Happy Holidays to All!

The Holiday Season will hopefully provide you with some extra time to think and plan for the upcoming year. The typical hustle and bustle can be draining as we prepare to get together with family and friends. It is at the same time very enjoyable and very stressful. There really is no better time than getting together with loved ones, sharing a hearty meal and good drink, exchanging gifts, reminiscing about days gone by and those that have passed on, and remembering in our thoughts, prayers and giving those less fortunate.

Making a move to a new home, lifestyle and even location can also be exciting but taxing. In reality, it is not so much the end result that proves difficult, but the process of getting from point A to point B. There is just a lot to think about and do in order to move from a current residence to a new home. We hope that you may learn from many Jensen residents what we hear so very often, “we wished we had made the move sooner”.

Optimistically, you will enjoy some time to think and or discuss your aspirations for the upcoming year. Conversations with our spouse, close family and friends can be a good way to help focus retirement plans and even learn about how others feel about making a change or have made the move. Due to the economy, we are finding more people talking about how to reposition their physical and financial assets in pre-retirement planning. Many also want buy-in from “the children” but of course are very much in control of their own decision making.

The New Year will provide another clean slate and fresh start. From all of us at Jensen communities®, we hope that you dreams do come true and are here to help that happen. Our staff is always ready to assist you to find a home and community to fits the lifestyle of your choice.

Get in on the Good Life!®

800-258-6832

http://www.jensencommunities.com

Responsible Debt and Economic Resilience

Debt is a four letter word. Like many four letter words, debt can have its place in our financial vocabulary. When used “appropriately”, we can put the right emphasis on a statement with a choice four letter word. When used responsibly, debt can help us provide for our family, allow us a more comfortable lifestyle, and facilitate the creation of wealth.

Over the last few decades, so many were encouraged by peer pressure or others to take out as much debt as they were allowed in order to buy the largest house they could afford. The “keep up with the Jones’ mentality” also drew people into more and larger car payments as well as maxing out their credit cards to fill their homes with furniture and live the lifestyle they felt they deserved. Unfortunately, taking on debt up to the limits of our current income is great until our income declines or is eliminated.

Too much debt does not allow for the economic resilience we need to survive in the current era. Simply having three to six months of cash reserves, as we have been told by financial planners, has not been enough for many to survive this extended downturn.

Buying a home almost invariably requires one to take on debt. When taken on responsibly and prudently, it can and should be a path to financial security and provide us with a home through the good and bad our lives can throw at us. Many have taken this path and with the luck of a secure income, have been able to weather the storm. This has generally meant that they have purchased a home for less than they could actually “afford” given standard ratios (and the suggestion of mortgage providers) but over the years has given them more peace of mind and the ability to enjoy their self worth more than their personal fortune.

I was talking to a 55 year old friend last week who explained that she had taken steps to pay down and eliminate all but a very manageable amount of mortgage debt several years ago when she thought that she might retire early. Since she is now really enjoying her full time job, she has decided to wait longer before retiring. She feels good that she has the option to retire or keep working and has the flexibility to add more debt if the need or a good opportunity arises.

At Jensen communities®, we can help you to find a great house and neighborhood to live within your means in some of the best towns and cities in the country. Call 800-458-6832 or visit www.jensencommunities.com to see how you can Get in on the Good Life!®

The Beauty and Burden of Fall

Living in New England has always helped me to appreciate the fall. The days get shorter so there is more time after dark to do things inside the home. The cooler, crisp air is a relief from the hot days of summer. And who can argue with the change of colors no matter where you live? While the Northeast is a “Mecca” for leaf peepers, most every area of the country has some foliage change to appreciate.

Unfortunately, with a large home and site, fall can also be a real burden. Taking care of one’s home and yard can be a labor of love, but after doing it for many years, it can just seem like a lot of work. Do you really enjoy taking care of all those leaves? Is climbing a ladder to clean the gutters have you thinking about another way to live? Have you planted so many annuals and perennials that putting them to bed for the winter is now an arduous task? What was relaxing and enjoyable when we first moved into our home at some point becomes pure drudgery. For many, doing these jobs has not lost all of its appeal; it is simply the amount of time it takes to care for a large home and the volume or work (and debris) that overwhelm one’s strength and ability.

A single family home is the most desirable housing option for peace and quiet, convenience, independence and general quality of living. But, depending on the stage of life we are in, the right single family home can make all the difference between being a refuge or a burden. A smaller, single level, better laid out home on a very manageable lot can allow us to take on life with a lot more energy and vigor that will not completely tap our strength and will to do the things that we most enjoy.

Call 800-458-6832 or visit http://www.jensencommunities.com/ to find out how you can get into a more manageable home within your means in one of the Jensen communities® near you.

Get in on the Good Life! ®

Easy Living Homes (CM)

Most homes were built to maximize the square footage that the target market was willing to pay for. Generally speaking colonial and Cape Cod style homes are the most cost effective to build per square foot of foundation. And with capes and colonials, we of course have stairs and most bedrooms on the second floor.

Many older homes are also built with a growing family in mind rather than for an active adult. So it is that many begin to “age in place” once the children leave the house and/or we work through the back nine of our working years only to find that the home is no longer just what we need. The yard is too much work, the upstairs bedrooms and basement laundry are tougher to access, there are rooms that don’t get used anymore and things just seem dated and tired. The question becomes “do we renovate and update or just simply make a move to a more accommodating and fresh environment?”

Renovating can be an answer but typically does not remedy all of the home’s shortcomings. It can be very costly to be able to make all of the changes desired. A one level ranch with a two car garage and a small and manageable yet private yard would fulfill the needs but are hard to find.

Jensen’s Brook Ridge in Hooksett NH is one such place and has now taken the concept one step further with homes designed for Easy Living.

The premise of Easy Living Homes (cm) is to allow builders an alternative to fully accessible homes that not every customer desires. EasyLiving Homecm features include:

· Easy Access with a step-free entrance from a driveway, sidewalk, or other firm route into the central living area.

· Easy Passage because the exterior door that provides the step-free entrance and EVERY interior passage door on the main level (including bathrooms) is at least a 3’0” or 2’10” door, or a 2’8” pocket door, or other solution that provides 32 inches of clear passage space. Closets are not required to meet the 32-inch clear passage standard, but this can be an added advantage when feasible.

· Easy Use with no less than one bedroom, a kitchen, some entertainment area, and at least one full bathroom with sufficient maneuvering space… all on the main floor.Brook Ridge by Jensen communities is in the process of completing its first EasyLiving Home. Although the final grading and paving are still in the works, you can see from the photo that main and garage doors can be entered without encountering any steps. Inside the home you will find mostly 2’10” doors and extra space provided in the halls, kitchen and baths.

Jensen has always specialized in building communities with single floor homes; it is now even easier to get into them. We can build all of our homes with the special features needed to make living in them easier as well as build fully assessable homes customized to a buyer’s individual needs.

Visit http://www.jensencommunities.com/ and go to the Brook Ridge (New Hampshire) Page to learn more or contact the Brook Ridge Team at 603-644-8800 or BRSales@jensencommunities.com.

“Get in on the Good Life!”® in an Easy Living Home(CM)

Ten Reasons to Buy a Home Now

Even thinking about making a move to a new home can be overwhelming with the trouble in the economy. Making a move is not for the faint of heart. Making the wrong move could make things worse but not making a move could mean missing out on a tremendous buying opportunity. A decision to sell one home and buy another needs to be done objectively and thoughtfully.

If you are on solid ground, here are ten reasons that making a move makes sense in this environment:

1. Home prices are at an all time low.
2. Financing rates remain historically low.
3. There is a lot of choice with the number of homes on the market.
4. Builders and other sellers are willing to negotiate from listed price.
5. Selling low and buying low is better than selling high and buying high.
6. If you are in a position of buying low, rent your current property and then sell when the market comes back.
7. Getting into a more financially manageable home can allow you to start saving for other needs like retirement again.
8. Moving to a more physically manageable home than your current home will improve your quality of life and give you more time to do what you want to do.
9. A move to a new town or place where you have always wanted to live can reinvigorate your life.
10. Lastly, why let life pass you by when you can accept the conditions for what they are and simply bite the bullet to make a move? What is is and we can’t change that.

A common theme we hear from new Jensen residents is that “we wished we had made the move sooner”. This not only speaks for the easy livability of our homes and communities but to the financial and social benefits they enjoy.

