especially when there are too many people there. Even still, there are options available.

Here’s my short list:

1. Take a bike ride along the Jordan River Parkway.

This is the one that my wife decided to do. She liked the idea of being out in the fresh air, covering some ground and enjoying the scenery. Plus, with as much as we’ve been indoors lately, the idea of stretching our legs sounded too tempting to pass on.

If you happen to be living in our 55+ community, located in Saratoga Springs: The Villas At Legacy Farms, then you’re already living at the trailhead to the Jordan River Parkway. You could easily bike up to Thanksgiving point and spend some time walking around their beautiful grounds. I say easily, assuming that you like biking.

If you don’t live close to the Jordan River parkway, I happen to know that our other subdivisions in Herriman: Midas Creek Villas, or our Vineyard Subdivision: The Villas At Waters Edge, also have walking/biking/horse trails near each of those.

If you don’t live near any of those active adult communities, well, maybe you should.

1. Go painting in the park.

When’s the last time that you took an easel outside and tried to capture the beauty around us. Camera phones make snapping a picture almost too easy. But there is something about painting that is both therapeutic and amazing.

If you’ve never done it before, no problems. Nobody’s going to judge you too harshly. Chances are, most of them know they wouldn’t even dare try. So go ahead, grab some brushes and paints, and find a shady spot somewhere to practice your masterpiece. Since you live in Utah, you’re lucky enough to have something interesting to paint, no matter where you go.

If you have no clue what you’re doing, look up a few Bob Ross paintings to get some basics down. They can be a fun, stay at home date all in themselves. Just make sure you have your remote control handy, so that you can pause the show long enough to catch up. And don’t be discouraged if your first dozen paintings turn out to be—less than perfect. You’ll be surprised how quickly and addicting this painting thing can get.

1. Go Bullfrog hunting.
   1. A few weeks ago, I saw the articles out about bullfrogs in Utah. I didn’t even know that Utah had bullfrogs. But now that I know, I want to find them.
   2. The last time that I ate frog legs was probably 15 years ago. Surprisingly, you can order them in from Walmart’s frozen food department. I happened to chance by them there once, when they actually had them in stock. They’re surprisingly big, like chicken legs, and if you overlooked the different bone structure, you might even think that’s what you were eating.
   3. So while anyone can go out fishing for a date night, maybe you can learn how to go bullfrogging, and come home to cook up a culinary delight that will both surprise and delight your friends or family.

There’s plenty more

I’m not going to go into depth on all the possible date activities out there. But needless to say, there are options, even though you might need to be a little more creative at this time.

For instance, if you’re feeling like just watching a movie, but don’t want to see the current re-runs in the big theaters, give some of the more specialty theaters a try. For example, Thanksgiving point’s museum theater is showing educational films in 3-d, or is it 4-d now? Anyhow, you can go on their website and reserve a ticket. I doubt these theaters get the same crowds that the bigger theaters attract.

There’s also bowling. I know the owner of Oympus Hill Bowling Alley, and he’s mentioned that they are open, and following restriction guidelines. But even then, they barely fill their bowling alley. So you could easily keep a social distance from people, and enjoy a night of stretching for a strike.

If you’re lucky enough to live in one of our fantastic senior communities, then you also have a clubhouse that is close. It usually offers billiards, a built-in theater, and a swimming pool. You could even grab a few friends together and play games, making it a fun group date.

There is plenty of fun to be had out there, even though the whole world is telling us to keep out. With a little creativity, and a sense of adventure, we can have a fun and safe time going on dates with our sweethearts.

Good luck!

 

For the last few months, we’ve been struggling like everyone else to figure out how best to do business during this unusual year. Many things we think ought to happen, have surprised us on the flip side.

Who would’ve thought that the stock market would be booming throughout this last season. It’s almost like bad news leads to healthy stock returns. I don’t get it.

There are a few things though that I do get. One of them is taking care of our customers.

Since we build communities for folks 55 and older, we’re very aware of the risks that some of our homeowners might face due to this virus scare. So what do we do when a customer finds themselves in need of warranty assistance?

Getting Things Done

Time to fix something

While its never a call that we want to get, we realize that new homes occasionally have issues that need fixing. Warranty is a part of the package, and at Leisure Villas, we do our best to ensure that you’re getting a quality-built home.

During the last few months, we had several homeowners opt not to get warranty issues taken care of. For the time being, we’ve been let back into many of those homes. However, as more cases and concerns arise about the virus spreading faster than before, we foresee caution becoming an issue again.

That’s why we’ve been doing our best to keep ourselves socially distanced, as well as keeping things sanitized as often as possible.

When it comes time for us to enter your homes and do warranty work, we’re more than happy to wear face masks and do everything in our power to be in and out as quickly as possible.

Nobody wants to get sick, or to pass on something to anyone else. So if you don’t feel comfortable letting us into your house just yet, please, still let us know about the items you need fixing, and as long as they’re a low priority, we’ll hold onto them until you feel a little better about having us in your home. Hopefully it won’t take too long.

For emergencies, we’ll take care of it quickly

There are a few instances where a warranty claim should not be procrastinated. Usually these have to deal with water.

Water issues can be among the most damaging issues a home might ever encounter. That’s why, if you notice any sort of problem with water leaks or anything of that nature, we’ll want to get in and get it fixed as quickly as possible.

If you find yourself worried about a certain warranty issue and letting one of our contractors into your home, feel free to reach out to us and discuss your concern. We’ll do our very best to make your sure you are safely taken care of.

When will this pass?

I don’t know when we’ll be over with this whole mess. I’m so tired of talking and hearing about it. I’m sure you are too. More people are coming down with the virus everyday, and yet everyone seems to be getting more complacent.

We wish you a happy healthy year. And thank you for making Leisure Villas Utah’s preferred builder of 55+ communities for another year.

 

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately on upcoming 55+ communities. One that has many people excited is Country View Villas, our exclusive community for folks 55 and better.

This new development in Tooele is located at 1000 N. and about 220 E.

As of June, 2020, no homes here are for sale yet, but we have begun preparing the land for construction.

Why have people been so excited about this community? Well, there is a few reasons. Maybe one of these will get you thinking about it also. Let’s talk Tooele.

Country View Villas

Update

If you’ve been following rumor, then you know that we’re about to start our very first active adult community in Tooele. This is the city that’s so far away, yet so quick to get to.

As of June, we’ve been working hard at getting sewer and storm drains installed at this new development. By this fall, we’re hoping to have the majority of the underground dirt-work completed, so that we can begin installing foundations.

We’re still waiting a little longer though, before we open the community up for sales. But check back here often. As soon as we open them up to the public, you’ll see and hear about them here, on our website.

Why Tooele?

Tooele is an interesting city. Its clear out of the way, yet for folks needing to commute to Salt Lake, it’s a surprisingly quick car ride away.

Also, there’s a smaller town feel to this remote, yet still present city.

One of the really cool things about Tooele, is that it’s also not as expensive as living in the Salt Lake or Utah counties. If you’re like me, you’ve probably watched the home-buying market explode over the last 10 years in Utah.

Apparently, everybody loves Utah and wants to live here. Its making for a robust housing market. At the same time, its pricing a lot of people out of a new home, or a used home for that matter.

Tooele’s prices have gone up, there’s no doubt about that. But they’ve started from a lower price point as well. So if Salt Lake County feels a little too expensive for you, then maybe you should consider a trip out to Country View Villas, and see if the fresh country air is a little more to your liking and budget.

Granted, we don’t have prices available yet for this community, nor do we have a sales office, but when we open them up for sale, we’ll let you know.

When to plan a move…

If Tooele sounds interesting to you, or if you’re a long-time Tooele resident who is curious about living in a community dedicated to folks who are 55 and older, then stick around. Around Springtime, we’ll likely start moving people into this awesome new community.

That means that in the not too distant future, you should start planning your move. Being retired, or nearly retired comes with some advantages. When you live so near to others your age, you practically have a whole new social network built into your community. And by social network, I’m not talking about the online sort. I’m talking about the kind where you can actually talk and get together as often as you like.

Living in a 55+ community is all about the lifestyle. It is a great way to meet new friends and to make the most of your retirement years.

If you’d like to live in a quality 55 and older community in Herriman, this is the time to come and visit.

Our last foundation has recently been installed in Midas Creek Villas. There are plenty of homes still available for the next several months, but by the time 2020 wraps up, we’ll likely be all sold out.

So, if you’ve been considering a move to this community, or if you’ve been wondering about active adult communities in general and would like to live in the Herriman, Utah area, then you should hurry up and visit, because Midas Creek Villas is in the final stretch of construction.

Still Available… For Now

Time to get off the fence

If you’ve been sitting on the fence, waiting and wondering if now was the time for you to buy a home within Midas Creek Villas, then the answer is yes, now is the time. We had a little bit of a slow-down from December through February, but oddly enough, since Covid19 started, sales have steadily been going stronger.

This was not what we’d expected, though you won’t find us complaining. In any case, as sales have been picking up over the last few months, this is the time for you to decide if you’re ready to move or not. If you wait till the end of the year, you might be out of luck—at least, out of luck for this community.

How many are left?

As of this article, there are about 15 homes left available in Midas Creek Villas. A couple of these are completed, and awaiting someone who is ready to move right away. There are also a few others that are far enough out, that if you buy soon, you’ll still be able to choose some of the upgraded features that will more properly fit your tastes.

Either way, availability will not last long.

We do have plans for more communities in the Salt Lake Valley over the next couple years, however, we still haven’t broken ground on any of those yet.

Senior Communities post-Covid19

I’m sure many people are wondering what’s going to be happening to our culture, now that half of the population is paranoid about infectious diseases. I’m kind of curious too. I think, at least in the cities, there’ll be some lasting changes. But also, I’m seeing a lot of people living life as usual too.

Have you been to a community splash pad or public pond lately? You’d think that nobody was concerned at all about contagions. Many of these same people are in a higher risk age group as well. So what’s really going to happen?

I don’t know. All I do know, is that people want to be actively involved with friends and family, even if there is some risk to health. I think that the best we can do, is try to be smarter and more conscientious of our own symptoms. If we feel sick, we should stay home. I know this doesn’t sound very novel, but for as long as I can remember, people have been fudging the likelihood of their contagiousness, for the sake of a little more fun, productivity, or not missing out on plans.

I think we can all enjoy family friends and community, if we’ll allow this Covid19 to simply change how we view sick days, and how we put others at risk. We can still have fun active communities, like the ones we build here at Leisure Villas. We can still go out with family and friends. Most of us are responsible, and smart enough to know when we’re really sick. As long as we can learn to respect other people’s health, I think we can move on to better and brighter days ahead. 

 

I was just talking with a colleague the other day, and he mentioned a conversation he had with a homeowner in one of our 55 and older communities. This homeowner apparently commented on how nice it was, living in a community where nobody was competing with each other for social status.

I’m sure we’ve all been there, seen the neighborhoods where everyone seems to be buying the latest and greatest toys. It’s hard not to notice and compare their situation with yours.

But the interesting part about living in a senior community, is that everyone has already been there, done that. Whether they cared about such things before or not, most of them have lived long enough to know that happiness doesn’t come from all the stuff you can buy, it comes from all the people you can share your time with.

No More Keeping Up With The Jones

No more driveways full of toys

Our homes are full of active adults, who like to get out and play as much as the next person. Partially due to the nature of our homeowners, and partially due to the fact that there isn’t any room for toys, you’ll rarely see the common toys littering your neighbors yards here.

While its true, you or your neighbor might bring over their RV for a day to load or clean it, there’s really no great place to park it long term in one of our communities. The same goes with boats and 4-wheelers. If you can’t fit it in your garage, then it really has no place here.

Now these things aren’t bad to own. Far from it. But there are other ways of storing them if you own them. Many people who do have them can even find places in their garages for some of them. The nice thing is, that your neighbors and you aren’t seeing these toys every day.

It has a way of leveling the field and beautifying the neighborhood. Everyone’s homes look nice, and everyone’s homes, at least on the outside, remain free of clutter.

Emphasis on the people

People are often judging each other. And I’m sure that still happens to an extend in a 55+ community, however, most people who live there, enjoy their neighbors because they’ve learned the value of making friends with people in their same situations.

If you’re retired, or nearing so, and your children and grandchildren don’t visit all that often, who can you spend time with?

Many folks move into our communities for many reasons. Some like the safety it affords. Some like the fact that the yards are maintained for them. Many of them like the lifestyle that comes from having so many friends close at hand. With a community clubhouse to meet and make more, there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to find someone or many someones who have similar interests as you.

At Leisure Villas, we pride ourselves on providing neighborhoods where people can come together like they never could in a standard subdivision. And hey, with the amenities that we have, maybe your grandkids will even come visit more often.

 

 

“The residents of Leisure Villas showed up in costumes and BYU gear, marching down the street to patriotic music, waving and throwing out candy.”

(Photo and Article re-distributed with permission from The Lehi Free Press)

Without a doubt, Covid19 has changed our world. Likely there will be lasting repercussions from this. One of the things that has people concerned, is our aging citizens and keeping a safe distance from them.

A couple weeks ago, The Lehi Free Press posted an article in their paper about one of our 55+ communities that decided to enjoy each other’s company as best and safe as they could.

We were flattered that they even mentioned our company, since Leisure Villas has since sold out that particular community. Still, this article highlights one of the amazing aspects of our product, and that is the joy our customers get from our lifestyle oriented communities.

So here’s that article:

Lehi Free Press – April 16th by Briana Warner

Lehi Senior Community, Leisure Villas Creates Socially Distanced Parade

 

The Leisure Villas at Pioneer Crossing is a 55 and older community in Lehi. On Thursday, March 9, they joined in a socially distanced parade to spread some love and cheer. 

Sybil Palmer is the self-appointed activity director of the Leisure Villas community. Palmer worked hard to come up with a way that she and her neighbors could safely see each other during this crazy time. In this community of residents over the age of 55, the risks are very real for fatal cases ofCOVID-19. Fortunately for Leisure Villas, there have been no cases of COVID-19 within the community of 175 residents. In a time when all residents are being told to stay indoors, “I just wanted to bring a little joy into people’s lives,” said Palmer. “We’ve all been hunkered down, we don’t get to see our grandchildren or each other and it’s lonely.” 

In a normal week, Leisure Villas is actively social through group dinners, movie and game nights. 

“We are like a little village unto ourselves here,” said Palmer. “We take care of each other. We see each other more than our families.” Now, that· has all changed. Two weeks ago, the community joined for a wave on their front lawns in order to see each other. “My kids came to visit me and they stood on the porch and I looked out my bedroom window,” recalls Palmer. “I see families come all the time and visit with chairs on the lawn.”

