From the perspective of Mike and Carol Kania at Bel-Aire Why wait for “Retirement" to enjoy your easier lifestyle? That’s what we ask younger home shoppers as they walk through the neighborhood and stop to talk with us. I am 56 and Carol is 55 and we still have a few years left before retirement, but I have to say that moving to Bel-Aire has been the best thing we could have done. Our friends realized the same advantages to being here and now they are also building in Bel-Aire. This lifestyle is really low-maintenance, something we appreciate that at this point in our life. Who wouldn’t?
We wanted to leave our old neighborhood, our children are grown and out on their own. We were in a position to plan for our future and life’s changing situations and thought, “It’s a whole lot easier to move now than in 10 years?" or having to rely on our children to move us. We compared the attached quad homes and didn’t like that; they were so dark and felt like apartments with no privacy or personality. There were so few ranch homes and we knew we wanted to live on one level. We saw other communities with active adult master plans with loads of amenities, but those were too far away from our jobs. When we found Bel-Aire and saw the single level Hampton with step-less entry, a rear garage and an open floorplan, we knew we were getting warmer.
Initially I thought, “I don’t need to pay the monthly HOA fee, I can do my own yard work!?" Then we did the math on HOA fees vs our actual costs, time spent working in the yard and it was practically a wash. I am so glad that we chose to enjoy this lifestyle now. I remember we liked the way Bel-Aire felt and found ourselves coming to the community to walk around on the weekends — time and time again. Every time we visited we would end up in conversations with residents, some of which invited us in their homes. We appreciated how friendly everyone was; the sense of community here made us feel warm — like home.
We moved from a two story and took the opportunity to downsize, organize and purge before we moved in. That felt great! This single level home is so much easier to maintain, entertain and move around in; we are delighted to be able to enjoy this lifestyle sooner than later. Our friends love it also because there are no stairs to contend with; our 90 year old father can comfortably visit without us worrying about stairs. The quality of this home is really important to me and I have been impressed with Windsong’s team and all the people that worked on this home. You can feel the quality when you are inside. I appreciate the included details and the smart space planning; this home is not big, yet we have plenty of room.
The social aspect of Bel-Aire wasn’t really on our radar when we bought, but now that we are here it’s such a huge bonus. We enjoy hanging out with our neighbors on weekends and in the evenings at the clubhouse. Our dog, Sophie, loves the dog park and has made so many friends. In fact, every time we go for a walk, I meet someone new or chat with friends for a while. We love that living here is relaxing, we actually live Where Life’s A Breeze!