Retirement Community Visitor Programs – How to Visit Your Favorite Retirement Communities
Retirement Community Visitor Programs – How to Visit Your Favorite Retirement Communities
Retirement community visitor programs makes it easier and more economical to visit your favorite retirement communities. Do you dream of a weekend trip to a warm spot on the beach. Do you picture a villa in the mountains, ocean or desert with perhaps a lazy lush green golf course steps from your door. Maybe a warm pool is your desire with a massage after your swim.
Is it almost time to leave your job and retire to a more exotic space–perhaps warmer and less congested. Don’t put off visiting your favorite retirement communities any longer. Here are some ideas on traveling to retirement spots to make that important decision.
1) First, go to your favorite websites about where they are. That is the great thing about the internet–you can “travel” anywhere and preview them before going. Take advantage of great websites that list retirement areas and communities and visit the community websites.
Next, make a list of priorities of what you want in a retirement community. Eliminate as many communities as possible from the information you glean after viewing the websites. This will leave you with a few favorite choices.
2) Plan your trip. What will it cost to visit your top 2 or 3 choices. Make your choices the top 3 areas or top 3 communities in an area. Keep it simple. Start small but please get started.
After you consider the costs, you may suddenly feel that it is hopeless. The cost of gas and hotels makes even a weekend trip seem impossible. For instance, a visit to your top area would take longer than a weekend unless you fly and rent a car and that isn’t in your budget right now.
What to do. Don’t be discouraged. If your favorite community offers a visitor package, it may make it more economical and possible for you to go.
3) After you have decided on your favorite 2 or 3 communities and how much it will cost to get there, check if there are any visitor programs offered at the community.
Off-seasons, when things are slow, are good times to go. At these times, there are even more offers to tour communities and stay overnight at their facilities. These offers to visit a community are called by different names such as visitor package, getaway package, discovery tour and many more. Call your favorite community right now and ask them if they have any visitor or discovery packages.
These usually have special rates for you to spend the weekend, sometimes longer, at the community or a discounted rate at a nearby hotel when you are interested in purchasing in the community. Programs vary. These programs are offered because builders know that in most cases it is advisable to “try out” the community before moving there when people travel great distances and are not familiar with the area.
Usually you are not under any obligation to buy while on the trip but go over any restrictions thoroughly. If accommodations are not available when you want to go, book them for when they are available in the future.
Remember, you will have to attend presentations about the community but that is why you are going–to learn more.
And as for those really expensive trips to faraway places–ask the community if they have a program to reimburse your travel expenses if you make a purchase of your retirement home while on the trip. I have seen many programs that pay for airfare and accommodations if you purchase. Always review any restrictions on these programs carefully.
Visitor packages when offered make it more economical to “discover” places and communities. You can also choose to drive instead of flying if it is a lower cost way to get there, or as one person I know does it, they drive halfway, leave their car at the airport and fly the other half. Try to be creative.
You may have to make many mini-trips like this to make your final decision so you want it to be economical. You may also prefer to go there on vacation in the summer season but you may have to book earlier. Visit my website to find retirement communities and over-55 retirement communities, www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com.
Carol Fena, Realtor and Webmaster for http://www.bestguide-retirementcommunities.com.