Deciding where and how you want to write the next chapter of your life story is an incredible opportunity. We offer five tips for choosing a new home in retirement and share stories of people who embarked on their retirement journey already. Learn how they explore the abundant opportunities they have to live with purpose in community at Garden Spot Village.
1. Decide how you want to live.
Art and Tina Petrosemolo, Garden Spot Village residents since December 2016, explored a lot of opportunities before choosing their home in the Sycamore Springs neighborhood at Garden Spot Village. They considered remodeling their existing home in New Jersey. They explored a variety of 55+ plus communities. They explored continuing care retirement communities. In the end, they decided a non-profit continuing care retirement community was the best fit because it provided the greatest level of freedom from the responsibility of home ownership. An added bonus: availability of healthcare “just in case” they needed it in the future.
2. Decide where you want to live during retirement.
Because of his career, Bob Coleman, and his wife Joanne, Garden Spot Village residents since August 2013, moved around the United States throughout much of their married life. “Moving to Garden Spot Village was the first time in our lives we were able to choose our community,” Bob says. After regular weekend and even weeklong visits, Bob and Joanne, most recently from the Hudson River Valley in New York, decided Garden Spot Village would be their new community. Of the decision-making process, Joanne says, “The community wants you to feel that you fit, that you are cared for and that you have opportunities to be active if you want to be.” Bob and Joanne immediately connected with their neighbors and the larger community, volunteering in various capacities throughout campus life.
3. Create a retirement plan for what you want to do.
Bob Winegardner was an on-the-go, always busy executive for Home Depot, even after he moved to Garden Spot Village in August 2004. “I didn’t have time to do the things I wanted to do,” he comments. When he retired there were three things on his list: learn woodworking, become involved in politics and learn to fly-fish. Today he is a highly skilled craftsman and the Judge of Elections for the local area. Plus, he’s connected with all the appropriate politicians and a voice for people in retirement. Shortly after he moved to Garden Spot Village another resident taught him to fly fish. When you think about the next chapter in your story, what do you want to do? Who can you find in your community to help you achieve your plan?
4. Think about retiring with purpose.
Abundant opportunities to volunteer and participate in activities that are meaningful to you brings a sense of purpose. After retiring from Shell Oil Company, Ed and Darlene Smith relocated to Gap, Pennsylvania. They began to volunteer at Garden Spot Village through a connection with their church. They loved the community so much that they moved into a carriage home when Darlene was 58 years old. Life has been overflowing with opportunities for the couple since then, as they continue to volunteer and explore the ways they can make a difference in New Holland and around the world. Darlene says, “During the Travel with Purpose trip that Garden Spot Village sponsored to Kijabe, Kenya, I found my purpose. I want to help more people around the world.”
5. Start planning for retirement as soon as possible.
"When we decided to move to Garden Spot Village, we wanted to be here. We didn’t want to wait,” says Jennie Sauer, who moved to a brand new single family home in the Sycamore Springs neighborhood, with her husband, Jim, last spring. Choosing a new home at Sycamore Springs allowed them to choose the floor plan they wanted and their timeframe for moving. The next phase of Sycamore Springs is currently under construction. You can choose your home and your timeline for moving as well by visiting sycamoresprings.org.
How will you write the next chapter in your life story? At Garden Spot Village, your best stories have yet to be lived. Visit gardenspotvillage.org to explore the abundant opportunities you have to live with purpose in community at Garden Spot Village.