In a time when many are afraid, this Lehi community has chosen to stay positive and find fun ways to show love and support.

Lifestyle vs fear

Over the last couple months, everyone’s lifestyles have changed. We don’t know what will happen in the short or long-term because of this, but this article is inspiring, because it shows that even when we’re forced to restrict our social behaviors, we can still find ways to safely come together and responsibly spread some cheer.

As restrictions ease up, and we’re able to see each other more often, it will still be important going forward to exercise caution and be responsible for our actions and how those might affect others. But as this article demonstrates, just because we have to be careful, doesn’t mean that we have to hide.

These truly are crazy times, but with the support of great neighbors, friends, and family, we’ll find a way to be social and safe.

 

It’s been a long time coming, but we have finally finished decorating our model homes in Saratoga Springs, UT.

This 55+ community is fully under way. It’s being built near one of the quickest growing parts of Saratoga Springs.

As of right now, we have four model homes fully decorated and waiting for you to visit.

See Our Model Homes Today

Open House

This subdivision, The Villas At Legacy Farms, is open for visits. Despite the Covid 19 pandemic, we’re still able to keep our doors open. And since most people are staying home right now, this is a great time for you to come visit.

With between one and seven new visits per week, you aren’t very likely to meet another person besides our friendly sales agent on any given day of the week, Monday through Saturday. Though, if you come on Saturday, there might be a few more people. That is the day most people venture out.

Also, our sales staff in all of our new communities are trying hard to keep the models sanitary for your convenience.

So if you’re wondering if this is a safe time to get out of your house, both for the day, and forever, come visit The Villas At Legacy Farms in Saratoga, where you can experience our latest and greatest decorating from our team of professional designers.

Still Selling

I’ve met a few people who are holding back, banking on the hopes that the housing market in Utah will crash. While it is true, that this Covid 19 is creating financial hardships for many people, not everyone is being effected evenly. Granted, there could be some trickle effect, especially if this becomes a prolonged shutdown, but Utah also has a few other things going for it.

Our economy is one of the most diverse in the United States. Add this to the fact that we also have a great entrepreneurial base, and it might be safe to say that Utah will come out of this recession ahead of the rest of the country, like usual.

Also, Utah still has a shortage of housing. Throughout this last month, I’ve heard story after story of people whose phones are ringing nonstop as they list their houses for sale.

Adding to that is our experience over the last few weeks. While new visitor visits to our communities has gone down, the rate at which we are still selling our homes hasn’t slowed nearly as much. Over the last few weeks, I’m sometimes disheartened by how many new people are visiting our projects, but then I’m pleasantly surprised to find out that they are buying.

It’s like Covid 19 has kept all the looky-loos home, but the people who are sincerely looking to buy a house are still out there shopping.

While its too early to tell what will happen with Utah’s housing market, we’re feeling as if the demand for housing is likely to continue strong. House prices will probably remain flat for some time before they start going up again. I also read an article yesterday stating that mortgage rates were at another all-time low. This also will likely keep the demand for new housing strong.

All in all, the housing market is still moving along. It may even be the lifeline in our economy that keeps enough stability in it until the rest of the country re-opens.

When that happens, it’s anybody’s guess as to how quickly housing will start going up again. If you’ve been waiting for the economy to provide a buyers market, this is likely it.

 

It seems that Covid19 is all that the whole world is talking about right now. If you’re anything like me, you might be getting tired of it. But if you’re 55 or older and have been considering a move to a 55+ community, where does that leave you?

These are strange times, to be sure.

There is a hint of irony behind all of this though. Every day, I see headlines saying that the housing market is crashing, or that it’s still booming. Most of it is speculation by people who don’t have a clue.

Since we’re in the 55+ active adult housing industry, I thought you might appreciate our perspective on the situation. Perhaps it might help you make your own decisions.

The 55+ Market: Spring 2020

Where we came from

It helps to know where we came from, to give you some perspective. So last year, around this time, most of our communities were averaging around 12 visits per week from folks who hadn’t been to one of our communities before. For us, this is a healthy amount of new traffic. On top of that are return visits, but we won’t go into those numbers today.

With this kind of traffic, we were able to sell about 4 homes per month in each community. However, as 2019 progressed, I think that people were starting to feel the pressure of an over-extended bull market. Historically, we have a recession every 4 years, but we hadn’t had one of those since the Great Recession. This is partially due to the extended nature of the Great Recession, and partly due to Federal policy that was intended to prop up an economy that was already doing better than it probably had any right to be. Adding to this, was the fact that home prices had been going up, and even though demand still overpowered supply, many people were getting price fatigue.

Because of this, the market for new homes above $350k started to slow in Utah. Since only starter homes, those super compact row-homes, were the only ones selling below that price range, many move-up homes were feeling this squeeze.

As a result, towards the second half of 2019, we saw little to no price increases in homes. There were even a few discounts to be found emerging.

Where we are in April 2020

That brings us to today. The US economy was primed and ready for a pullback, especially in the equities market. All it needed was a good trigger. Enter Covid19.

You may wonder why we had such a massive selloff last month in stocks, well, it was because everyone was already thinking recession before the economy got shut down, so they were ready to sell stocks. Add to that, the fact that the governments around the world have given many businesses a mandatory vacation, and well, how can anyone expect the economy to do well under those circumstances.

What does this mean for housing?

Demand for housing in Utah is still extremely high. Utah has a growing population, spurred even more by all the software engineering companies that have moved into town over the last couple decades. Many of them are still able to work from home, meaning that some of Utah’s population is insulated to a degree.

The leisure businesses like restaurants, bowling alleys, and theaters to name just a few are really struggling. Retail is a mixed bag. Groceries are doing tons more business, and the medical industry is plodding along. Hopefully the government’s actions will help those hurt most by this.

So while Utah is going to be hurt by this, a lot of the state should pull through all right.

Commercial construction is slowing, but residential construction is still going strong. To put it into perspective, let’s look at the numbers again.

As I mentioned earlier, our 55+ communities were getting an average of 12 new visits each week, selling about 4 homes per community each month. During this quarantine period, our new visits have dropped to somewhere between 4-7 new visits per week, with an average of 3 sales per month per community.

What this tells us, is that people are still wanting to move, and while half or more of our normal traffic is sheltering in place, those who are coming out to visit us are still very interested in buying.

Many of them are also encouraged by the mortgage rates that are being offered at this time. With all the government spending to curb the economic impact of this recession, I wonder how long low interest rates can continue, especially if inflation decides it doesn’t like all this extra money the Fed is printing.

From our discussions with new visitors to our communities, those who had their money in stocks are feeling the pinch right now. Those who weren’t buying houses from their stock portfolios are seeming to shrug this off more casually than much of the millennial generation. Whether this is because this isn’t their first economic rodeo, or some other reason, I can’t say. Nobody wants to get sick, but aside from a bit of extra caution on that front, the consensus that I’m hearing, is that this will eventually pass.

Where we are headed to finish out the year

So is this a buyers market or not?

While it’s true that mortgage rates are at historic lows, fear is also a high motivator. I think it’s interesting to note, that last year, people were holding off on purchasing a new home because they were waiting for the market to go down a little.

Now that it’s down a little, those same people are scared of buying a home because they are uncertain of what the market is going to do long-term.

There’s no doubt about it, we’re all in for a rough ride over the next couple of months. Depending on which hour you watch the news, you may feel extremely optimistic or very pessimistic about the future.

However, and this is just my opinion, I think that people can only be afraid for so long. I think that come Summer, kids won’t have anymore homework to keep them busy, parents are going to go stir-crazy if they don’t get out more, and life will start to balance itself out again.

I expect that businesses will start opening up again by June, and that by September, the economy will start feeling like it’s stabilizing again.

During that time, new homes might feel a little bit of a squeeze until homebuyer confidence fully returns. Interestingly enough, those who’ve already bought are not canceling contracts, and since demand is still pretty high, I would expect that here in Utah, the prices will be flat for the rest of 2020. 

For these reasons, I feel that this is a home-buyers market. Of course, it’s not always easy to buy when things look bleak, but historically, this would be considered the idealistic buyers market, whether you’re looking to buy a house or more stocks.

Whatever you decide, I hope this article has been informative and helpful in your decisions.

Good luck and stay safe.

 

This is the 4th and possibly last lesson for interior decorating. If you’re new to this, you can reference some of our other interior decorating tips by following the links at the bottom of this page.

Anyhow, there was one last topic that I wanted to discuss, and it’s a big one, not just because it can have a big impact, but also because it’s usually the largest, heaviest part of decorating your home.

You guessed it, I’m talking about the furniture.

One of my biggest gripes that I often fought decorators on, was that their choice of furniture rarely lent itself to any degree of practicality.

Often, especially in a model home where the furniture will not actually get used for anything other than looks, you can get away with impractical furniture. But in a real house, being lived in by real people, you have to sometimes make compromises.

One thing to keep in mind though, as you plan your trip to your local furniture store, is the size of your furniture.

Scale Is Important

It’s not only about what will fit.

So you buy a new house, and the first thing you do is take out your tape measure and see how much room you have to fit that huge comfy plush sofa.

Before you run off with credit card in hand, stop and take one more measurement of your room. This one has nothing at all to do with a tape measure either.

When you’re looking at your room, regardless of whether your dream bed or couch fits, consider the overall scale of your room.

If the room is large, then by all means, grab that plush, butt absorbing monster of a sofa. But if your room is somewhat smaller, you might want to reconsider the style of sofa.

Small rooms often lend themselves better to small furniture. Now when I mean smaller furniture, they could have similar dimensions, but a 7 foot sofa can be so plush and puffy that it might look twice as big as another 7 foot long sofa that doesn’t have all the extra padding and pillows.

I remember one time, we had a model decorated with an elegant fluffy sofa. It fit very well in the space, but made the room look super tiny and claustrophobic.

In that same room, we replaced that sofa with one that didn’t look nearly as plush, but was still attractive, and all of a sudden, that tiny room became a large family room.

This same principle can work in reverse. Maybe you have a small space, but by filling it up entirely, you can make the area look bigger. This is often done in small narrow areas that you might not normally think to put something, but when decorated, can have a real impact.

One last thing:

You can decorate your home to your heart’s content, however, there is one last thing that really makes a good home pop, and that is you. No amount of designer furniture or useless trinkets will make your home amazing without you.

Without you, your house is worth little more than a photograph that is admired one minute and forgotten the next. You however won’t be forgotten, regardless of what your house looked like.

If you’re the sort of person who values friendships and loves people, then you are already leagues ahead of the crowd. If you’d also like to live around more like-mind folks who are genuine and amazing like you, then check out one of our communities. We only create lifestyle-oriented communities with you in mind. This could really be the neighborhood you’ve always dreamed about.

For previous articles on interior design, check out these previous posts:

https://www.leisurevillas.com/interior-decorating-101/

https://www.leisurevillas.com/interior-decorating-102/

https://www.leisurevillas.com/interior-decorating-103/

Who would’ve guessed that the whole world could’ve changed so quickly?

It seems like only a couple weeks ago, everything was normal and routine.

Well, where do we go from here? If you’re a senior and have been considering a move, you might be wondering if that’s the best idea anymore.

With the uncertainty in the economy, and the risks associated with this new virus, its hard to predict what comes next.

Whatever happens though, keep smiling. The next month is going to be very uncertain. But after that, we should start seeing some light at the end of this crazy tunnel.

Important Things To Remember

This isn’t the end of the world, unless it is…

We’re no stranger to shocks. We’ve experienced them before. In every case, we’ve come together as a country and pulled through them.

9/11 is a perfect example of when the whole country stopped in shock at what was then, an unprecedented attack on the United States.

If you look back, you’ll remember times when things looked pretty bleak for our country. Eventually, things got better.

This current upset will get better too. For those who are better able to whether this storm, we can look to the future as a bright spot. We can take comfort knowing that the world will still press forward. We can keep an eye out for those whom we can help, and we can make the best of a bad situation.

I have two such examples to relate:

As I was talking with our friendly sales staff this week, one of them mentioned how in their 55+ community, they had a couple of seniors who were at a higher risk for complications if they got sick. So they have isolated themselves in their homes.

Neighbors have rallied around them and dropped off groceries and other goods at their doorstep so that they don’t have to get out and be exposed to what might otherwise be a life-threatening disease for them.

This is what our communities are all about. Friendships and genuinely caring for each other.

Another example of kindness came from a story one of our employees related. Salt Lake City was shutting down in-house dining at their restaurants. This employee got together with a good friend to enjoyed one last meal out before the closures took effect.

When they finished with their meal, knowing that the waitress was going to lose her job that night, they made sure to leave an extra large trip, multiple times the cost of their meal.

There’s nothing we can individually do to stop the hardships that come from today’s circumstances, but there’s plenty we can do to make the best of a bad situation.

The Sun always comes up tomorrow, so we can all live the best that we can today, and be as positive as we can today. Because if for some reason the Sun didn’t show up tomorrow, no amount of pessimism today would make a lick of difference.

We’re doing our part.

If you’re a little shy about coming out and house hunting at this time, we completely understand your hesitancy. However, if you are still interested in moving forward, we want you to know that we are still in business.

Whatever happens in the economy, we’re going to do our best to keep as many of our people employed, and to keep you safe.

After every visitor stops by our sales office, our sales staff has been disinfecting all of the surfaces that the potential customer came in contact with, so you can feel comfortable coming into a clean sales environment.

We want to keep you safe, and keep you comfortable, whether you’re as healthy as a millennial, or whether you’re at a higher risk from this virus.

Good luck, and don’t forget to smile!

 

It’s Monday, March 16, 2020, and what a wild ride these last couple of weeks have been!

Any hope of containing the corona virus outbreak is seemingly futile. If you own stocks, you’re probably tearing your hair out right about now. If you’re in a high-risk category for complications due to the sickness, then you’ve probably got even more to be worried about.

On top of all that, the world’s economies are going to take a hit and fall into recession because of this microscopic pest.

With all this commotion, you may be wondering if it’s time to paint lambs blood over your front doors.

So what can seniors do?

Turns out, there are some bright spots for those willing to make the most of a scary situation.

Looking On The Bright Side

Mortgage rates

A couple of weeks ago, when this virus hit, the mortgage market became very attractive. 15 and 30 year mortgages on homes got as low as 2.5-2.8%. That’s barely enough to keep up with inflation!

These rates have since bounced back into the 3% ranges, and who knows what will happen this week with the Fed cutting its rates to 0. Its funny how we were expecting rates to start climbing over the last couple of years, now we expect them to remain down for some time.

