Downsizing is a challenge. How active will you be? How much social interaction do you want with neighbors? How many or few or any community activities do you want? And does your new home need to be totally on one floor? These and many more questions may be swirling around in your thoughts as you think about moving from your wonderful home to an uncertain new lifestyle.

We’ve been discussing Mallard Landing a great deal, but it isn’t for everyone. Scott and Jennifer moved to Salisbury from the Western Shore a year or so ago looking for a foreclosure or a short sale to find a bargain. After numerous trips to town to look at houses they had chosen to see, I suggested one that was picture perfect, a little pricier than what they were looking at, but considering it didn’t need any rehabilitation, it was actually well within their price range. They smiled when they walked in and loved it from that moment forward. It is in a small community of duplexes, one of a number of them in our area, that are for people scaling down but still living an active life. They don’t have an age requirement, there are no planned activities, but the lawn is cared for by professionals and in some cases the outside of the home is also cared for by someone else.

Recently, we had lunch together and as I stopped by to pick them up, they were proudly standing in front of their garden. Scott and Jennifer were happy to show off their gardening expertise. And I was anxious to show that if you like to garden or have other activities you enjoy, there is no need to give up on them because you are “downsizing.” Bring your hobbies with you. Continue working if you wish. Spend time in another state, if you wish. There are many options in our area. Call me or email me if I can help you in your search. You can learn the lay of the land and together we can find you the perfect home too.

About fifteen years ago not long after her husband of 54 years died; Carol Sherwood moved to Mallard Landing. She chose a cottage because she loves to garden and wanted to keep her hands in the dirt. The Homeowners Association is fine with that if she keeps her garden within 5 feet of the house. That turns out to be plenty of space. Carol’s interest in gardening even carries her through the winter as she mothers her little seedlings indoors until they are ready for transplanting. She shares her flowers all year long with fresh arrangements in the lobby of the main building even in the dead of winter when they are particularly welcome!
(This photo was taken in early spring as she begins another gardening season.)

Staying put at home doesn’t work for Carol. One reason she loves living here is because she can go to the dining room five times a week for dinner and socialize with friends. You can spot her from across the room with a bright shining smile on her face.
The next thing she mentions so casually is she had a brain tumor several years ago and treasured the convenience of having the Assisted Living section here where she could live until she was back on her feet.

Early in her residency at Mallard Landing she attended a weekend Potluck dinner supervised by a committee of residents. Bill, her youngest child of five, fell in love with the concept and so, when the original organizers seemed to fall by the wayside, she and Bill assumed the reins. It was running long before Carol arrived, and she and Bill have made sure it continued, at least during her years here.

As she grew older there came a time to give up the keys to her car as it does for all of us. Because she had either Gary or John to drive her and a few other residents in the Mallard Landing bus to grocery shop or to run other errands, she was okay with that too. When they return home, the drivers help each person off the bus at her own front door. Then they carry the packages to the door to see them safely inside before moving on.

Life is good here and adjusts to you as your needs change.

We have a little monthly newsletter and I’ve been asked to help out. Now I’m a cub-reporter and enjoying my new role. I’ve been interviewing new arrivals to give everyone a chance to “meet” newcomers.

One of the things I am noticing is that several people arrived here with physical problems their families were unable to help with. Often the person had fallen and broken something. They’ve been to rehabilitation, but their family’s concern has prompted them to encourage their parent to move to “assisted living.” Assisted living is part of Mallard Landing, but most of it is really for the active adult. Now “active” doesn’t have to be jogging each morning. It just means able to care for themselves, maybe with some assistance. What I’m impressed by is the number of people bouncing along with their canes or walkers living a full life. Doctors say that if you are not moving around your joints become stiffer and you become much less mobile.

One of the pleasant aspects for me is to see people. Often, they are sitting in the lobby waiting for their friends to join them and head together to the dining room. Or perhaps they are waiting for someone to pick them up to take them to a doctor’s appointment or shopping. Sometimes there is a group of people returning from watching a recently released movie on the large screen at the Pub, laughing and talking about the show. Or from playing Bingo, or from playing bridge. There is something going on almost every day. And no charge.

Yesterday when I returned home from work on a warm spring day, I heard several women sitting on the bench at the front door talking and laughing. Two walked away in different directions and the other just sat there laughing. She explained that Jane, who was graduating from her walker to a cane, was moving her car to a handicapped spot closer to the door. Apparently, she had gotten her courage up to drive her car again. The other woman standing in the handicapped spot, like an orange cone, was saving it for her friend. All of them having a good time. This is what everyone needs at some point in their lives….encouragement from friends.

When I moved in, there was a buzz in the air about a little-known clause in the original contracts that allowed the buyers at that time to choose, after living here for twenty years, to not participate in the meal plan. Because my seller had been an original buyer then, there was a chance I could elect to skip the meal plan and people were asking if I had checked out that possibility. I assured them I had not because for me, the whole purpose of being here was to enjoy the community, not to be isolated from it. And the easiest way was in the dining room.

Fifteen year ago I sold a friend’s mother a cottage here at Mallard Landing. Over the years her son, a chef, had helped her organize a Covered Dish Dinner on one Saturday evening a month. About 35-40 people attend it. They enjoy having an opportunity to prepare a favorite dish to share. She turned 90 not long ago and her family gave her a birthday party in the dining room and invited all the residents. It was a fun occasion for everyone. She enjoys gardening and flower arranging so the cottage has worked out well for her. From time to time her flowers help to decorate the lobby of the main building, and she enjoys fussing over them each time she comes for dinner.

