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M. DWYER/ STOCK, BOSTON/PNI |
Coming home to Cambridge? For more and more retirees, the dream of retiring to the University area--or Cape Cod, the scenic North Shore, or Boston's historic western suburbs--is becoming a reality. Where retiring used to mean heading south, a growing population of smart and hearty souls is willing to brave New England winters during their retirement years. What Eastern Massachusetts lacks in climatic incentives, these people say, is more than made up for by shared communities of interest, the wide range of activities, and many close personal associations. All this adds up to making the purchase of retirement homes in Massachusetts a small but growing trend.
For many, the intellectual stimulation for which New England is famous is a big part of the appeal, as are its small towns and old-fashioned main streets. "Community is very, very important,'' says realtor Liz Lampes, whose Middleton Real Estate works with the Villages at Great Hill, a community for those over 55 in Topsfield. "The texture, the feel of a community'' matters to the buyers she talks to as much as mild winters or big golf courses. "We don't have the weather," admits Barbara Currier, who handles many properties in Cambridge itself as senior real-estate associate with DeWolfe New England. In her experience, what draws people to the area is "familiarity with the academic community. It's also the accessibility and convenience.''
And, Currier adds, family is another great incentive for people to come to--or stay in--the New England area. Proximity to children and grandchildren may determine a destination town or community. Even if moving in next door is not the desired option, realtors say, family and friends can be a great source of information--and advance research, all the professionals stress, is perhaps the most important first step toward the big move.
First, realtors say, investigate the town or city you are considering. "Go to the local chambers of commerce and find out about the communities,'' suggests Janet Pratt of Canton's J.L. Pratt Realtors Inc. Ask about services (such as convenient shopping places and nearby hospitals) as well as amenities (drive time to the beach, say, or the nearest golf course). If you have an interest in theater or museums, you may want to be closer to the city. For out-of-state retirees, says Pratt, one option is to rent before buying. Although this means a slower move, it does give potential retirement-home buyers a chance to get the "feel'' of a place before making a big financial commitment.
Brendan McGrath, a manager at Harvard's planning and real-estate office who works with new faculty members relocating to the Boston area, encourages his clients to make use of Internet resources whenever possible as they try to decide where they'd like to live. As one example, he mentions the website run by the Community Newspaper Group, which owns papers in various Boston and Greater Boston suburbs ("www.townonline.com"), which bills itself as the "Eastern Massachusetts home-town connection" and carries a real-estate section, guides to events and shopping, and--not surprisingly--information on how to subscribe to various local papers to get a real feel for your prospective new community. Be aware, also, that real-estate firms may have photographs of their properties, with addresses and other pertinent information, posted on their websites, making it possible to do drive-by checkouts of potential homes and neighborhoods on your own. (For more on using the Internet when house-hunting, see "Home-hunting in Cyberspace".)
The second step for retirees-to-be is deciding what kind of retirement home may be right. Those considering a move either from big family homes or from out-of-state locations need to be aware that the New England real-estate market offers many options.
Condominiums and cooperatives are hot right now, says Barbara Currier about the fast-moving Cambridge market. Clients may be particularly interested in buildings or condo associations that provide a doorman or concierge service to handle regular chores like dry-cleaning pick-up and delivery. Many units, she adds, are designed with aging knees and backs in mind. "We're also seeing more and more 'floor-through,' or one-floor, living arrangements," as opposed to duplexes or townhouse styles.
And then there's Gary Petrini's version. He is both a developer and a soon-to-be retiree. His new Needham development, Southfield, comprises luxury homes that focus on one-floor living (the master bedroom is on the ground floor), and also offer such features as wider than usual doorways (for wheelchairs) built in. At approximately 3,500 square feet each, with three or four bedrooms, Petrini considers the houses sizable enough for visiting grandchildren, yet smaller than many prospective owners are used to--which for many would-be retirees, he says, may be a boon. "My wife and I were sitting around thinking about the big house we were in," he recalls, "and we said, 'We don't like this anymore. The walk from the family room up to the bedroom is tiring.''' He plans to move to his own new home in Southfield in September.
As Liz Lampes stresses, people need to ask themselves what kind of living situation will work for them. "A lot of people are not made for condominium or cooperative living,'' she says, pointing out that homeowners may miss the accustomed quiet of a separate residence if they move to an apartment-like condo or co-op.
Those who want to keep the feel of an independent house--but lose the burdens of lawns, shrubs, and indoor upkeep--have various possibilities. Look for existing or new developments that feature either free-standing or attached houses designed to highlight privacy and downplay care. At Southfield, for example, residents pay a monthly fee to the homeowners association that spares them the need to do home repairs, maintenance, snow removal, and landscaping. After all, says Lampes, "You realize you may not always be able--or may not want--to take care of the grounds of a private home. You may want to travel, enjoy your grandchildren, try new things. It's very liberating to turn the key in the lock and go.''
Such considerations are common to many retirees, no matter how active and healthy. William Birchard, M.D. '49, who still works one day a week at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, moved from Lexington to the Villages at Great Hill three years ago. He relished the prospect of fewer household chores. "Snow, lawns, everything,'' he says. "They take care of it.''
Birchard and his wife, Mildred, did their research before making the move to the Topsfield development. "We checked out the town. We checked out the people we did know who were going to come in,'' he reports. Because the development was being built as the Birchards were shopping, they also made sure to check out the reputation of the developer. They were gratified, Birchard says, to learn that the man's "previous, similar, development was already full and had a waiting-list.'
Like many of their colleagues in retirement, Birchard and his wife originally thought of moving south. "But we have a couple of children here--one in Concord and one in New Hampshire--and that probably played a large role in our staying in the area," he says. And, he adds, "I like to ski.''
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