Category: Community Information

The Changing Needs Of Housing For Older Adults

reverse mortgage loveland fort collins greeley longmont westminster coloradoIf you find yourself yearning for a retirement of comfort in your own home in a community you love, you are definitely not alone.  Here are some pretty telling facts and statistics surrounding the desires of older adults in the U.S..

According to research by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP):

  • Nearly 90 percent of seniors want to stay in their own homes as they age.
  • Even if they begin to need day-to-day assistance or ongoing health care during retirement, 82% would prefer to stay in their homes.
  • Most pre-retirees expect they will be able to live independently during retirement; only 14% expect they will need day-to-day assistance or ongoing health care at any point during their retirement.
  • Thinking about parents’ getting older is on the minds of 88% of adult children.
  •  75% of adult children and 69 % of parents think about the parents’ ability to live independently as they get older
  •  AARP identified housing features that seniors find are especially important in the later years: – Safety features such as non-slip floor surfaces (80 percent)– Bathroom aides such as grab bars (79 percent)

    – A personal alert system that allows people to call for help in emergencies (79 percent)

    – Entrance without steps (77 percent)

    – Wider doorways (65 percent)

    – Lever-handled doorknobs (54 percent)

    – Higher electrical outlets (46 percent)

    – Lower electrical switches (38 percent)

From the National Assocation of Home Builders:

  • 75% of remodelers report an increase in inquiries related to aging in place.
  • The NAHB predicts that aging in place remodeling market to be $20-$25 billion.  That’s about 10 percent of the $214 billion home improvement industry.

According to the MetLife Mature Marketing Institute:

  • 91% of pre-retirees age 50 to 65 responded that they want to live in their own homes in retirement.  Of that group, 49% want to stay in their current homes, and 38% want to move to new homes

Whether it’s the desire to simply stay put through retirement, or to make modifications to the home, or even to purchase a new home, a reverse mortgage is a flexible tool to help finance any of these.  

Reverse mortgages are available to homeowners 62 and over, including married couples, with many protections in place to ensure borrowers are adequately educated before using this option, such as required third-party counseling.  Reverse mortgages are gaining in popularity among retirees from all walks of life.  A reverse mortgage for purchase option is available for those looking to purchase a new residence.

Jan Jordan is a Reverse Mortgage Specialist serving the Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder and other Front Range areas of Colorado, as well as the Cheyenne and Laramie communities of Wyoming.  Contact Jan and learn if reverse mortgage is right for you.

Do You Need A Colorado Elder Law Attorney?

colorado reverse mortgage fort collins denver loveland greeley windsorElder law is a relatively unknown segment of law and is often overlooked when seeking legal solutions.  But for some seniors and their families an elder law attorney may be exactly what they need.  Elder law is very broad and includes things like estate planning, probate, guardianship, real estate, nursing home neglect and a dozen other areas of law that are nearly exclusive to the elderly. Typically one lawyer will not have expertise in every area, but will instead work with a network of attorneys who can supplement in specific areas when needed and vice versa.  Also, keep in mind just because an individual is elderly does not mean they need an elder law attorney.  Elder law is focused on legal problems specific to the elderly.  Concerns with other areas of law may best be handled by attorneys dedicated to those areas.

An elder law attorney should be educated and informed on reverse mortgage.  It is common for them to receive questions from clients, former clients, and their families about reverse mortgage when establishing estate plans or when they are considering a reverse mortgage for the first time.  Although reverse mortgages can be an excellent and safe tool for many homeowners, they are not for everyone and are most effective when used as part of a financial and estate plan.  It is highly encouraged to make sure any question receives an adequate answer when considering reverse mortgage – and often elder law attorneys are part of that equation.  This can also help with avoiding reverse mortgage scams.

Here are a few questions to ask when seeking out a an elder law attorney:

  • How long has the attorney been practicing?
  • What percentage of the attorney’s practice is devoted to elder law?
  • Does his or her practice emphasize a particular area of elder law? (for instance, guardianship or other specific work)
  • How much elder law training has the attorney had, and from what organizations?
  • Is the attorney a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys?
  • Will the attorney be able to work within your time limitations?

In addition to a legal network, an elder law attorney should be familiar with the “elder network”, a network of public and private community resources to assist seniors in various capacities.  This should include a reputable reverse mortgage lender.