Chances are that rates in the 2% range will remain rare, but if they hold within the 3% range, then this is an excellent time to buy a house.

In Utah, the housing market looks to remain strong. There is still plenty of pent-up demand and not enough homes being built to satisfy that demand. We may be starting into a recession, but overall, we’re in a much better position than we were back in 2007/2008. I would predict that this will be more mild even than the recession of 2001.

Considering that some homebuilders, especially us, are offering some deals on ready to move-in homes right now, this is definitely a buyers market.

Stocks

While it does seem like a nasty blow to the stock market right now, keep in mind that these are the times that make people a lot of money. If you’ve ridden this market all the way down, history shows that eventually the market will come back.

If you have money to invest, then there will be some really good deals to be had in the stock market. I defer to Warren Buffet when it comes to my own investments. If you find a company at a price you know is good, don’t try and time the market, just buy at that really good deal and hold long term. A deal is a deal, and this too will pass.

Its not all about the money

Though it is true, recessions and downs in the markets can provide some interesting opportunities for those who are able to take advantage of them, there are some real concerns that should be addressed.

Since we cater to the 55+ market, some of our customers might be in a high-risk category for complications due to this virus.

Since we highly encourage active and social lifestyles, we feel it important to urge extra caution at this time. It’s unlikely that our residents will escape this pandemic, even if they decide to be completely anti-social. It’s likely going to keep spreading and exposing a lot of people. From what we’ve heard, the goal now is to slow it down, so that the health care system doesn’t get overwhelmed all at once.

Because of this, we ask you to take a close look at yourself and your neighbors. Even if you think that you’re fine weathering the virus, keep your neighbors in mind. If you’ve been around people who’ve been sick, even if you’re not showing symptoms yet, please exercise a little more caution around those most vulnerable.

On our part, we’ve met with some residents and decided that our monthly potlucks should also be postponed until this is a little more under control.

We all know proper hygiene. Wash your hands with hot soap and water. This is much more effective than wet wipes and hand sanitizer (which have become scarce, anyway). Since Covid 19 is airborn, limit visits with at risk individuals, and if you are an at-risk individual, please be extra careful. It’s not possible or practical to completely quarantine ourselves till this passes, but please take necessary steps to remain safe.

Luckily, high-risk individuals have better options for staying safe at this time than ever before, especially in our 55+ communities. Since our communities are so friendly, and everyone has been around the block a few times with hardships and other things, we like to think that those living in our communities are fairly level-headed. With this wisdom, often comes compassion.

Among the most crowded places to visit right now are the grocery stores. If you are high risk, and need help with groceries or other needs, check with your neighbors. There are plenty of friendly people in our communities who are healthy and active, and of a lower risk, who would be thrilled to do you a service.

Luckily the hording is settling down too, so grocery stores will be able to catch up on their stock.

Other options are to use online delivery services. Places like Amazon and Walmart can make it so that you rarely have to even visit the grocery stores. Things like social media can also help provide social interaction, which, though it will never fill the need for actual personal interaction, it can make things easier.

With every big pharmacy chasing vaccines for this, it shouldn’t be long before this whole thing is behind us. We dealt with this before when we had Swine Flu, Bird Flu, Zika Virus, and West Nile. We’ll get through this also. Until then, be careful, and take care of yourselves.

Disclaimer: We are not financial or health experts. Please consult your financial advisor before taking any action in the stock market. Also, please defer to experts on public health. The comments expressed here are merely the opinions of the author and are not to be construed as definitive advice.

 

We’re there, part 3 of our beginners series on decorating.

So far, we’ve talked about trends, and colors, and finding the right style to suit your needs. Today, we’re going to discuss the little things.

What do I mean by little things?

Well, I’m talking all the finishing touches that separate most decent decorating jobs from the jaw-dropping amazing jobs, the kinds worthy of being displayed in a magazine.

Keep in mind, this part deals with small stuff, but it can be the hardest part of making your place look right.

It’s The Little Things That Matter

Fufu

No, I’m not talking about someone’s dog. I’m referring to the knickknacks that serve no purpose, other than aesthetics.

When you go into most homes, you’ll get a quick impression. We’ve all been there. There’s the crafty family who moved in and did something fun with the walls and made them look trendy. There’s the toy house, which represents any family with kids. And there’s the almost-hoarders, who haven’t thrown away a single thing in over five decades, and it’s all crammed into every conceivable nook or cranny of the home’s arrangement.

Whatever home it is, it usually doesn’t look like it should ever be featured in a magazine. But whether you want to sell your home and have some wow factor to it, or whether you’d just like your neighbors to be impressed, you might want to learn the art of fufu.

Adding fufu is all about making the room look complete without being cluttered. Last time we talked about color, and color still applies when using fufu. All those visible items that you put on dressers or shelves or counters, need to match your home’s color theme if you want maximum impact.

There’s a couple of hard things about this. First, is that most fufu is useless.

That’s why if you’re going to be living in it, you need to flex those creative muscles a bit and find pretty things that you still use every day. Like your salt and pepper shakers. Chances are, if you’ve been using the same shakers that look like spotted heirloom elephants for the last fifty years, they probably don’t really go well with anything.

Also, your work shoes aren’t generally considered fine décor, but something to organize them out of the way, and mostly out of sight could be a great piece of décor.

Another thing about fufu, is that you don’t want to fill up any shelf or space completely. There’s a fine balance between having enough stuff, and having too much. Personally, I’m a very practical person. If I can’t find a use for something, I don’t like keeping it around. So when it comes to the little things, be smart about it. Folders, reams of paper, mail, cutlery, kitchen appliances, none of these are good decorations, but in our homes, many of these things are necessities. If they absolutely must be visible, make them match your color and styles, and where possible, hide the rest. That’s what cabinets and pantries are for.

There are many creative and attractive ways to live in the messes we make, but they don’t often look good on their own. They take some effort. 

Lamps are often used to decorate, and here’s a dirty little secret, 50% of lamps that are used for decorating, don’t even work. That’s right, they’re not plugged into anything, and some of them don’t even have light bulbs. They’re just for looks. But light is often an overlooked aspect of decorating. This is a whole can of worms that we’ll discuss in another blog, on another day.

Don’t let it happen on its own

There is no right or wrong way to use fufu when decorating. It is a very personal thing, and it should reflect your values. From the art you put on your walls, to the knitted quilt you drape across your sofa, you make your space your own, but if you could employ one little rule, it would be this:

You decorate your space, not your stuff!

It won’t happen on its own. If you let the items you’ve collected over the years dictate how your house looks, it will look random and unattractive. That brings us to the second biggest challenge of decorating: keeping up with your changing environment.

Face it, we all evolve in our tastes and it really seems like a waste to throw out old stuff. Maybe it’s an inherited item form our great-great-great somebody, or maybe it’s a kinky gift our kids gave us. Some things are difficult to not use. There’s a place for a lot of those things, but it isn’t always visible.

So when you’re adding little things to a room, be purposeful about it. Often, it’s the little things that complete the mood of your home. 

Some people make a living from organizing homes and picking colors. Most of us, do not.

There are however a few tricks that even the most amateur do-it-yourselfer can do that will make your living space pop.

Today, we’re going to check out a few simple tips. This isn’t a definitive guide to all things decorating, but if you feel clueless about organizing your space visually, then this can only help.

We’ll break down a photo for you, and see if we can show you how to take “Blah” and turn into “Brilliant”

Decorating is in the details

Movies, they know color

This is why I’ll break down an image from a popular film. I do this, because online, we often see beautiful images of interior design, like this image here, or the one above. And like these pictures, it’s hard to imagine how you might actually live in a room decorated like this, despite how visually pleasing it is.

In movies, we can actually see people interacting with well crafted spaces that look livable.

Let’s look at the movie Matilda. 

Below, you can see a well-crafted scene of a living room. Keep in mind, I’m not suggesting that you

consider TV dinner trays part of your décor, those are props meant to show the lifestyle of this fictitious family. what I want you to look at, is the actual decorating.

1st Color:

As you may notice, the coloring here is very consistent. This scene follows a similar coloring scheme as every other part of the movie. They do this to make the whole thing visually pleasing. 

As you can see, there are several colors here that follow a fairly analogous style of mixing. Everything from the curtains to the painting on the wall, to the sofa, the carpet, and even the lamp have matching colors within this theme. They’ve taken this a step further and matched the costumes as well, mostly because the movie’s costume department and their decorating department were wanting to stay consistent.

But what are matching colors?

There is a very helpful tool online called Adobe color. I used this site to evaluate these colors. You can play around with it also. https://color.adobe.com/create

For any given color there are different ways to match that color. Like I mentioned above, this scene is very analogous. That may not be a term you’re used to hearing. Here are a few other ways to match this same color scheme:

As you can see, there is Analogous, Monochromatic, Triad, Complimentary, Compound, and Shades.

You can see how the relationships work on these color wheels.

Also keep in mind that you don’t always want an equal amount of every possible color that works well. When decorating, most decorators will have their primary color (think wall paint), then an accent color (think baseboards/casings), then a couple other colors used sparingly.

Notice in this picture, the cream is the primary color, the tan is the accent color, and the green and brown are other matching colors that blend in well but are used sparingly.

In the Matilda picture, the yellowy/mustard is the primary color as seen on the walls and some furniture. Pink is the accent color, and green and black are the supporting colors, used more sparingly.

So which colors are right for you?

In all the years that I’ve been building and selling homes, I’ve seen it all.

I’ve seen people who’ve painted their interiors to match something you might find in a colorful Caribbean town, to deep purples, to light and airy, and dark as leather can be stained.

This all depends on your personal character. If I were you, I’d pick my very favorite color, then go to Adobe’s color matching website and have fun experimenting for a while, using that as your primary or accent color. Don’t worry if your colors don’t match whatever you saw in your local home show. Find the color scheme that works well for you, and you’ll be half-way there.

Next time, we’ll talk about how to organize your space for maximum impact.

Building a house is what we do well. But there’s more to a good house than a winning floorplan.

I’ve seen some houses with horrible layouts sell extremely well, and all because of how the interior was decorated.

In fact, I employed this once when I owned a super cheap 700 sq ft apartment condo conversion. While everyone else was trying unsuccessfully to sell their condos for $40,000, I decorated mine to look as photogenic and targeted as possible.

The result was that while nobody could sell their ugly condos at $40k, I got immediate offers on mine for around $55,000.

The moral of this story, is that looks do matter, and today, I want to go over a few key principals that will help even the most clueless decorator get off on the right foot.

Decorating to Sell or Decorating to Move In

Know the basics

Maybe you want your home to show well for potential buyer, or maybe you want your next home to really feel like you. Either way, there are reasons for decorating well.

Over the years, I’ve learned that most people think they’re fine without hiring a decorator. In many cases they are. However, in several cases, they just have no idea that they don’t have a clue.

But not all of us want to spend money on someone who’ll design our living space for us, especially if they get it wrong.

So for the do-it-yourselfers, here’s a simple tip on making your space look better.

Trends come and go, but personality is consistent

What do I mean by this? Well, do you remember when everyone needed to have a fake porcelain chicken somewhere in their house? That was a trend.

Are you noticing how many houses lately have been painting their brick? Yes, another trend.

Trends change every few years, and it can be incredibly hard to keep up with them, considering the costs involved with house finishes and furniture updates. So rather than focus on what’s trendy, focus on your personality.

Personality guru’s often claim that there are about 4 main personality styles. There are the bold go-getters, the gentle peace-makers, the party nuts, and the extremely analyticals. Take a look around you sometime, and you’ll notice that many people tend to fall into some of these categories.

Each of these personality traits comes with a certain preference for color. Often the bold go-getters like the darker colors, like blacks and browns. Decorating for this sort will often include deep rich colors, like you might find in an old gentlemen’s club.

For the gentle peace-makers, light and airy would make them feel more comfortable. They look for harmony and bright happy feeling places.

For the party animals, get your color on. They’re happy with a lot of different colors and trends, and they’re more forgiving of clutter. Not that you should have a cluttered feel, but functionality isn’t as important as making their place feel cool.

For your analytical friends, they tend to prefer functionality over coolness. They still like their house to look good, but they’ll be more likely to tell you that your picture is crooked, than to tell you which picture to hang.

So which is right?

If you’re decorating to sell, consider this, the people who’re most likely to buy quickly are the bold go-getters and the party animals. They tend to make decisions quickly. So decorating with dark or fun colors, and showing the creative coolness of your space is important.

Gentle peace-makers and analytical sorts are a little slower at making snap decisions, with the analytical being just a bit quicker. The analytical people will want to understand everything, and the gentle peace-makers will want to try the house on for size, and know that if they sign a contract, they can back out if it doesn’t feel right.

If you’re decorating for yourself, then ignore the trends. White may be all the rage, but if you are a bold go-getter or a party animal, white might not be your thing, and you’ll probably feel more comfortable with a less trendy, albeit nice style. And vise versa. If the trends shift around, and suddenly people are decorating with chickens or maybe even ducks next, and you are the analytical sort, you can expect all your analytical friends to laugh at your decorating decisions.

Decorating is very personal, and trends are not. There is always a way to merge them together, but just because you’re seeing nothing but white painted brick, with white cabinets and white everything else, doesn’t mean that you should be changing your whole style to match these homes.

In another couple of years, black will be the new white, and who knows, maybe big metal stars on the outsides of homes will trend again. In the end, match your scheme to your personality, and you’ll enjoy your space much better.

 

The other day, I was talking with one of our friendly sales staff, and she was talking about our product and the market.

“OK,” says I. “What are you noticing?”

She’d been getting a few people in who were concerned about the cost of a new home, and they were having a hard time adjusting to the current level that most homes are being sold for.

During our discussion I asked what the visitors thought about our prices and the value that they were finding here, in one of our active adult communities.

This is what she had to say:

“Price Hurts, Value Makes Up For It.”

The Comparison

We don’t generally like to compare our business to that of our competitors. This is for a couple different reasons.

First, we want to be the leaders in our industry. If we’re constantly comparing, then we might fall into the trap of keeping up with the other guy’s innovations. For the last couple decades, we have had the best product on the market for retirees, and we want to keep it that way.

Second, we don’t exactly build the same sort of product that most other builders are bringing to market. While most of them are building standard attached and detached homes, we are building lifestyle oriented homes and communities.

Having said that, my sales lady shared a key difference between our product and those around us. When someone first comes to our community and steps into our sales office, one of the first questions they ask is: “What is the price?”

At first glance, they often have that, “Mmm-hmmm” moment, where they try to make sense of the price. They may be comparing us to another builder down the road, or they may be wondering what their current home is worth.

