Many people haven’t taken the time to investigate the 55+ age communities in Sonoma County. Singles and couples moving into their empty nest phase or early retirement might want to consider the opportunities that can be found in the varied senior communities in Santa Rosa, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Sonoma, and especially Oakmont.
- Limiting market participants to one age group reduces price pressure.
- Scattered market is very diverse.
- Vitality of senior communities.
Because only about 25% of Sonoma County’s residents are over age 55, the number of people competing to purchase these properties is smaller than for a home that anyone can buy. For buyers in today’s market, this situation has led to some excellent home values.
Santa Rosa and Petaluma have senior condos, but the rest of Sonoma county’s housing for seniors is standard single family residences. Similarly, the prices for these properties range from just below $200,000 to the upper $700,000 level. With such a wide pricing gap, it’s clear these are not all cookie cutter properties identical to one another.
There are definitely some quiet folks in their 80’s and 90’s living in senior housing. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. What may not be immediately obvious is that many active workers, gym rats, high speed walkers, and daily swimmers also are qualified to live in these communities…and they do.
Wikiup Greens is a typical example of a small senior community. This development in the Larkfield/Wikiup area features single story, tile roofed buildings each of which contains four condo units. Each unit is two or three bedrooms and they average around 1,200 square feet. There are ten buildings with a total of 38 units. On the seven acres they occupy there are also four parking structures and a clubhouse and pool. For local golfers who play the Wikiup Golf Course, these are the units you circle around as you play the course. Several units here are in escrow, but one is available for just under $200,000.
On the other end of the activity scale is Oakmont, a special case of senior housing. Their community offer everything from stand alone homes to assisted living. If you’re looking for a home where you won’t run out of activites…and friends, Oakmont is filled with things to do and might be a great choice for you or someone you know who is planning retirement living.