Jan Jordan Reverse Mortgage Info for Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, and Front Range areas of Colorado.

Another Reason Why I Love Loveland, Colorado

reverse mortgage loveland fort collins greeley longmont westminster coloradoLoveland, Colorado is amazing for many reasons.  While it sits right in the heart of Northern Colorado, with easy access to many surrounding bustling cities, it’s an incredibly low key town.  The people are great, the community truly cares, and of course, it’s a haven for love and has been for 70 years.  There’s a reason Loveland is called the sweetheart city, and goes beyond just the name.

 

2016 marks the 70th anniversary of Loveland’s Sweetheart Valentines program.  Here’s the “sweet” story from the Loveland Reporter Herald:

 

Wilma Davis and Paul Wallace waited 12 years to join the ranks of Loveland Valentine Remailing Program stampers, while Delaine Phillips, Joan Williams and Janice Gibbs have been volunteering a collective 75 years.

All five, and several dozen more, braved cold weather, falling snow and travel warnings Monday to kick off the 70th remailing program — an effort by which more than 150,000 valentines are stamped with a special Sweetheart City design and postal cancellation, and then re-sent to destinations around the world.

“You touch lives all over the world, 50 states and 110 countries,” Mindy McCloughan, president of the Loveland Chamber of Commerce said to the volunteers, who will stamp through Feb. 12.

“People are depending on you, snow, sleet, rain and hail. You have snow boots, will travel, right?”

New to the table

Volunteers often do not leave the volunteer remailing program, so future stampers can spend years on the waiting list, which is currently 70 names long.

Wilma Davis first signed herself and her “bestest buddy” Paul Wallace up 12 years ago. She was delighted, about two weeks ago, to get the call that 2016 would be their first year as Loveland valentine stampers.

“We finally made it,” she said. “It was on my bucket list.”

Both she and Wallace practiced several times with black and red ink to make sure their stamps were just so, then dove right in with the other volunteers.

“I think it is just awesome,” said Davis. “The camaraderie is great.”

Wallace and Davis met each other growing up in Kansas when she was 10 and he 11, and were friends all through school before their lives took different directions and they lost touch. Both married and had happy lives, each raising four children.

They reconnected as friends years later, and after both of their spouses died, began communicating by email. The friendship rekindled, and 16 years ago Wallace moved to Loveland. He and Davis are now best friends who travel and volunteer together.

And now, after 12 years of waiting, the friends sat side by side Monday and hand-stamped valentines that will make their way around the country, and perhaps, the world.

Veteran stampers

“I had a friend who was stamping,” Delaine Phillips said. “She came by the house one day and said come with me.”

That is how it all began. She has been stamping valentines for the Loveland Chamber of Commerce for 27 years. When she started, the volunteers worked in the old post office. There was no waiting list, no room full of volunteers, just two rows of tables and a sorting table.

Delaine was joined a few years later by Joan Williams, a 25-year veteran, and Janice Gibbs, a 23-year veteran. The three have been team ever since. They work at a separate table that deals with unusual mail, pieces that are too bulky, specially decorated or with some other issue.

“We wanted to be the Andrews Sisters,” Williams said.

The three have been through a few different labels, The Trouble Shooters, The Three Amigos and most recently, The Three Musketeers.

“We have a lot of people who are very creative,” said Williams. They have seen their fair share of unusual mail with everything from glued-on macaroni to lace and frills. They repackage it, if need be, and make sure it still gets a Loveland stamp or sticker, no matter what is on the outside.

“We try to come up with ways to see most of the stamp without covering up the pictures,” Phillips said as she discussed how they will cut apart the stamps to accommodate the card.

“Remember the obscene postcards?” Gibbs asked as the ladies reminisced about the most memorable valentines they had seen. The postcards were discreetly repackaged and returned to sender.

The waiting list to be a volunteer is a long one, with people waiting to be part of the dances, theme days and good times. Much like the unique valentines they’ve seen, they trio has been lucky to meet many unique volunteers.

“We’ve seen them come and go,” Gibbs said. “That’s the hardest part.”

Story by Pamela Johnson

 

Click here to view the article on the Reporter Herald website.

 

Jan Jordan Reverse Mortgage Info for Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, and Front Range areas of Colorado.