Over the past decade, home prices have gone up a lot.

Sometimes, they’ll wonder if our prices are higher than our neighbors, and they’ll show us those other quotes. At first glance, there might be a price benefit in the other guy’s offer, but then we show them the standard features of our homes, like standard stainless steel appliances, or the standard 2-tone paint that is in most of our communities, even standard quartz countertops.

Then when they get looking at the cost of additional upgrades, they’re really surprised, because we aren’t charging nearly what the other guys charge.

For a lot of builders, selling upgrades is a major part of their profit. For us, we understand that our buyers are looking for those same quality finishes, but we don’t want to gouge them for it either. Instead, we provide a lot of those things that other builders would charge you through the roof for. And if you do want something more, our prices on additional options are reasonably fair.

Once you compare finished closing prices, with all your options included, most buyers come to realize that our homes are actually the better value for their hard-earned money.

On top of that, we also provide something else that others just can’t compete with, and which is nearly impossible to assign a dollar value to, and that is the friendly lifestyle that makes our communities the havens most people dream of living in.

There is no comparison

Dollar for dollar, Leisure Villas offers the best value for your money. For peace of mind, you can’t beat the sort of neighbors you’ll be sharing your neighborhood with. And for fun, well, you can image what it’s like living around a bunch of folks who are at your same stage of life.

Make the smart move today to a Leisure Villas Community.

 

In 2019, Leisure Villas designed and built our first Stratford model home.

Traditionally, we build homes for active adults, and since we understand that stairs and yard maintenance might be difficult down the road, we design with things like that in mind.

But one thing we hadn’t tried yet, was to build a home that had two master suits. This should have been a no brainer. As we age, we understand that we can love our spouse enough to kindly sleep in different rooms.

Snoring, waking up when our partner has to pee several times a night, or other things can make a good nights rest difficult. So why wouldn’t we want to consider a home with two master bedrooms?

See What It Looks Like

Models open for viewing

Our first Stratford home sold before we could model it. Since then, we’ve built a few more, and finally we have two that are decorated and a third which is almost ready for showing.

The first, fully decorated model is in our North Ogden 55+ community, Cherry Springs Villas.

But what if you live in Salt Lake or Utah County?

We have some closer to you, also. In our Herriman 55+ community, Midas Creek Villas, we just finished moving furniture into our Stratford model. We still have a few foo-foo items to put in, like paintings, plants, etc. But for the most part, you can come and get a good feel for what that home could look like if you were to move in.

Also, in our Saratoga Springs 55+ community, The Villas At Legacy Farms, we are in the final stages of decorating that model. Within the next month or so, we should have a wonderful showpiece of our Stratford in Utah County.

Designing with Seniors in mind

The Stratford in the next in line of our age specific housing floorplans. We’re constantly honing our designs, making them fit the needs of our customers.

This plan came about from listening to feedback from our happy customers. Aside from adding another master suit to this floorplan, we also would occasionally find potential customers who had disabled children or spouses living with them.

Since all of our homes are already ADA adaptable, they were great for folks dealing with these sorts of issues, however, we thought we could make some improvements, specifically for those who struggled with wheelchair accessibility.

Thus, the Stratford’s second master bath, is also more accommodating to movement with wheelchairs. It is also the only floorplan we currently have, that we can easily modify to add ADA cabinets/countertops as an upfront option, if desired.

This floorplan is very unique, compared to what you might find out on the open market. All of our plans are uniquely designed for active adults, but this special house adds one more reason why Leisure Villas is the homebuilder of choice in Utah for folks 55 and older. So if you want more than just another house, more than just another regular neighborhood. We build houses that fit you with your current and future needs in mind, and in communities that fit your current and future lifestyle.

 

There’re a few times each year that we really ought to remember our significant other. Among those times, are Valentine’s Day.

Just because you and yours are likely to be grandparents now, it doesn’t mean that all the fun needs to grow old. In fact, seniors and near seniors probably have more freedom now than you ever did when all the kids still lived at home.

But even still, finding a worthwhile date idea that is new and exciting can be stressful.

So today, I felt like sharing a few ideas around Utah and Salt Lake County, that might make 2020’s Valentine’s Day all the more memorable.

Make This Valentines Special

Our top 3 Valentine ideas in Utah

First idea

Painting the Night at Scera. Have fun creating your own 9”x12” painting. Here, you’ll be able to follow along as an accomplished artist takes you through the steps of making your own art.
You’ll get to play with acrylics and take home something that hopefully you’ll be proud of. And if you’re not proud of it, at least you’ll have had fun making it, and maybe even go home with a prize on top of that.

To learn more, check out their link here: https://www.heraldextra.com/calendar/arts/paint-the-night-at-the-scera/event_1427087a-878b-11e7-9c58-f375a006bcc6.html

Second idea

The Illusionists are a Broadway spectacular. They will be coming to the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake. If you’re looking for something purely magical for your Valentines date, well, it don’t get much more magical than this.

Get your tickets in advance and prepare to be wowed by their amazing talent and showmanship.

You can read more about them here: https://www.saltlakecountyarts.org/events/the-illusionists/

Third idea

When is the last time you got all dressed up fancy for a date and went to the ball?

How about a masquerade ball?

If you’re feeling adventurous, then throw on your finest formals, and get your masks ready to go, because at the Provo City Academy Square Library, they are hosting a dance with dinner and live Jazz entertainment.

This is one unique opportunity, a throwback to a long-gone age, that you almost can’t afford not to attend.

Check out this events details here: https://www.utahvalley.com/event/valentines-masquerade-ball/27217/

Or throw your own party

If you live in one of our 55+ communities for active adults, and you’re not feeling cupid’s arrow exciting you about any of the above listed date ideas, then try putting together a Valentines party of your own at your community clubhouse.

Chances are good that you’ll find some fun couples who’d love to group together and make this year’s celebration one to remember.
After all, that’s one of the great benefits of living in a 55 and older community—you get to be around lots of folks your own age and have a huge family of friends to spend time with. If you put your heads together, you’re sure to find plenty to do.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even get talking, and get a small group to go out and enjoy a night out on the town. And if I happen to see you at the masquerade ball, I’ll be the one wearing a mask.
Happy Valentines Day.

A few years ago, I was talking with a relative. She was in her 80’s at the time. She put her hand on my shoulder and said, “You know, the last time I went to the movies was when they were showing Grumpy Old Men.”

What? That was in 1993!

She hadn’t been to a movie theater in about 20 years!

I know she has a bunch of girlfriends that she spends time with, and maybe movies just aren’t their thing, but when you look at the options on the big screen, do you really feel like paying good money for any of them?

So I thought, with your help, it would be fun to start a list of movies that you like.

We’ll try to keep these updated as best we can, and maybe on your own, or in your community movie nights, you can use the list we create to help you plan your next movie.

So please, participate!

Movies For The 55+ Crowd

Your Favorite Movies

Let’s get this list started.

It’s no secret that Hollywood today is churning out mega blockbuster after mega blockbuster. But they’re targeting a certain demographic, which is the 13-29 year olds.

Sure, they, or some independent producer will come out with the occasional film that really works for more than that crowd, but such gems aren’t always the easiest to find, especially if you’ve grown tired of fruitlessly checking the theater listings.

So let’s pool our collected experience together and make a list of movies that you actually enjoyed, so that we can share this with others in our communities.

The following is a brief survey. Please take a moment to answer these 4 simple questions. Notice, we’re not asking for or collecting any personal information. Let’s have some fun with this. If we get some good responses, we’ll post the results in a few weeks. So fill it out, and ask your friends to do the same.

Today’s problem with cinema

There’s a growing problem in movies today. Most of it started around the time that digital filmmaking became accessible to the masses. Suddenly, amateur filmmakers didn’t have to save up for a year, just to buy film stock and rent a cinema quality camera.

On top of that, digital platforms for releasing content has taken the world by storm, empowering anybody with a digital camera to challenge Hollywood for next to nothing.

While this might be great for some up and coming talent to learn the trade, it has also bypassed the gatekeepers that screen the scripts for quality, making it extremely difficult for the really great independent films to get noticed amidst the clutter.

To combat this tidal wave of low and microbudget films, the big production companies in Hollywood have shifted focus to producing films with budgets that no independent filmmaker could ever hope to achieve.

Where they once made plenty of movies with budgets in the $5 million to $25 million range, it seems like they keep pushing the bar higher, with budgets easily hitting the $1/2 billion range.

In order to make their money back, they have no choice but to target those who shell out the most cash in ticket sales and fan merchandise, which is the 13-29 year olds.

But just because the 55 and older crowd isn’t their main target audience, it doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy those ones, or that there are no other movies more to our tastes. They’re just not as easy to find.

So if you live in one of our awesome 55+ communities, you should check out your movie club. If you don’t have one, then start one. The theaters in our clubhouses are great places to meet.

After all, even a great movie is best when it is shared with friends.

January 15th

It’s been over a decade since we’ve posted an official online special, but today, we’ve got two.

At The Villas At Waters Edge, one of our newest 55+ communities in Vineyard, Utah, we have two great models that we need to sell asap.

They are to be sold, as is, with current colors and upgrades. There is nothing wrong with them either, but we need to move them in the next 30 days, so we’re willing to make a killer deal on them.

Discounted Home Sale

Home #1

In Building 4B, we have a beautiful Windsor Court with a bonus room above the garage.

The interior is finished with a durable wood laminate floor and brown cabinets.

Originally, this home, without any upgrades, would’ve started at $414,900. With the $8,000 up extra finishes we’ve put in, this one would normally go for $422,900

However, if you come in and buy within the next 30 days, we’ll sell this home to you for a killer deal of $399,900.

That’s a $23,000 savings! Woo-hoo!

Home #2

Here’s another Windsor Court with an upstairs loft.

This home has our most preferred and expensive cabinet upgrades, along with our popular laminate wood floors.

Normally priced at $427,863 with all it’s upgrades, we’re letting you steal this home for only $404,900, that’s another savings of almost $23,000 bucks!

This home has been under contract multiple times, but for various personal reasons, they were forced to stay in their previous homes. 

It can’t get better than this

These are both really great homes, but because we’ve held onto both of them for too long, we need to sell them quickly. We’re not in the business of paying interest on vacant homes, which means that this is a great opportunity for you.

Granted, the interior finishes have been decided for you, but if either of these homes looks like they hold 

the style you might normally pick anyway, then stop on by and see if they’ll work for you.

Deals like this don’t come along very often, at least, not with our product. So if you’ve been out there, wishing and hoping for a deal in this crazy market, then this is it! You’ve found it.

At these prices though, they won’t last long.

If however you’d like to pick out your own upgrades, and customize the home to your personal tastes, you are still more than welcome to come on by and purchase one of our award winning homes that hasn’t yet been finished. Of course, these amazing deals won’t apply to those. This is only a special that applies to these two inventory homes that we want to sell today.

Once they are sold, then the deals are gone. So if you’ve been wanting to live in an active adult community, complete with the amenities and lifestyle that you’ve always hoped for, but were limited because of the high real estate prices, then this is your lucky day.

Give Josh a call now, 801-438-6546 and let him know you’re on your way in. He’ll be happy to show you around, and your future neighbors will be excited to meet you also. In fact, as I was taking pictures of these homes the other day, in preparation for this article, one of the neighbors came in to welcome me, hoping that I was their new neighbor.

This is a truly social and fun community. Come on by and see what you’ve been missing.

 

No 55+ community is complete without a clubhouse. After all, one of the big draws for an active adult to move into our communities, is the enhanced lifestyle they’ll get to enjoy.

While having a clubhouse means little as far as how social a community gets, it still serves as a central hub for bringing people together.

Even for people who aren’t as involved or who don’t care so much about socializing with their neighbors, the clubhouse can provide some fun for individuals and couples.

For instance, if you have grandkids visiting, the swimming pool, billiards, or theater room are great to entertain with.

If you just want to keep fit, water aerobics, lap swimming, or working out in our top quality exercise room are excellent amenities that will keep you active and happy.

Villas At Legacy Farms Clubhouse Progress

Timing

Earlier this year, we submitted plans for our clubhouse to the city. It took several months of planning to get them submitted, and we have since made some improvements and modifications to the original submittal.

As of December 2019, we’ve resubmitted the clubhouse plans for review with the city. We expect to install a foundation sometime in February of 2020, which means that the clubhouse will most likely be finished before the end of 2020.

By that time, the community will be approximately two-thirds built out, which means there will be plenty of people ready and excited to start using it.

Generally, we like to have the clubhouse under construction already. In this community, that didn’t work out quite as fast as we’d hoped. However, it will be done before we finish building everything out.

What about the models?

If you’ve visited the Villas At Legacy Farms recently, you may have noticed that we have 4 model homes showing. These models are currently being decorated. We anticipate this to last for at least another month.

Visitors are welcome to visit any time before or after they are decorated. We keep them open from 10am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday.

As soon as they are decorated, this will be one of the first communities we’ve built to showcase a fully decorated version of our newest model, the Stratford.

Easier to find than before

For the last few weeks, there has been a lot of road construction along Saratoga Road. This has made it a little harder for folks to find us. However, within the last few days, the road has been opened to thru traffic again, and you should have no problem finding us.

While Saratoga Road is one of the more scenic drives to get to the Villas At Legacy Farms, you can also get here very easily via Redwood Road.

There’s a lot happening in Saratoga Springs right now. If you’re 55 years or older, and are considering a move that will place you with lots of great people your same age who share similar interests, you need to come over and see what this community has to offer you.

Welcome back from the Thanksgiving holiday, and welcome Winter. Living in a Leisure Villas Community is awesome when you’re over 55, but alas, we still live in Utah, which means: Snow and Ice.

The good news is, that your HOA hires out snow removal. This is great, but there are still a few things that you can do to ensure that this Winter doesn’t keep you slipping.

Among those things are heat tape and ice melt. We posted a helpful article on ice melt a few weeks ago. You can link to it here.

Today, I want to discuss heat tape.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Heat Tape

What is heat tape?

Some of you might be familiar with heat tape. For others, this may be the first time you’ve heard of it. Heat tape isn’t really tape at all. It’s a plastic-coated wire that warms up and melts the ice that touches it.

In our 55+ communities, we learned early on that heat tape was very valuable to our homeowners. Icicles and ice dams on the roof often cause a lot of concern for people.

Generally speaking, these icicles and ice dams aren’t the big problem. People often fear that they’ll cause damage to the homes. In most cases, this isn’t a big deal. Roofs are waterproofed in such a way that most minor ice dams will not get so far up under the shingles that it leaks into the house. Also, most icicles will not hurt the structure of your house.

