New studies show that no matter how old they get, couples will do about anything to keep from giving up their single-family house…even though retirement places have low maintenance and better recreation. “We never lived in an apartment and would never want to,” Gene Fischer told me Friday… admitting that he and wife Lutie looked at retirement places all over town last year, as their old home in Centennial aged.
You can come see what they ended up doing…and get a Starbucks card and refreshments today, as well. The Fischers were the first residents to move into The Cottages at Dayton Place, a Southeast Denver enclave that has the advantages of a retirement community, but looks and feels like single-family homes…even down to the 2-car garage.
The Cottages are fee based…a one-time entry fee and a monthly (currently $2,900 for a couple) that covers not only the lease, but trimming the lawn, shoveling snow, twice-a-month housekeeping, interior maintenance on fixtures/appliances, and a clubhouse with spa and indoor pool. The Fischers were having a continental breakfast there when I stopped in–part of the package, with more meal options available. “We had a family reunion here at Christmas,” Lutie Fischer told me, pointing out the gathering areas where they hosted kids and grandkids.
In today’s market, The Cottages make the move to that sort of lifestyle easier still, says Ken Jaeger, president of MorningStar Senior Living, which launched The Cottages last year on the campus of its very successful Dayton Place Retirement Residences. In the range around $250,000 older homes are selling faster now…but for couples who are worried about whether the old place will sell, The Cottages will take a 10% down and wave the additional fee until the house sells.
The fee is entirely refundable when the resident leaves (including the possibility of a move into Dayton Place, for assisted living or memory care). What residents get in return is the size and privacy they’re used to. All homes are single-level, up to 1,750 feet, either 2-bedroom or 2-plus-den, plus the 2-car garage that can supplement storage space. Bonnie Baker and Jennifer Davidson (they’ll be on hand today) have explored all of the competition around town, and say they can’t find anything of the sort offering the size and value.
…Particularly on the entry fee, which The Cottages have reduced to levels starting at $245,000, just under where single-family re-sales are selling pretty briskly now. You can tour 10-4 today, just north of Parker Road on Dayton. Adds Lutie Fischer, “It’s like your own house.”
If you go…
WHERE:
The Cottages at Dayton Place, senior living ranch-patio models, full services, 2-car attached garage, clubhouse; refreshments & Starbucks card today. 2000 S. Dayton St.; From Aurora take Parker Rd. north from Iliff 2 blks to Dayton, right 1 blk. From Denver take Parker Rd. south to Dayton, left.
PRICE:
From $2,400/mo., refundable entrance fee from $245,000
WHEN:
Today, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and daily
PHONE:
303-338-4338
WEB:
