What to look for (and ask) when touring a 55+ community
A sales tour of a 55+ community is designed to show its best features — and it’s usually effective at that. A more useful visit goes beyond the clubhouse and asks a few specific questions that the tour itself won’t necessarily answer.
Beyond the amenities: questions about the community itself
What’s the actual occupancy and turnover rate? A community with high turnover or a lot of unsold or unrented units may signal problems that aren’t obvious on a single visit.
How are HOA fees structured, and how have they changed historically? Ask for several years of fee history, not just the current number — a community with a pattern of large annual increases tells you more than the current rate alone.
What’s covered by the HOA, and what isn’t? Landscaping and common-area maintenance are usually included; exterior home maintenance, for instance, varies a lot between communities and matters significantly for long-term costs.
Who actually lives there day-to-day, not just on a sales tour? Visiting at a different time than the scheduled tour — a weekday afternoon, an evening — gives a more honest sense of the community’s actual rhythm and resident mix.
Questions specific to CCRCs
If touring a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) rather than a standard active adult community, a few additional questions matter significantly:
What’s the entrance fee structure, and how much (if any) is refundable? Contracts vary widely — some are fully refundable to an estate, some aren’t refundable at all, and the difference meaningfully changes the financial risk profile.
What happens to fees if you need a higher level of care? Some CCRCs charge a flat monthly fee regardless of care level (Type A/life care contracts); others charge more as care needs increase (Type B or C). This distinction matters enormously for long-term cost predictability.
What’s the facility’s financial health? CCRCs have occasionally faced financial distress, which can affect residents’ care guarantees. Asking for financial statements, or having them reviewed by a financial advisor, is a reasonable request before signing a contract involving a six-figure entrance fee.
Active adult communities vs. CCRCs covers the broader structural differences between the two community types if you’re still deciding which to tour in the first place.
Talk to current residents, not just staff
Sales staff are a useful source for logistics, but current residents — approached independently, not through a staff-arranged meeting — tend to give a more candid picture of what daily life and community culture actually feel like.
Sources for this article are linked inline throughout the text above.
Related reading: Active adult communities vs. CCRCs: what’s the actual difference? and How to test a retirement location before you commit.