The biggest problem with ice dams and icicles, are the lakes and rivers of ice that form below them. This is why we install heat tape on all of our homes in areas of concern. It’s not because we’re afraid of ice hurting the house, we’re afraid of people slipping on the ice that comes from the stuff that is dripping over the edge of your roof.

Heat tape can be used in a multiple of ways. Sometimes it is wrapped around pipes to keep them from freezing, sometimes it is zig-zagged across roof sections. For our homes, and our purposes, we’ve placed the heat tape inside the gutters, running them down through the downspouts.

This is generally effective, but it requires knowing how to manage the heat tape on your (the homeowner’s) end.

How to use your heat tape

The heat tape we install, since it lays down inside the gutters, is most effective if it is turned on before the snow falls. If the snow is already piling up on your roof, you should quickly ensure that it is on.

As piles of snow melt on top of your roof, that melted water drains to the gutters. The gutters, if cleared, will let the water escape down the downspout like it should. If the drains or gutters are blocked with ice, then the water freezes on top of the gutters, forming those large slabs of ice that overhang your roof.

We install heat tape as a preventative measure to keep the ice dams and icicles from forming in the first place, by keeping those gutters open. However, if you are too slow at getting your heat tape turned on, and the ice dams and icicles have already formed, well, you might be out of luck. At that point, the heat tape will only tunnel an ineffective hole through the middle of the dam, and fail to clear out the ice above it.

By having the heat tape turned on, the melted water will fall into the gutters and stay melted long enough for it to follow the heat tape through the downspout and away from your roof. Depending on where the downspouts land, there may occasionally be some ice runoff to deal with there, which can either be mitigated with some ice-melt, or with warmer temperatures of the surface as the sun hits it. This cannot be totally avoided, but for the most part, there are only a couple of weeks where the temperatures are so chilled, that it requires a little extra attention and caution.

What about higher energy costs?

Good question. Heat tape does require electricity to run. Since the wire is run to your personal meter, you are responsible for the energy it uses.

However, the heat tape is designed to only come on at and below freezing temperatures. If you look at the end of your heat tape, located at the bottom of your downspout, you’ll notice a little attachment. This is a thermostat. It measures the temperature and activates the heat tape accordingly.

So while heat tape will add some extra costs to your monthly energy bill, it should do a pretty good job at only running when the temperatures require it. This is why we recommend turning your heat tape on at the beginning of the season, then forgetting about it until the end of the season before turning it off. That way you don’t forget to turn it on when you really need it.

How do I turn my heat tape on?

If you’re not sure how to turn your heat tape on, the switch for it (assuming you bought into one of our communities) is either located behind your front door, and/or next to the door leading into your garage (on the garage side).

On many of our homes, we’ve installed switches in both places, mainly to run different sets of heat tape. In some of our newer homes, we may have abandoned the switch by the front door, and placed all of them in the garage.

Check out both places. If you find switches that don’t turn on any lights, then chances are good that these are the heat tape switches. The ones behind the front door usually control the heat tape over the front door. The switches in the garage usually control that heat tape over the garage and back patio, though we never actually install it over the patio.

Also, if you have a switch that doesn’t actually control any heat tape, since that area might have been deemed a low-risk area for ice accumulation, then that same switch can always be used to power a set of Christmas lights. All that you’ll need to do is have an electrician change out the blank plate where the heat tape would normally go, into a GFCI outlet, and you are good to celebrate the holidays with lights.

If you’re new to your home and you have any questions, feel free to ask one of our sales or construction representatives. And as always, we wish you a very safe, and merry Christmas season this Winter.

Every year, we get very busy in the Fall. We’ve been developing quality 55+ Communities for a long time now, and every season, when Winter starts knocking on our doorstep, we start building out ahead of ourselves to get ready.

In Utah, it goes without saying, that the seasons can change significantly. There are always challenges to working in each of them, but usually, Winter and Spring are the toughest.
However, even though we know that building will be harder, most homebuyers really hate delays. It’s our goal to reduce such frustrations, but sometimes, even with our decades of experience, Mother Nature can still play havoc with our plans.

Battling the Elements

Everything gets harder when it’s cold

During the warmer months of the year, we tend to get spoiled. But just because winter shows up, it doesn’t mean that we stop building. In most cases, we try to get all our foundations in the ground before December. Usually, we have great working conditions until about the second week of November, depending on the year.

After that, we can’t easily install more foundations until late February or April.

Everything outside also goes slower. Stucco, brick, and stone have to be tented and heated so that they don’t freeze before they harden.

Also, the dirt usually has some moisture in it. When this freezes, it causes the dirt to heave. That means that pouring concrete gets very difficult. You don’t want to pour concrete on frozen ground, or else when it warms up, the ground will settle under your concrete, and suddenly, your sidewalk will be an inch or two lower than it should be.

So how do we still pour concrete in the Winter? Its not easy. We have to either warm up the ground or dig out the frost.

Also, we must use blankets to cover the concrete once it’s poured. This keeps the concrete from freezing and losing its integrity before it’s cured. This however creates an unavoidable staining on the surface of the concrete. Unfortunately, the stain cannot be removed. It’s caused from trapped chemicals that are trying to vent off of the concrete, but have nowhere to go. Often, these stains will fade somewhat over the years, but they are often a necessity of working in the Winter.

Dealing with snow

Snow is also a problem, but not always for the reasons you might expect.

Snow can actually help insulate the ground. If there’s a large blanket of snow covering the ground, then the frost layer of dirt cannot get much below 32 degrees. This means that the frozen dirt will be very thin, and we won’t have as hard of a time prepping for the concrete.

Naturally of course, this causes a ticking clock to start as soon as we remove that covering of Winter fluff, but if we predict super cold temperatures, we almost always hope that it is preceded by about 12” of snow.

The biggest problem with snow, aside from not being able to work on landscaping, is what it does to us in the Spring.

Depending on the location and the soil types we’re dealing with, that snow will eventually melt and saturate the ground. Sandy soils are heavenly, but in Utah, we’re usually dealing with a lot of clay.

Clay does not release the water very quickly, which means that we are often stuck with very muddy conditions for a longer period of time.
If that snowy Winter is also followed up by a rainy Spring like we had this year (2019), well, expect major delays.
When it’s muddy, we can’t do a thing. Our machines get stuck, our concrete can’t be poured, and everything becomes a mess.

What is this year’s forecast

According to the long-range forecasts by the NOAA for 2019/2020, this Winter is expected to start off warmer than usual with average precipitation. They predict that El Nino has a 50/50 percent chance of ending, and sending us into a neutral weather pattern, which basically means, that everything is very uncertain.

Reading the tea leaves, I would suspect that we’ll have a fair amount of snow, but it won’t usually stick around too long. This might take away any insulating blanket we might want over our soils, allowing frost layers to go deep, especially on shaded areas.

Really, it’s impossible to know for certain what will or won’t happen. We can only do our best to mitigate possible delays. Most likely they’ll happen, but to what extent, we can’t say. The best way for a homebuyer to keep up to date, is to call every couple of weeks and check on the progress, especially as the time to close draws near.

Good luck. We’ll do our best this season also, and we wish you a wonderful and safe Winter this year.

If you are 55 or better, and have been contemplating moving to Vineyard, Utah, then you owe yourself a trip to The Villas At Waters Edge.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve been working hard to get this new age restricted community up and going. We’re excited to update you with our latest developments.

With all the construction happening around Vineyard, we might be hard to find, but come looking. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with this cute community tucked in, only one block away from the shoreline of Utah Lake.

What’s Happening as of 11/11/19

Clubhouse Update

For our residents and recent visitors, you may have noticed that the Clubhouse at the Villas At Waters Edge community is nearly completed. Last week, we paved the parking lot, and soon you should expect to see the back patio getting concrete.

Once that is in, weather pending, we’ll get the pool fence in and hopefully get occupancy soon after. Once that happens, the clubhouse will open for use, and we’ll be able to get parties and activities going.

Furniture, exercise equipment, and decorations have been ordered, and should hopefully arrive by the time we are ready to open the place up.

The swimming pool will not be opened this year. Sorry for anyone who was hoping to do some polar bear plunges, but it didn’t make any sense to maintain a pool that wouldn’t get used. It may even look like the pool isn’t finished.

While the equipment will all be fully installed and ready to run, the pool shell itself will remain un-plastered. This is because the plaster requires the pool to be filled, or else it will not set up properly. But as soon as the weather warrants it in the spring, we’ll get the pool plastered, filled, balanced, and opened so that our residents and their guests can enjoy it for the entire season.

Phase II

As we finish selling out the first phase of our Vineyard Community, we’ll begin building in the second phase. Already, you may have seen some work being done over there. If you are already living here, then thank you for your patience with any dust that we might have kicked up.

Over the next month, we plan on finishing this phase, and being ready to place foundations for our next set of homes on that half of the community.

As we build, we sometimes make minor changes to floorplans, or styles. Our floorplans are always evolving. Often, though not always, we might elect to make these modifications when we start a new community, or when we start a new phase of a community.

Rest assure, any changes we make are generally minor, and happen in response to changes in suppliers, of materials, processes, or other logistical or market variables. While we may or may not change anything in phase 2 of this community, it will still look and feel as though it belongs to this same development.

If you’re not sure if this is the right time to move to the Villas At Waters Edge, might I suggest that you come and talk with Josh, our friendly, no hassle representative here? He currently has an open house in our Grandview model, and will soon move that office into the Clubhouse upon its completion.

He’s there most days from Monday through Saturday at 10am to 5pm. While there, you can walk through our model homes, maybe even meet some of the neighbors in this social environment and see why so many adults are excited about a Leisure Villas home. We build them right, and help you achieve the lifestyle that you’ve been working for.

Do you remember the song: Signs, signs, everywhere a sign, blockin’ out the scenery breakin’ my mind…?

Well, sometimes, us developers are guilty of a few too many signs. The problem with signs, is that they work. Our statistics show that about 75% of homebuyers find a community by finding and following a sign.

Granted, in this day and age, the internet is an amazing tool. But for some reason, signs still play a dominant role in helping people find their next home.

So what happens when a city says, no more signs?

Cities are Getting Tough on Signs

Nobody likes signs

Signs invoke a lot of mixed feelings. Nobody wants their residential neighborhood to be cluttered by these advertisements. Sign pollution is a real thing in some neighborhoods.

On the flip side, many businesses make a living by doing business in residential neighborhoods, namely the builders who build residential communities. The problem we face, is that once a neighborhood gets going, the neighbors want to get rid of our signs.

Also, cities struggle to maintain landscaping in certain areas when builders plant signs in their way.

We certainly understand this. For the most part, we try very hard to be responsible about how and where we advertise. There should be some sort of balance between accommodating, and keeping the world beautiful, hence the need for reasonable regulations from the cities.

Sometimes though, the regulations imposed by a city can get out of hand. Sometimes, even the well thought out regulations can be too restrictive in certain locations. For instance, if we have a community that is tucked into a sweet little pocket of a city, we can’t always get signs where we need to help people find us.

How to find us

The internet is a great tool, but especially for new communities, online map services and gps don’t always lead people to the right locations. This is because, they are highly dependent on outdated information.

For example, when we start a new community, for at least one, sometimes up to three years, GoogleMaps still thinks that our new residential community is still an empty field. There are things we can do to help correct that, but often those changes still take a year or two to get updated in their system.

One of the best ways to find us, is by visiting our website, and finding a location on our Communities Page. There, you’ll be able to find a general location for one of our 55+ communities. We show our communities that are now selling in Blue, and our sold out communities in red.

So find one that is near where you’d like to live, then follow the link to see it’s actual location. We specifically pin the location of our communities on a GoogleMap, so that you can more easily get directions right to that place.

Granted, this won’t completely negate the need for signs. Part of the fun of house hunting, is driving around areas that you’d like to live in and seeing what’s out there. Just remember, next time you’re out looking for a 55+ community, pull off to the side of the road and check out our website. Almost always, if there is a community near you, you’ll find it here before the big search engines realize we’re there.

Communities that might be hard to find now (as of October 2019)

Vineyard, UT- The Villas at Waters Edge has just become a little harder to find. As of this week, we’ve had to take down several signs. While it may be harder to find us, we are still there, and will be selling for the next few years.

Saratoga Springs, UT- The Villas At Legacy Farms is another one that is not so easy to find unless you know where to look. Though, granted, there are a lot more newer homes being built there now, you might want to check us out and see if this is a community for you. We’ve just moved our sales office to one of our brand new model homes there, so come and check us out.

Herriman, UT- Midas Creek Villas isn’t as hard to find, but if you’re looking for a true age restricted community on the west side of Salt Lake County, this awesome location is hard to beat. We’ve just barely moved our sales office into the newly finished clubhouse there. Come check out the lifestyle that could be yours today.

North Logan, UT- Cherry Springs Villas is a new 55+ community that isn’t hard to find at all, but GoogleMaps is still struggling to associate this location with it’s address. That will get remedied in time, but for now, you can check out this link and get directions right to it.

About two months ago, I had a conversation with my plumber. It went something like this:

Me- “What do you get the most service calls on?”

Plumber- “Plugged up sewer pipes.”

Me- “Really, do people flush that many toys down the drain?

Plumber- “No, believe it or not, they are flushing wet wipes down the drain.”

Me- “Wet wipes? Seriously?”

Plumber- “The packaging on some of them says that they are flushable. That is totally bogus!”

So today, I want to get to the bottom of flushable wet wipes. (Sorry, pun intended.)

Flushable Wet Wipes Cause Clogs

Soft enough?

About two years ago, I took a trip down to Cozumel. Beautiful beaches, scuba diving, and a nice resort hotel. I couldn’t ask for more. Then I got the American briefing on toilets—no toilet paper allowed. At first, I thought they were joking, but no, we were not allowed to flush our toilet paper.

This was my first experience with binning toilet paper, rather than flushing it. In my mind, I was thinking, doesn’t toilet paper dissolve in water? So why can’t their sewage system handle it there? And seriously, this is too nice of a resort to make me do that!

Well, I don’t know all the answers. But what I now know, is that their sewer systems weren’t designed to flush the soft paper products like we’ve grown accustomed to in the U.S.

Likewise, our sewer systems here in the U.S. were not designed to handle wet wipes. While manufacturers claim that their products are now flushable, they don’t appear to dissolve nearly as well as regular toilet paper.

Unfortunately, there is a growing trend among Utahn’s of all ages and genders to switch from using common TP to using these wipes. On the whole, they may feel better, but believe me, they cause a lot of problems.

