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 Welcome to our February 2007 edition of Active Living News. We hope that you had a great Valentine’s day, and that you are surviving the throes of old man winter.
We’ve just surpassed another milestone at our ActiveAdultLiving.com website, with January being a record month for traffic and nearly a quarter of a million pages viewed. So guess what? We keep on adding more communities (click here to take a look at the ones we‘ve just added)! That’s part of the reason we have a returning visitor ratio of over 32%.
We’re now at over 1,700 age-restricted and active lifestyle communities listed. And, in response to popular demand, we have also just added a new Active Lifestyle Golf & Waterfront Communities directory page on our site.
We’ve got a great newsletter for you this month with an article of interest from Mark Gibson of Sun Ovation Homes. The article is particularly timely after the recent tornado that swept through Florida and devastated Lady Lake.
We also have a special treat for you! Due to the popularity of our In-Depth Community Reviews, this month we are featuring 2 for you. Fairfield Glade in Tennessee, and Heritage Hill Country in Fredericksburg, Texas...both will wow you.
Help us grow our Active Living News e-Newsletter to serve you better. We’d really appreciate your input and comments. Click here to drop us a line and let us know what you think.
To navigate through our newsletter use the links on the left, or simply scroll down. Please take a look through, and let us know what you think! We really do value your opinion, and would also appreciate your input on future articles you'd like to see.
We'd also really appreciate it if you would "tell a friend", just click here.
Thanks,
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Don't Wait for the Storm: Replacing an older, outdated home is the key to peace of mind for many homeowners.
By Mark Gibson
 For many, the lifestyle offered by the many 55+ manufactured home retirement communities creates the perfect combination of affordable living and a carefree and comfortable lifestyle. With many waterfront and golf course communities, the Southeast offers some of the finest manufactured home living opportunities in the country. And yet, with all of the cost, convenience and amenity advantages offered by these communities, many home owners are concerned about the safety and security of their homes.
The year 2004 and the names Charlie, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne forever impacted the lives of homeowners. Now, the idea of surviving a hurricane has become a permanent part of life for many families. Living in a manufactured home, particularly an older one, makes the concerns over hurricane safety even more important. Many older homes are uninsurable, putting the homeowner at significant risk. Replacing an older, outdated manufactured home with a new, safer and more secure home is an easy solution.
Manufactured homes offer many significant advantages over site built homes including the speed of construction, cost and quality control. Many 55+ communities were developed at a time when real estate prices were more reasonable. As a result, there are communities, developed many years ago, that boast incredible locations and amenities that would be unavailable to newer developments. Increasing real estate prices and rapid development have also caused a significant decrease in new manufactured home community development.
Because of these advantages, many manufactured home residents absolutely love where there they live. However, they wonder how their older manufactured home will fare when another storm season comes. Meteorologists predict an active storm cycle for the next several years. While the manufactured home industry has made significant strides, many older homes in these communities were built many years ago leaving the strength and security of their homes in doubt. And while insurance may replace a destroyed home, you cannot put a price on lost and destroyed personal belongings.
 So, what makes newer manufactured homes better? While 2004 was a year that forever changed the mindset of many homeowners, 1992 and Hurricane Andrew changed the quality and durability of today’s manufactured homes. Due the devastation caused by Andrew, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) changed the national building code in 1994. Today, all manufactured homes must comply with this new code. In addition to the 1994 HUD code, the State of Florida revised set up requirements in 1999 creating the strictest tie down standards in the country. Other states are considering adopting the Florida standard.
Did the new 1992 HUD code and 1999 Florida tie down codes work? Yes! While there is no question that the devastation caused by the four storms in 2004 was unprecedented, the performance of manufactured homes built after 1994 was remarkable. In fact, while many manufactured and traditional site built homes were destroyed, the Florida Manufactured Home Association reports that not one single home built after the 1994 revised building codes was destroyed. The new codes worked very well indeed.
The same advantages that make new manufactured homes such a popular choice also make replacing older homes a quick and relatively inexpensive option for homeowners looking to improve the safety of their home. After just a few days to remove the old home, a new manufactured home can be set up and installed in just a few weeks. The result -- a new home built in a quality controlled environment, to the toughest national standard, at a low cost per square foot -- and best of all, peace of mind for the homeowner.
 Better yet, today’s newer manufactured homes are built with many new and improved design features that make them more comfortable and attractive than ever before. Taller interior walls, more attractive décor packages, improved kitchens, appliances and significantly improved energy efficiency are just a few of the improved design features.
 If you are one of the thousands of residents living in an older 55 plus manufactured home community and love the location and neighbors -- most of them, anyway -- and your home was built prior to the 1994 and 1999 code changes, you may want to investigate replacing your home. The first place to start is a visit to a reputable manufactured home dealer to discuss your options. Your old home may have trade-in value and with the improved energy efficiency of newer homes and potentially fewer repair costs, it may make buying a new home more cost effective than you imagined. In the end, the real value is the peace of mind that will come from living in a safer, more comfortable and more secure manufactured home. So don't wait for the storm.
Mark Gibson is Chief Operating Officer of Sun Ovation Homes, a network of franchised manufactured and modular home centers with locations throughout Florida: www.sunovationhomes.com. Mark can be contacted vie email at mark.gibson@sunovationhomes.com.