Call 800-458-6832, email Sales@Jensencommunities.com or go to www.Jensencommunities.com to find out how you can Get in on the Good

Everyone has their Own Story

Getting to know prospective buyers is one of the most enjoyable parts of our jobs at Jensen communities. Each person, couple or family has its own unique story. Each has traveled a different path in life. And we can honestly say that we have some very interesting and fascinating people with us!

People visit our communities and eventually talk to one of our sales representatives to learn about whether a move from their current home and property is in their best interests. Especially with the present state of the economy, no one want to jump out of the proverbial “pan and into the fire”. The goal is typically to find an alternative to what they have to a more accommodating living situation that will provide several advantages over what they have.

Many folks come from a single family home that they have lived in for years and perhaps raised a family in. The feelings that accompany abandoning that structure with all the memories that were created are hard to move on from. To paraphrase David Harper, who helps to train our sales team, “it isn’t the actual move that is so difficult; it’s the transition that is difficult”. And isn’t that true? The house itself doesn’t keep us from changing as much as the recollections of all the good times we have had. It symbolizes who and what we are.

But while inertia can be strong, the need to make a move usually grows with time. The desire to keep up a big home and yard just are not there anymore. Do we keep hanging on or move before it is too late? Various rooms in the house just don’t get used as much or at all. The stairs to the second floor bedroom become less attractive as well as the ladder to the second story gutters. The garden still provides satisfaction but not mowing and acre of lawn. And generally speaking, the time spent to maintain the house and yard would rather be spent on other pursuits or activities.

And while many people come to a Jensen community from a different road, they come to find a more accommodating home, yard and lifestyle. They want room to live, but not the areas that aren’t functional anymore for a smaller family. Almost invariably however, people have lived in and want to stay in a single family home (as opposed to an apartment or condo), just not in one that is so much work or so expensive every month. A manufactured house in a land lease community ends up to be the best of both worlds.

If there is anything that should motivate you if you are holding back on making a move, we hear new Jensen residents say all too often that they “wished they had made the move sooner”. The benefits of moving while you can really enjoy ales burdensome home that is very safely within your means are many.

Come see a Jensen community for yourself. Get in on the Good Life! ®

http://www.jensencommunities.com/

The Best Use of your Equity is a House within your Means

These thoughts are directed to those 55 and over! Being on the business side of age 50 myself, it is hard to imagine anyone really wanting to be paying down a big mortgage when they retire. We expect that our disposable income will take an adjustment from our working years. While our expenses may be reduced without the costs associated with getting to and from and working a job, we will want to maintain our lifestyle and living standards. Hey it is our time to do the things we have always wanted to do!

Typically, a house and perhaps our retirement plan are our biggest assets. How do we best use the equity from our home to supplement our retirement income? Many people consider a move to a more accommodating home at this stage of life. If the home is too big, has too many rooms, has too many stairs or we are just tired of caring for a large yard, some other housing option begins to look better and better. Maybe we just want to move to a different climate or nearer our children. In either case, ideally we have paid down most or our entire mortgage so that we actually own our home rather than the bank still owning it.

The equity we have created or saved over the years in our home becomes a tool and a resource that allows us to make a move. With enough equity, we can buy a more manageable place in terms of size and upkeep as well as being more manageable financially. This is not always easy to do especially with the cost of new homes.

An apartment may offer a lower monthly expense, but paying for one will result in a loss of our equity for each month we rent. A condo may offer a lower level of investment, but most of the lower price condos are townhomes that are not suited toward 55 and over buyers (if the living areas and master bedroom are up a flight or two of stairs).

An investment in a modestly priced manufactured home can be the answer by offering you the ranch style home that puts everything on one floor and the home within financial reach. You can decide how much to reinvest in your new home or to keep in savings for other purposes. Buying too much home will just move your equity from one home to another and perhaps get you back to paying a mortgage. At today’s interest rates a mortgage may make sense for some but not if the expenditure keeps our finances to tight to enjoy what we really want to do at the 55 and over stage of life. By best using our home’s equity or other savings we can own within a manageable monthly expense.

Seriously consider your options and how to most effectively use your equity “nest egg”. The Jensen Team is available to help you “Get in on the Good Life!” and explore the possibilities.

http://www.jensencommunities.com/