Problems with flushable wipes:

While in theory, flushable wipes make sense. They’re soft, moist, sometimes pleasantly scented, and supposedly break down like common toilet paper. If however, they did break down fast enough, then sewer districts would not be considering lawsuits against the companies that make these wipes. Yep, that’s right. Our government entities, responsible for cleaning up our crap, are throwing the towelette back at these companies.

Apparently, the large, and expensive grinders (think hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars) used to macerate our flushables, are getting damaged almost monthly because of wipes. A piece of machinery that would only need servicing every year or two, is now needing to be replaced every few months!

It’s not just them that struggle, but it’s our sewer pipes as well. If normal toilet paper or refuse gets stuck in a pipe, the water will usually break it up quickly and send it on its way. Since wipes take a lot longer to break down, any little hang up will create a sudden buildup, until eventually, the plumber needs to get involved.

By the time a clogged sewer is recognized, well, nobody is happy.

What to do?

The simple and most obvious remedy, is to avoid flushing wipes down the toilet. If you simply must have that moist towelette to clean yourself, take a lesson from our neighbors down south, and use a waste bin next to your toilet.

I know that if you’re not used to binning your dirty paper products, this can seem a bit disgusting, but surprisingly enough, this is practiced in many parts of the developed world.

Plumbers and sewage workers will thank you. Frankly, you’ll thank yourself also if it keeps your drains from backing up on you.

Its funny what a little bit of news can do to buyer sentiment.

In 2018, around this same time, we were having to raise our prices to keep up with the explosive real estate market. Today, the landscape is completely different.

Over the last several months, things have changed. We’re constantly being surrounded by talks of recessions and Federal Reserve interventions.

So what is the deal? How is this all affecting the Utah housing market?

Shift in Homebuyer Sentiment

The biggest change

The first and perhaps biggest relief to many homebuyers, is that housing prices have settled in 2019. At Leisure Villas, we’ve been able to keep our prices from climbing this year, despite ever-increasing labor and material costs.

This is definitely good news to anybody looking to buy a house. The problem is that prices aren’t likely to go down, even if all this talk of recession turns out to be true. The reason is, that demand is still so high, that all we’re likely to see are stagnant prices for the next year or so.

Buyers are more risk-averse

The second interesting change that has happened, is that people have become increasingly wary of a recession. This has led to fewer people buying houses months in advance. Instead, they are opting for homes that are already completed and move-in ready.

There may be multiple explanations for this behavior, but to us, it signals that they worry about being able to sell their home in the future. If they are worried about selling a home in the future, it makes them more likely to wait until their house is sold before they move.

This only makes sense, but there are a few challenges or compromises that must be made when buyers become so risk averse. One of which, is that they don’t get as many choices about the custom features that they can place in their new home.

Also, they are limited by the homes that a builder has completed and waiting in their inventory. This may mean compromises in floorplan choices.

Interestingly enough, most homes are still selling very well. Across the nation, and here in Utah, homebuilder sentiment is actually up. More building permits are being submitted than in years past, and demand for those homes is expected to rise.

This means that your home still has a good chance of selling after you list it. However, as mentioned before, prices have stopped ballooning like they were in the last couple of years. So you won’t likely sell your home for a lot of extra, above and beyond what you could’ve gotten last year.

How can we help?

Our shift during the last several months has gone from pre-sells to existing sells. This means, that as fears of a recession continue to mount, we’ll be building more homes and stocking them for people who are ready to move in quickly.

Granted, we still have many people buying in advance, but on average, we have between two and four homes that are move-in ready every month. In many of our 55+ communities.

If you have just sold your home, and need a place quick, check us out. In most cases, we can find you a home that is perfectly suited to your needs and tastes, and have you in, before you can say [to your children], “Do you have an extra room?”

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been surprised to see mortgage rates dropping, again!

For many of us, the years of double-digit mortgage rates are still fresh in our memories. To think that these rates we’ve seen over the last few years will continue, is almost unimaginable. How long can interest rates remain so low?

I don’t know the answer to this, however, I do know that the Fed lowered their rates again, a pre-emptive attempt to keep the economy humming along. What this means, is that from this time last year, mortgage rates are back near all time lows, a whole percent lower than last year.

Crazy, isn’t it? And that’s after interest rates rose from last year to December.

But what does this mean for you? Lets get into it.

Houses are more affordable now

Price hikes stopping

Over the last few years, we’ve gotten used to house prices climbing drastically. This last year, however, we’ve seen that trend slow, or nearly stop. While Utah County still saw price increases, albeit lower than before, Salt Lake in the last quarter, has actually seen home sales decrease.

Over the next year or so, we don’t expect to see the price of homes rising, even thought the costs to builders continue to go up.

The market is catching its breath, and that means that homebuyers finally have a great entry point.

Mortgage rates

How much savings are the new lower mortgage rates? On a $350k to $400k home, the savings are in the realm of $200 per month. Not bad, eh?

Given the higher cost of rental homes, a mortgage rate is back into competitive territory with rentals.

How long will these lower mortgage rates last? I have no idea. How long will the Fed deem the economy to be at risk? My guess, and this is only a guess, is that we have about 1 year left of lower interest rates before they start going back up again.

Will home prices go lower?

I doubt home prices will be going down. There might be a few more deals out there than before, but my guess, is that home prices will be steady for a year.

When you combine steady home prices with lower mortgage rates, we have a buyers market.

Why do I not believe home prices will go much lower than they are? Simply because there are still too many people trying to buy homes right now. There is an estimated pent up demand of over 50,000 buyers in the market who are unable to find a home right now.

With not enough homes available, competition for the homes that are out there is still likely to be strong. But with the pressures of affordability remaining strong, the prices won’t be able to fall like they do during slower periods in times past.

Homebuilding is still going strong, and with labor shortages continuing, and land increasingly difficult to get entitled for new construction, home shortages will continue, which will keep the pent up demand high.

Even if the economy slows down, I don’t see the housing industry slowing very much, if at all. Good luck homebuyers. And if you’ve been sitting on the fence, waiting for the perfect time to buy, it might be staring you in the face right now.

 

The end of the Summer is upon us. Temperatures are easing on us, and the days are getting shorter again. If you’ve been hiding in the shade these last couple of months, you’re in luck.

For a limited time, and while quantities last, we’ve decided to offer a few deals on select homes to help you get into the community you deserve.

So pucker those lips, take one last suck on that lemonade straw and tell the kid who sold it to you that you’ve got to go, before anyone else takes the deal from you.

Now is the time to snag your piece of heaven within one of Utah’s best 55+ communities.

Need a house quick? We’ve got a deal for you!

We want to get you in quick

A few weeks ago, we bought some new ground in South Jordan, and we have a few other deals that we’re looking at in the near future. We’re excited to bring these new senior communities to market, but that takes a lot of cold hard cash.

So, for a limited time, we’re willing to do what it takes to get you into a home, fast.

In two of our subdivisions, Midas Creek Villas (located in Herriman, Utah), and The Villas At Waters Edge (located in Vineyard, Utah), we have a few homes that are completed, and waiting for you to move in right away.

For the last month or two, we’ve been offering a $5000 quick close deal on these lots. That means, that if you buy it today, and can close on the deal within 30 days, we discount your home by $5000!

Not Bad, ey? But we’re not through!

While supply lasts, we’re willing to give you a little more incentives on these inventory homes, and as long as you close within 60 days of signing a contract, you’ll qualify to receive them. Depending on the upgrades that we’ve included, these deals will vary. Needless to say, you’ll want to stop on by and visit with our friendly and helpful sales staff to learn more about these awesome end of Summer deals.

Limited availability

These deals are not available in all of our communities. They only apply to The Villas At Waters Edge, and Midas Creek Villas. When the homes are sold, they are gone for good.

Maybe you’ve heard the saying before, but the home you’re thinking about buying today, will be sold today to the person who was thinking about it yesterday. These homes will sell out quickly. We’re excited to offer you these deals, but like any good business, we don’t anticipate offering them for long.

This is the time you’ve been waiting for

You’ve been waiting for a chance in this crazy market for prices to settle. Well, you found it, even if only temporarily. The big question is, will you be able to take advantage of it before it passes.

Demand for housing in Utah shows that we have a shortage of homes, by about 50,000+. That’s a lot of people looking to buy, but who’re unable to find a home. Those numbers are likely to grow. This means, that if you can find any deal now, then this is definitely the right time to buy.

Leisure Villas is proud to officially announce one of our newest 55+ Communities in South Jordan, Utah.

For several years now, we’ve been scouring this city, hoping to bring one of our luxurious communities to this place. We’ve finally found a fit and have bought the perfect property where we plan to build another quality neighborhood.

There is still some time before we’ll be able to begin construction, but if live in or around South Jordan, you are 55 years or older, and you are looking to move into a house that more readily fits your needs and lifestyle, never fear, you can still live near.

SoJo Seniors Have a Place to Live

Easy to find.

Where is this new 55+ Community located?

Well, chances are, if you drive Bangerter Highway, you’ve probably driven past it already, and just didn’t know it. Do you know where the Salt Lake Community College is? The one located on the boarder of West Jordan and South Jordan? We’re just south of that.

The approximate address is 9500 S. 3400 W.

The quickest way to find us, is to turn east, off of Bangerter at 9800 S. Go two blocks, then turn North at 3400 W. Follow that road North for a block or two, and you’ll have found us.

How long before we have anything for sale?

This community is not currently for sale yet. We still have a lot of work to do before we begin construction. There’s a couple month process involved in getting the development planned and approved through the city.

Then we’ll need several months to actually develop the land. This includes sewer, water, power—all that good stuff that goes in before a house is ever started.

If I was to offer a wild guess, I would imagine that we wouldn’t have anything ready to move into until the latter end of 2020.

That means that we probably won’t start preselling anything before January 1st 2020. As we get closer, if this changes, we’ll let you know. So check back here often.

If you’d like to move sooner than that, please consider our other community that is currently selling in Herriman, Midas Creek Villas. If you’d like, you could also let our sales team there, keep you up to date on South Jordan’s progress. They’ll likely be the same team that sells this new community, and they can reach out to you when they are ready to start actually selling homes there.

We’re excited, and hope you are too.

Leisure Villas is the gold standard of builders for folks 55 and better. Nobody in Utah has as much experience in catering to this select group of people.

Sure there’s an occasional community that springs up here and there, but most of them are short lived, and they don’t really care to focus on your needs and the lifestyles you value.

We’ve been doing this for nearly 20 years, focusing only on the 55 and older crowd. You wouldn’t buy a house to retire in from a builder who mostly does starter homes, would you?

No, you want a builder who’s focusing on you.

That is Leisure Villas. We’re excited to serve you, and we hope that you’ll be excited to see us coming to South Jordan also.

This isn’t one of the topics we often talk about here. Leisure Villas is in the business of selling quality homes to folks who are 55 and older. But with home prices in Utah continually climbing, we often get asked if we do any rentals.

Well, we don’t, but our sister company does. If you are in Utah County, and are looking for senior apartments, you owe it to yourself to stop by Pleasant Grove. Over there, you’ll find the cities biggest and best community for active adults who prefer to rent.

The place is called Grovecrest Villas.

Adding On To GroveCrest Villas

Where?

The community is easy enough to find. If you’re driving along center street in Pleasant Grove, around 500 West, you can’t miss it. Grovecrest Villas, finished over a year ago, and has been extremely popular since.

In fact, they tend to remain sold out most of the time. They’ve developed quite the livelihood there also. With lots of activities and new friendships being made every week, this is the place to be.

Because of its success, they are now adding another building to their fold. Just south of their parking lot, along Center Street, is Grovecrest Center. This three-story building will hold another 16 apartments on the top two floors, along with 20 office suites on the bottom floor.

When will these be available?

These new apartments and office suites will soon be available. Our goal, is to have them ready sometime in August of 2019, though there are still a number of little things that could delay that.

Regardless, if you have been wanting a fun place to call home, with people your same age, stop by the main office of Grovecrest Villas today, to get more information. Once these are available for lease, they will go quickly.

You can also call for more information, at 801-443-2700.

Do you have any apartments in Salt Lake County?

At this time, we do not have any in Salt Lake County, though we are always keeping an eye out for a location that is ideally suited for one of these 55+ apartment communities. We’ve chased quite a few leads on ground, but as you may already know, the price of land is prohibitive.

There’s a lot of builders out there, and there’s a lot of building happening, but margins on apartments can often be tight, and if/when we begin a new community, we want to ensure that it can be a sustainable community, one which adds value to its future residents and to its neighbors.

As Utah’s population grows, we have to continually grow to meet the housing needs of those who want to live here. Over the next few decades, experts expect Utah’s population to double in size. Currently, there are not enough homes being built to satisfy that sort of expansion.

So yes, while we prefer to build the great rambler styled communities that our homebuyers have come to love, we also foresee the need for more housing, especially in the 55 and older markets. Because of this, we will continue to grow and look for opportunities to provide housing, both rental and for purchase in the coming years.

Over the last few years, Saratoga Springs in Utah, has been seeing a lot of new growth.

Not too long ago, Lehi was the main city that bordered Utah and Salt Lake Counties. As Lehi gets bigger, a lot of that growth has been spilling into Saratoga.

When you visit Saratoga now, it reminds me a lot of what Lehi looked like 20 years ago. Not only that, but it’s pretty close to the rest of the world.

But the most incredible thing about Saratoga Springs, is that they now have a new 55+ Community being built by Leisure Villas! (I’m waiting for cheers and lots of thankyou emails)

55+ Community in Saratoga Springs, Utah

Progress

While schedules often change, we’re currently on track to finish our first building in Saratoga by the end of this September or the beginning of October. This first building will also have two models in it, so when you come to visit, you won’t feel as though you need to drive to another one of our senior communities to see what our floorplans look like in person.

If you do come to visit right now, though, you will be able to get a feel for the exteriors that we are putting on these buildings. The first building as you enter the community has a fresh new stone, which will go well with the matching brick of the building next to it.

Aside from doing both brick and stone buildings in this community, there will also be multiple colors on the non-mason surfaces. So far, these building are looking sharp. But even as good as they look right now, they’ll really pop once the landscaping is in.

We’re also about ready to re-submit our plans for the clubhouse. We’ve gotten redlines back from the city on it already, and have been working with our architect to get those requests finalized. We’re hoping to start construction on that within the next month or two.

Why Saratoga?

I’ve mentioned this in previous articles, but lets look again at all the great things that make this community so ideal. First, we have the amenities. Our clubhouse will come with our standard pool, billiards, library, exercise room, theater, and gathering room. Due to some requirements by the city, we may be turning our warming kitchen into a prep station without a stove and oven, but still plenty of room to fill the countertops with crockpots and food for serving for all of your potluck or other sorts of parties.