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Heritage Hill Country
Fredericksburg, TX
 Come to Visit, Stay a Lifetime
After living abroad and in several major cities in the U.S., I decided a few years ago that I needed to come home to Texas. I was looking for lower taxes, less traffic and crime, in short, a better quality of life. Like most Texans, we know that the most beautiful part of Texas is the Hill Country located right in the heart of Texas. And in its heart is an incredible small town where you can find quality of life, beautiful scenery and believe it or not, really good weather. It is the small town of Fredericksburg, a historic German community, located about an hour from San Antonio and Austin.
 It is for good reason that Fredericksburg is rated as one of the great places to visit and retire. The city has won many awards for its preservation of history, its quaint downtown and beautiful architecture. The population is about 10,000 in town and 21,000 in the county.
As for living here, every person retiring will appreciate the quality of life. There are museums, great restaurants, and a wonderful health care system. It is a safe haven from big city crime and congestion. You can spread your wings, go for a morning stroll or climb a mountain. Wander downtown and have a cup of coffee, a German pastry, and watch the world go by. There are festivals, art exhibitions, and live music just about every weekend.
 Fredericksburg is fast becoming the wine capital of Texas, with 6 wineries in the area. The Hill Country altitude is about 1,800 feet, so the weather is kinder, the nights are cool and the air has less humidity than most areas of Texas. With the great weather, you can spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying the beautiful scenery.
The only active adult community in the Hill Country is Heritage Hill Country, located at the edge of town. It boasts a beautiful full service community center, nature trails, creek, heated pool and spa. As a resident, I love the friendly neighbors and the many activities of the community center. It is truly a small town within a small town. There are only 180 homes here with prices starting at about $200,000. Like me, you may come to visit and stay a lifetime.
 Barbara Irwin
Broker/Owner, ABR, GRI
United Country Real Estate
1211 East Main Street
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
Cell/Direct: 830-889-4133
Office: 830-990-1115
Email: barbara@come2fredericksburg.com
More Information at Heritage Hill Country
Fairfield Glade
Fairfield Glade, TN
 The serene, natural beauty of the Cumberland Plateau, 2000+ feet above sea level, has earned Fairfield Glade a place among the top retirement destinations in America.
Over 7,000 retirees call this 12,700 acre resort "home" as they enjoy 5spectacular PGA Championship golf courses, 11 sparkling lakes, 4 swimming pools (2 indoor and 2 outdoor), boating and fishing at two marinas, and a tennis center (four indoor courts and four outdoor clay hydrocourts), a New Community Center and a Wellness Center.
Fairfield Glade is off the beaten path, but within a short drive to Nashville, Knoxville or Chattanooga and about midway between Florida and the Great Lakes. Great 4 season climate, friendly people, low taxes and insurance, reasonablely priced homes and land, and a low cost of living where you dollar buys you more.
Come looksee!
 Dave DeVos
Broker/Realtor, MEd., EMBA
Century 21 Fountain Realty
3867 Peavine Road
Crossville, TN 38558
Direct: 931-707-2100
Toll free: 888-824-2121
Email: Dave@DavidDeVos.com
More Information at Fairfield Glade
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You can now order the following books at discounted prices from Amazon.com
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"1001 Active Lifestyle Communities"
by Lisa LaCount
492 pages includes special sections on
Condominiums & Grand Openings
Now Available Nationwide
Click Here to Buy
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"New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide
to the Rest of Your Life"
by Jan Cullinane
Click Here to Buy
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You may have found out the hard way that trying to research information about active lifestyle communities on your own can be a long and frustrating task. We know that as a busy boomer or active senior, you've got better things to do with your time!
We've just completed the arduous endeavor of compiling . . .
Version 2 of our Interactive
CD-ROM Directory
We've added the very latest up-to-date data on over 300 of the choicest new communities from around the country. That now brings the total on our new CD-ROM Directory Version 2 to over 1,500 active lifestyle and age-restricted communities!
It is an absolute wealth of information that has literally taken us years of blood, sweat and tears to compile! We are dog-tired, but we're really, really proud of what we've achieved on your behalf . . .
You'll find that our 1500 Active Lifestyle Communities Directory 2007 - Version 2 is worth hundreds of dollars in time saved!
- Every community is hyperlinked directly to the builder's website
- Direct dial and/or toll free phone numbers
- Mapquest link for every community!.
You won't find all of this valuable data at our website – in fact, you won't find it anywhere else!
We’ve taken all of the data from our 1,001 Active Lifestyle Communities book and added community info on 500 more and put it all on an enhanced, interactive CD-ROM which you can now purchase for $29.99. Click here to order your copy!
Thanks for the wonderful comments from all those of you who have already purchased our Interactive CD ROM Directory of 1500 Active Lifestyle Communities. For those of you who were unable to take advantage of our December Pre-Sale Special offer, we are offering free shipping this month.
If you have any problem with the online order process, we would be happy to take your order by phone at (702) 614-9120 or you may email us with your name and your phone number (send your email to: info@activeadultiving.com) and we will telephone you to take your credit card information over the phone. To order by check, click here for the mail in form.
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Florida
Florida
Illinois
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Texas
Virginia
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