Nearby, like right across the street, are the new Saratoga baseball diamonds with a park, also there is inland park, and the trails through the wetlands there, the hot springs to relax in, and also the Legacy trail that goes up and beyond Thanksgiving Point.

Are you LDS? We’re within about a mile +/- of the new Saratoga temple that is soon to be built.

Not only do you have pristine views of Utah Lake, but you also have quick access to Redwood Road and Pioneer Crossing, letting you get anywhere you want to go, fast.

How to find us

This community is tucked inside the city a ways, where not many people can find it, unless they know where to look. It used to be that everyone traveling to Saratoga, would go along Saratoga road, by the lake. Now, that road is used much less frequently, as the bulk of the growth around Saratoga is happening closer to what used to be called the 4-corners area.

So to find this community, you can take that old Saratoga Road off of Pioneer crossing, and head towards the old swimming pool, and we’re just a few hundred yards north of the pool. You can also take redwood road to 400 S. and turn towards the lake, and you’ll find us.

Our sales office is open from 10-5 Monday through Saturday, and we will be happy to show you around.

 

As we age, a few things become priorities. We appreciate the time we spend with family and friends.

There are a few things that we don’t appreciate also, like the increased threats of heart attack, stroke, and other health risks.

Perhaps its these risks that make us appreciate all the good in our lives even more.

Often here, we talk about how moving into a 55+ community can be one of the best moves a retiree can do, but today, let’s shift gears a little and talk about our health.

Is it too late to change lifestyle?

Healthy habits vs genetics

There is some debate about whether genetics play a major role in our overall health, or if our lifestyles are the main culprit to healthy or unhealthy bodies.

Genetics argument

Say for instance that those family who went before you all died from a heart attack, possibly at an age that is seeming younger and younger the older you get. Also, your siblings now suffer from high blood pressure or high cholesterol also. What does that mean for you?

Many doctors agree that genetics predispose a person to having certain types of health problems, like heart disease. After all, some of these things tend to hit the whole family. Shouldn’t that be proof enough that genetics play a major role in our overall health?

Lifestyle argument

Let’s take a look at the flip side of the coin. What if genetics aren’t the main culprit in our overall health. We’ll use the same heart disease scenario as above, but look at it from a different perspective.

What if, everyone in your family, past and present, suffered from heart disease, because Great Great Grandpa loved to throw an extra lump of butter into everything and insisted on a sugary desert at least two or three times a week.

It wouldn’t be hard to see how eating like this could become addictive how kids would come to expect meals to follow a similar pattern.

So, which is it?

Probably, the answer is both. Genetics and lifestyle likely play a major role in our health. The danger comes when we rely too much on one argument. For instance, if we say it’s all genetics, and there’s nothing we can do about it, then we easily justify our unhealthy eating habits, or we neglect to work out.

If we say it’s all lifestyle related, then we ignore some of the risk factors that might come from genetic predisposition, and fail to adequately prepare for anything beyond our control.

If we are truly concerned about our health, then we need to keep both options on the table. This means that we need to make necessary changes to improve our life, along with the quality thereof.

Change is hard

If you or someone you know has gone through something life threatening, like a heart attack or some other malady, then you might know that for a short while, you are sincerely concerned about changing your lifestyle to be healthier.

However, it’s funny, but after a few weeks, most people tend to drift back into their normal lifestyle, and the urgency of their past crisis fades into a blurry memory.

Unfortunately, the older we get, the more rigidly we stick to our patterns of life. I remember having to make similar choices with my lifestyle. I used to love eating, but I have a large family with a long history of heart problems and strokes.

For me, I had to decide, do I want to live to eat, or eat to live? I also hate working out, and would always look for any excuse to avoid it.

After diving head-first into vegan, vegetarian, and other supposedly healthy diets and workout routines, I ended up settling into a pattern that works for me. I still eat meat, though not as much, I still cook with fats, though not as much, and I still consume sugar and salt, though I’ve significantly cut down on those, and my wife forces me to work out if I get lazy.

It’s still hard most days, and I’ve been living like this for a few years now. The funny thing is, though, my quality of life hasn’t gone down. If anything, it’s gone up. I get sick less frequently, and I generally feel better.

Every country has its health challenges. In some parts of the world, people consume far too much salty foods. Some consume far too much fatty foods. Here in America, we pull in so many cultures, and have so many people who consider themselves foodies, sampling cuisine from all over the world and eating out so much, that we have the worst of it all.

We tend to eat several times our daily salt requirements. Fat is in style. We love cooking with butters and oils. We eat so much more sugar than the rest of the world. Take any of our deserts to Asia, and they’ll spit it out because it’s too sweet. (Seriously, I’ve seen this a lot).

I’m not advocating that everyone become vegetarians and spend every day in a gym. I’m not that guy either. But if we take a minute to evaluate our lifestyles, openly and objectionably, there might be some places that we can find a happy balance that keeps us happy and healthy, longer.

Don’t be discouraged. Change is difficult, and it takes time and practice. It’s like moving to one of our active adult communities. They are different for many people, but once they give it a try, they wonder why they didn’t make that move sooner.

Living healthy, living happy, and helping lift those around us is all part of the journey. Give it a try. Maybe you’ll find a fresh new perspective on life. If you do, feel free to share it with those around you.

 

Over the last few years, there’s been a surge of homebuilding in Utah. Unfortunately, Utah hasn’t been able to build houses fast enough to meet the demand of current residents.

It’s hard to imagine, but Utah is increasingly becoming like California. I remember the day, when a person living in California could sell their small house there and move here to Utah with enough cashed out equity to buy four bigger houses.

Fast forward to today, and everywhere you turn, it looks like home prices are trying to catch up to states like California.

Why is this happening? Where can someone find a home? What can be done about it?

These are all questions that both young buyers and seniors are asking.

As Utah’s only dedicated builder that focuses entirely on creating 55+ communities, we find this trend disturbing as well. We know why this is happening. There are things that can be done about it, but most people don’t want to address those things. Let’s dive into the economics of it.

Why are Utah’s home prices so high?

Not enough houses.

This may surprise some people, but even with all the high-density home projects happening, and all the other development that we’re seeing in places like Lehi, Herriman, Saratoga, and others, Utah is still building too few homes to meet the demands of our growing population.

When there aren’t enough homes to supply an area’s needs, two things happen. First, is that home prices rise. This is great if you already live in a home. The value of your house is appreciating quickly. This is not so great, if you are a first-time homebuyer or if you’re a renter, because the demand for housing is pushing you out of the market.

Why aren’t there enough homes?

There are several different factors that are keeping Utah housing below demand.

1. Land available for houses is increasingly scarce. Sure, they’s land. Not all of it is prime for building on, either because it’s meant to be used for commercial projects, or because there is no water and other infrastructure to support houses there.
2. When land is available, the neighbors often protest it. We hear more about this all the time. Neighbors banding together and protesting any new development that comes in near their neighborhoods. Almost always, they site traffic as a concern, even when the streets were designed to handle the additional traffic. Really, it’s a form of discrimination. They don’t like to see empty fields turn into more homes, and when they do, they don’t want to see housing that reflects the current needs of our times. Every time neighbors protest these sorts of things, they either delay housing developments or the shut them down entirely.
3. Getting new housing developments approved through cities is a long and difficult process. Some cities are better at handing this than others, but some cities, due to lack of coordination or outdated procedures or some other reason, take ridiculous amounts of time to approve a new development. We’ve developed in cities where the process takes little more than 6 months to gain approvals, and then there’s been cities that take between 2 and 4 years! And that’s just here in Northern Utah.

What to do?

For many folks looking to move, they are left with a couple of options. First, is that they fork up the extra money to stay here where they’ve lived much of their lives. The other option is that they do what the Californians did ten years ago, and move to a state that is cheaper to live in.

For many of our homebuyers, this second option is out of the question. Much of their family still lives around here, and they want to be close to family. But if the housing crisis continues, then either seniors will be forced out of the state, or their kids will be forced out.

It takes a mental shift. Like it or not, Salt Lake and Utah counties are turning into bigger cities. If we want to keep Utah affordable, we need to not be afraid of development.

Leisure Villas is doing their part to build quality houses for folks 55 and older. We want to keep you here, where you love to live. I wouldn’t call us a high-density builder either, since most of our communities maintain a density at or below 5.5 homes per acre, but even then, we’ve seen the trend of anti-development groups gang up on home builders like us.

What they’re doing, is inflating their home values, by not allowing anyone else to move in. So while it’s in their best interest to block development in the short run, it ends up hurting our economy in the long run.

I don’t know where Utah will be in 20 years from now, but I hope that we are able to come together to tackle some of these big issues that impact us all.

 

I don’t have to tell you all the benefits of moving into a senior community. If you’re over 55, then you already know what you want.

You want to live in a beautiful home, with a low to no maintenance yard, friends your same age. You want a community that supports the truly awesome lifestyle that you’ve developed over a lifetime of hard work and hard play.

For many of you, you also want to live near family. If that family happens to be near Herriman, then you need to get in before these homes are all gone.

 

Availability Is Good, But It Will Not Last

When will Midas Creek Villas be sold out?

Construction has been steady in our Midas Creek development. This wet Spring has made building difficult, but we’re forging ahead anyway. By the time winter rolls around again, we will have gotten every last foundation placed in the ground for this Herriman community.

Granted, they will not all be built up by then, that will last through the Summer of next year. By then, most if not all the remaining homes will be sold. So if you’ve ever wondered if living in a 55+ community is right for you, then stop on by and see for yourself.

For all the fence-sitters

Making a move takes a lot of careful planning, and given how stressful it can be, you want to make the right choice, the first time. For many of you, you may have been following the progress of construction for some time.

Often, we have folks who’ve been visiting us for weeks, months, even years. Usually, about the time that they decide on which home to buy, someone else has already placed it under contract.

Well, this is it, with about two-thirds of our Herriman community sold, you need to decide if you want to live in one of our truly awesome neighborhoods here, or wait for another couple years to see if we can start another 55+ community in Herriman. By the way, as of now, we don’t have any plans for a future development in Herriman.

So come on in. You’ve been following us for a while. You know this is what you want. Let us help you make this easy and painless as possible.

Why now is the best time to buy a home in Herriman

You already know that we’re starting the last year of homebuilding in our Midas Creek subdivision, but why else should you hurry and purchase a home here?

Simple, because if you buy now, not only are you guaranteed to get the home you want and deserve, but you’ll also get the opportunity to choose out your upgrades and options and personalize your home. Otherwise, if you’re lucky enough to get the home you want by this time next year, chances are, that all those options and upgrades that you’d normally want, will be chosen already for you.

While we try to pick out color schemes that look handsome, even attractive, you’d be better off picking something that is especially unique to you.

So come in today. Don’t delay. Your home awaits, at Leisure Villas.

 

 

Every stage of our lives comes with new opportunities. New couples are likely to buy townhomes or small starter homes, families might need something larger, with a yard, and seniors will thrive best in a home designed around their needs.

When you’ve spent the majority of your time, living in your warm comfortable home, raising kids there, and building relationships with great neighbors, it can be a hard thing to move away.

What might make this decision even harder, is if you’re moving into a new home and neighborhood that is completely different from what you’ve become accustomed to.

If however, you are over 55 years old, looking to retire, or are already retired, there are some really good reasons to consider a move into a 55+ Community like the ones we build.

I’ll admit, these communities aren’t for everyone, but before you make your decision, read on a little, and see why an age restricted community is different, and why it might make all the difference for you.

Communities Tailor Made For Active Adults and Seniors

Safer

When we talk about homes that are designed for seniors, we’re talking about more than just a house. Your needs are greater than the roof you sleep under. You need a community of folks like you. Living in a 55+ community, means that everyone is around your same age. Most of them are retired, too.

This means that you automatically have a social environment, where folks know and look out for each other.

Also, since we keep our homes ADA adaptable, we usually have no stairs, unless of course you add an optional loft to your home package. Let’s face it, as we age, those joints don’t handle stairs as well as they used to.

So stay safe and move to the more secure Community by Leisure Villas, and get rid of all the stairs that are in 99% of the other homes on the market.

Easier

Do you really enjoy doing yard work? What about snow shoveling? What about mowing?

Some of you truly do like digging your hands into the soil, and our communities provide you plenty of opportunity to plant gardens and flowers, but all the other chores that go with owning a house can be difficult, or unpleasant.

You’ve worked hard your whole life, wouldn’t it be nice to let someone else do the laborious chores, while you relaxed a little more, and only do the parts you enjoy? All of our homes are in communities that have HOA’s, run by great folks like you, who actually care about your community. You couldn’t ask for a better HOA.

So go ahead, relax a little. Enjoy an extra vacation or two. Donate that snow shovel to your kids and make the easy move into a relaxed Leisure Villas Community where the exterior maintenance is nearly a thing of the past.

Kid’s comfort

One of the hardest things to do is watch your parents grow old. I’m sure most of you can remember such times. It’s sad, and scary at times. In my family, good old grandpa is in his 90’s and stubbornly refuses to move out of his split-level home.

To go anywhere, he must climb or descend at least two flights of stairs. This is after having broken his back once already and struggling with mobility issues. We all love him a lot, but we worry about him as well.

It’s easy to look from the outside in and say, “Perhaps your house isn’t meeting your needs.”

It’s another thing entirely to look at our situation from the inside out, and say, “My house isn’t meeting my needs now,” or “It might not meet the needs of me or my spouse in the not too distant future.”

For your peace of mind, and that of your children’s, do yourself a favor and move into comfort in one of our luxurious Leisure Villas Communities.

Less Lonely

The retired life is meant to be fun, isn’t it? None of us hope to die as soon as we give up the full-time job. For most of us, we’re still active and living life to the fullest. We know that coming years might not be so kind to our bodies, but we are still very much involved in everything.

The thing is, though, that once we’re retired, we find out that most everyone else we know is still busy. Our kids and grandkids come to visit, and we love their company, but what do we do when they’re not around.

Some of us are also unfortunate enough to have lost, or know that we soon will lose our significant other. Retired life can be great, but it also comes with these challenges. When you live in a community with people who are at your same stage of life, you get to make more friends that can help with the sad times that eventually hit us all.

Not only do you get more neighbors who you can relate to, but our communities also encourage getting together to meet neighbors you might otherwise not know. From potlucks, to movie nights, to lunch dates, to service projects, our clubhouses provide great places to meet and built lasting friendships.

If you want to ensure a fun retirement with plenty of friends, or if you want a supportive network of friends for any lonely times to come, move to one of our friendly Leisure Villas Communities.

Avoid assisted living longer

One thing that we are all aware of, is that we aren’t getting any younger. We hope that we won’t lose our memories. Some of us hope we won’t really die, so we choose not to think about it. Others of us, try to soak up life the best that we can today and hope that tomorrow will be good as well. There’s probably even those who look forward to the end, in hopes of a better life after this.

We all hope for things to turn out the best that they can. The longer we can put off death, and assisted living (which is arguably worse), the better we’ll be.

So can living in a 55+ community help you liver longer and have a better mind throughout your later years?

Well, let me ask you:

Would more social contact in your life, keep your mental health better?

Could a safer house prevent accidents to your physical health, and help your overall longevity?

Would you be able to avoid unhealthy physical and mental stress by not having to maintain a yard?

Many people believe that living happier, leads to living healthier, and living longer. If you believe this too, then don’t you owe it to yourself to move to a Leisure Villas Community?

Are you ready?

There are plenty of reasons why a community should be tailored to your stage of life. Given a minute, I’m sure you could think of some more than have been mentioned here.

It’s not always easy leaving the home you’ve become used to, especially when it has so many memories tied to it, but if you want to enjoy the next few decades to the fullest, then finding a home that meets your current situation will drastically improve your lifestyle.

So visit any of our communities, and see if you’re ready to make the move to one of our amazing 55+ Communities. Nobody builds them better than Leisure Villas. We’ve been at this for a long time, and we’re constantly striving to provide you with the best possible solution to your retirement dreams.

Buy a home from Leisure Villas today. It will be the best move you ever made!

 

Have you ever wondered if reverse mortgages are some sort of scam?

Maybe you’ve heard of these lending instruments, but they seem too complicated to wrap your head around.

If you’ve ever wondered about selling your home, refinancing, or just finding a way to raise a little extra cash to help you through your retirement, this might be of some interest to you.

As a disclaimer, I’m not trying to sell any mortgages. I’ve interviewed mortgage experts for the sole purpose of delivering you some of the facts, to help you better understand this lending vehicle.

Over the past several years, I’ve seen a lot of different things in the home lending world. Among these have been double-digit rates, bridge loans, sub-prime mortgages, and yes—reverse mortgages.

Some of these, are things of the past. Though, some of them might still come back, like high interest rates.

Since reverse mortgages have gone through some changes in recent years, lets dive into them, and see what they are, how they work, and if they are a potentially useful tool for you.

Are Reverse Mortgages a Scam?

Definition: Reverse Mortgage

To understand a reverse mortgage, let’s work backwards. I’ll assume that you know how a regular mortgage works. You pay each month towards your debt, part of that money covers interest on the loan, part of it pays off principle, which builds up equity, and then there are a few extra expenses that cover things like insurance and property taxes.

Pretty simple, right?

A reverse mortgage is a little different but follows similar principles.

First: It assumes that you’ve already paid off all or a large chunk of your home. It might also assume that you have a large amount of equity, even if you haven’t paid off much of it. This would be due to the value of your home going up, which in this market, most of our homes have increased in value over the last decade.

Second: A reverse mortgage flips the traditional mortgage backwards, so that your home returns money to your pocket, instead of you paying into it. The insurance and property taxes are the only exception. You still pay those.

But how is this possible? It’s pretty simple, and even safe, though there are a few things you’ll want to consider before going that route.

The 12 Nitty Gritties

1. Most, but not all reverse mortgages are federally insured, meaning that, these are legitimate lending vehicles that are backed by the United States Government.
2. You can purchase a home or refinance your home with one of these loans, you just need to be 62 years or older.
3. Under most conditions, you will still be eligible for Social Security and Medicare.
4. You keep your home. The title is under your name, not the banks. This means that if you want to sell it in the future, you still can.
5. While some of these loans can have a maturity date, the bank will never require more money from you than your house is worth.
6. These loans are for houses, which generally includes anything from single-family detached, up to 4-plex attached homes, and even FHA approved condos.
7. Like a regular mortgage, there are some credit requirements, which a lending officer would need to verify.
8. Also, like a regular mortgage, there are property requirements that your lending officer would need to verify.
9. This is not for vacation properties. You need to live in the house for at least 6 months out of the year, making it for your primary house only.
10. Naturally, there needs to be some equity in your home. Depending on interest rates, your age, and other possible factors, you should probably have about 40-60% equity in your home to qualify for a reverse mortgage.
11. The value of your home cannot exceed $726,525
12. There’s a few other piddly requirements, like you need to meet with a reverse mortgage counselor to ensure that this is a good option for you. Frankly, this isn’t a bad requirement. It would be unfortunate to enter into a long-term loan of any sort and not be fully informed of how it might affect your financial future. And of course, the government isn’t going to support this sort of loan for you, if you owe the government a bunch of money and haven’t paid up.

Why would I do this?

You might be thinking, “I’ve spent so many years trying to get out of debt, why would I want to give up all that equity now?”

It’s true, a reverse mortgage reduces your equity. That seems very counterintuitive to what we’ve been told our whole lives.

But unlike a regular mortgage, where if you lose your job, you lose your ability to pay your mortgage, and subsequently, you lose your house, a reverse mortgage doesn’t require you to pay any more than the smaller fees for taxes, insurance, and HOA dues (if applicable) each month. After all, this type of loan is for people who are NOT working, because they are retired, or close to it.

Also, as long as you remain current on those smaller expenses, you continue to own your own home, Eventually your equity position might go down to zero, but even then, the bank cannot take your home away until either you permanently move out, at which time, they will pay you or your kids the remaining equity left in your home. If there is negative equity in your home, you and your kids are not required to pay it. That’s where having a federally insured loan comes in handy. The government insures that you will not owe a dime when all is said and done.

Your kids can also have the option to buy the home for 95% of the appraised value, when you move out or die.

Most people consider reverse mortgages for the following reasons:

• They find themselves at retirement and are unable to buy a new home more suitable for their needs.
• They own their home outright, but are homebound because of a restricted budget that doesn’t allow for any vacations or traveling.
• The market is hot, and they can get more money out of their home now to use as a safety net for future needs
• They like to have extra cash on hand to take advantage of investment opportunities.
• They can have the ability to help kids or grandkids with school. This may also apply to helping with down payments on a house of their own.

Most people are afraid of reverse mortgages for the following reasons:

• They will have less money to pass on to their children when they die.
• These people are afraid that this is a sneaky trick of banks to steal their homes away.
• They have an emotional attachment to having their home paid off.
• They don’t understand how it works.

You might be asking, “Can’t I just get a home equity loan if I need cash in a pinch?”

While it’s true that most peoples’ first thought is a home equity line of credit, you have to remember, that when you withdraw money on that sort of loan, you have to make regular monthly payments again, until you completely pay back the loan. This is great for younger working families and individuals. But for retirees on a fixed income, this can be very difficult.

Is it worth it?

This is a decision that everyone has to make on their own. There are pros and cons to this decision, things that need to be thought out carefully. That’s why visiting with a financial planner might be a good idea.

For example, your kids might not get much of an inheritance. But think about you and your parents. Would you rather that they lived more comfortably throughout their retirement, and had the ability to go on vacations once and a while, or been able to visit family more often? Chances are, your kids want the best for you too, even if it means less money for them when you die. After all, you earned that money, not them. They’re working, not you. They understand this.

Other things to consider, what are your end of life plans going to look like. For many of us, those last few years might include assisted living homes or memory care facilities. These aren’t fun things to think about, but expecting our kids to take care of us might not be every parents dream. That’s why a financial planner can be very useful. It would be best to make sure that all your bases are covered, with enough left over to handle the worst case scenarios.

For the most part, you shouldn’t be afraid of a reverse mortgage. Like any lending instrument, you need to make sure it matches your long-term plans and financial goals.

For more info on reverse mortgages, please check out this Myths/Facts website that dives into all the misconceptions surrounding reverse mortgages.

As always, I hope this was a helpful and educational article for you. Here at Leisure Villas, we strive each week to produce helpful content that is relevant to our friends and family who are 55 years and better. You can visit us at https://www.leisurevillas.com/

Disclaimer:

We are not financial advisors. The information in this article is written to the best of our knowledge, based on interviews with industry experts. It should not be taken as financial advice. We always recommend that you visit personally with a qualified expert. They will be able to evaluate your current situational needs and provide the most up to date knowledge and advice. Thank you.

 

Have you ever seen those pictures, you know the ones, where it looks like everyone is happy, and life is perfect?

We all know that those are staged photos. The same thing happens with videos. I love seeing peoples reactions to videos that were staged, but made to look like real, spur of the moment, candid snippets.

So is anything out there genuine? Sure!

Is it attainable? Yep, and that’s what I want to talk about.

I’m not just talking about living in an ideal 55+ community, like the ones we build. I want to examine a few ideas that can make any neighborhood a better place to live.

What Makes A Neighborhoods Feel Good?

Consider the needs of the individuals

By now, most of us have heard of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It suggests that we have a pyramid-like structure of needs that start from basic and climb in priority.

In a nutshell, it is suggested that the needs are as follows:

1. Physiological needs: These are things like food, shelter, sleep, the essentials for living.
2. Safety is next: Once our physical needs are taken care of, we desire a need to feel secure.
3. Belonging: This is where good friendships become highly valued.
4. Esteem: Once you have friends, you want their respect, and you want to feel a sense of accomplishment.
5. Self-Actualization: This is the peak. When everything else is satisfied, you need to know that you are living up to your full potential.

Many of us in a community live at different stages along this list of priorities. So how does this help us unite our neighborhoods and create that utopian community that we would love to live in?

I don’t want to make this a study in sociology, I would rather make this a practical tool for evaluating our communities and deciding how to increase our overall happiness. So let’s dive into it.

What makes you happy/what makes your neighbors happy?

Knowing what makes you happy will help you determine the position you hold on the hierarchy of needs. As a reminder, it doesn’t matter where you are on this list. It isn’t a competition. It’s simply a way of judging what makes you happy at this time in your life.

Physiological Needs

Are you happy if you can keep a roof over your head, and keep you and your family fed? Then you are probably at the first level. For many of us, we start out here. When we’re struggling as a young family, possibly owning a mountain of debt, and few job place skills, this can be a real concern.

Many of us might also struggle with this as we retire. Health care becomes more expensive, and our physical needs become more fragile.

Making the most of it

If you have neighbors who have real physiological needs, helping them with those needs can provide a great source of friendship and joy. Maybe it’s giving them rides to a doctor, maybe it’s helping them in the yard, or passing on a job referral. Maybe babysitting is something they could really appreciate so that they can take care of something important to them.

Safety

We are all vulnerable at times. This may come as a result of past experiences or feared possibilities. It ranges from assault, burglary, natural disaster, food poisoning, radon, to a whole host of other concerns. Some of us feel safe in any circumstance, while others of us are constantly anxious about the next possible catastrophe.

Making the most of it

Helping a neighbor with this requires us to know a little about our neighbors. Sometimes, all it takes, is knowing your neighbor to set them at ease. If they don’t know who you are, then you could be, well, anybody, even someone who is untrustworthy. Other things you can do, might appeal to your personal interests. Do you enjoy emergency preparedness? If you have a clubhouse or church house that you can meet at, you can host informative classes on your specialties. There’s a lot you can do to help people feel safe, even if its as simple as watering their plants or collecting their newspaper when they’re out of town.

Belonging

I’ve met people whose physical needs are met, and they feel safe, but who don’t feel at all like they belong. If this describes you or someone you know, what can be done to help that? You may consider yourself the perfect neighbor, and still they don’t feel as if they belong. You may not even know that they don’t feel a sense of belonging. Hint: A good clue that they don’t feel as if they belong, is that they don’t ever talk to you.

Making the most of it

One common thing that I’ve noticed among people who feel a lack of belonging, is that they don’t reach out to others. This is usually based on fear of rejection. So many people worry about being the one to ask a neighbor to be their friend. Sure, we’ve all been blown-off before, but we don’t usually know the reasons why. The best way I’ve found to help establish a cohesive neighborhood with folks who feel as if they don’t belong, is to be the one who says hello first. Make that initial contact, then follow up.

Esteem

When I think of esteem, my first thought turns to pride. But as I ponder on this more, the dreaded pride, that cripples so many people, is not so much a part of this stage of needs. While it still plays a part, it is more dangerous if someone displays a large amount of it in the earlier needs. If you feel as though your basic needs are met, and you feel as though you belong to your community, then the need for pride becomes less important, and we start needing real esteem, not fake esteem.

Making the most of it

This is the confidence building stage. People who need esteem might come off as prideful, but they might also just be searching for validation. If that can be met, then these folks will know that their opinions are worthwhile to others. Their happiness will come from being a true value to their neighbors. These are the folks who can benefit most from service opportunities. Find ways to include them and their expertise, especially as it relates to needs within your neighborhood.

Self-Actualization

These folks seem to have it all. Their focus is personal development, education, and culture. They aren’t elitists, and they aren’t always wealthy. Often they are philanthropists. These people are confident, and their happiness often revolves around their being able to contribute to society.

Making the most of it

Don’t be afraid to ask these people for help. Often, they are more than willing. They’ve already learned the importance of being involved, and they know they can be of value. Also, you can pass along fun ideas that you learn of. Maybe there’s a Broadway play coming to town, or a trip to some historic site coming up that they might enjoy visiting with you.

Summary

If I could summarize all these community building ideas into one cohesive thought, it would be this: Get to know your neighbors and serve them.

That’s almost seems like an oversimplification of it, but it can appeal to so many of us, regardless of where we are in our life’s journey.

If you’re familiar at all with the lifestyle we encourage at our active adult communities, then you’ll see how this simple thing fits into all of our programs. For instance: We encourage monthly potluck dinners, HOA involvement, movie nights, lunch dates, quilting, book clubs, aerobics, and service projects. All of these things help bring people together. If people can be brought together, then they can get to know each other. Once they know their neighbors, they become more aware of their neighbors’ current needs, and by helping them, both people benefit and the overall happiness of the community improves.

Well, what about church?

Yes, if you live in a place like Utah, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or some other church is the dominant religion, you may know that many people are already involved in community activities and services. Does this mean that we don’t need to worry about our community?

Well, if you’re part of one of those churches, you might already feel as if many of your neighborhood needs and friendships are met, but I’ll bet that most of you have neighbors on your street, that you barely even know. What about them?

Perhaps you are not a part of that church organization, and you want some of that good neighborly vibes. There’s always a need to be more neighborly. Perhaps it’s time to step out of your comfort zone and act to make your neighborhood the sort of place where you would want to live.

That’s what we do at Leisure Villas, and you can do that too, in your neighborhood, or even in one of ours.