One afternoon shortly after I arrived, I was tired of unpacking the mountain of boxes still to be opened. I sat down for a while but soon was bored. Then I remembered a little musicale was being held downstairs at 3 p.m. The musicians were from a local (Snow Hill is local around here) restaurant so I went down to check it out. In honor of Veterans Day, which was soon to be celebrated, the trio were playing popular songs from the war eras. Then they wrapped up their one-hour show with a medley of songs identified with the various military branches. As each song was played, representatives of that branch of service who were in the audience stood and joined in the singing. I enjoyed a pleasant hour of music sitting by the fire and joining in. And then it was time for Happy Hour.

Here we begin drinking at 4 p.m! Mallard Landing does not have a license to sell alcohol, so those who want a drink bring their bottle and volunteer-residents serve them their drinks. Set ups are provided, but most people bring wine. Any leftovers can be stored with your name on the bottle behind the bar waiting for your next visit. Sometimes people pull tables together and everyone sits at the community table. Other times in cold weather, the fire is lighted, and we sit around the fireplace munching on nibbles and laughing at each other’s stories. It’s sort of like Cheers “where everyone knows your name” but there’s no money changing hands. Very civilized.

 

Then at 5 o’clock it is time to walk next door to dinner. The dining room has table cloths and cloth napkins and wait-staff who learn your name very quickly. Since we all usually arrive at the same time and all order from the menu or the daily specials, the meal can take about an hour or so. Sometimes things get a little boisterous at one or two tables, but there is always plenty of food…enough to take a doggie bag home for lunch the next day.

Salisbury University has a number of cultural events, many at no charge. A friend invited me to join her one evening and off we went. The Mallard Landing bus picked us up outside the dining room after dinner and delivered us to the door at SU. The room we were in was paneled and was a lovely, intimate setting with maybe seventy-five people in attendance. That evening there were three classical musicians playing a piano, violin and cello. I think they were instructors at the university. Time flew. And then afterward there were some nice little cakes and cookies. Then our group left, got on the bus that was waiting for us, and each of us was delivered to the front doors of our building. Just one of the percs offered by the HOA. I can get used to this life-style.

Mother had often lamented that I had no children so who would help me move in my old age. Bates Moving and Storage did. My brother and his wife were too old as were my friends. Besides it was so comforting to know that professionals would be packing up and that they would do it better than I. Which of course was proven out by finding the things I packed had cracked or chipped enroute and everything the movers packed arrived safely. I have noticed that many other new arrivals do have their families move them in.

I spoke once to the staff that I’d be moving in at the end of the week and the padding on the elevator was up without any further todo. Then a big dumpster was moved outside my door for all my empty boxes and when full, it was emptied and returned for more trash. Friends helping me unpack one day expressed doubt that I had enough room for all that I had packed, but surprise, it fit.

The trash and recycle containers are closer to my door now. I don’t have to get the trash can to the curb and back either! Some things didn’t work correctly, I called for help. The cost was so modest they must not start timing the visit until they arrive. Sometimes I’m not at home and I leave the door unlocked for the maintenance people. They lock it when they leave. One time I started the automatic cleaning element in the oven and left it going while the housekeeper was there. It smoked so heavily she turned it off and called maintenance for me. They came the next day and did their magic while I was working. This I am getting used to very quickly!

I’m terrible with names, and there are lots of new people to meet and remember. But they seem to have the same problem and so we all muddle along together. One day I was opening boxes and looked up at lunchtime and wondered what to fix. Then I remembered it was downstairs waiting for me. I grabbed my iPad for company and headed to the Pub. I took a table for one and opened the iPad. The people at the next table looked over and said to me, “won’t you join us?” I moved to their table and we all introduced ourselves. After lunch another woman from across the room came over to me and said, “Loudell, don’t do that again. Don’t sit by yourself. When you arrive either at lunch or dinner, ask anyone if you can join them, and they will say yes. It’s another way we all meet each other.” I have done that many times now and am always welcomed. And whether they are younger than I or much older, everyone has an interesting story to tell.

Even though Phil, my nephew and financial advisor, said I could afford it, I kept running the numbers in my head and on paper. They came out the same way. Yes, I really could afford it! What I did: I made a list of expenditures for the house and put that list in the middle of the page. On the left side were my actual expenses (not guesses) and on the right anticipated expenses.

Some anticipated expenses at Mallard Landing are:

Meal Plan: $180 per person each month. Dinners are served Mon-Friday. Lunches daily. Dinners specials range from $10-$15 with an entrée and two sides. Dessert is $1.50-$2.00.

HOA Fee: Includes meal plan above, condo services based on total square footage of your unit or the flat fee of $275 per cottage, and Community Service fees to cover costs of staff, maintenance of public rooms, and events and more is $509. Fees are tied to the size of the condos and range from $130 to $344 per month. As an example, my monthly HOA fee is a Recurring basic fee of $451 + a Recurring Community Service fee of $509 = $960 + meals at $180 = a total of $1140 per month.

Condo Fee: $295 per month. This could fluctuate depending on whether you use additional services such as, housekeeping for $22/hr. Maintenance is $10 per 15 minutes. Upon request preventive maintenance service is available for $40 and includes inspections of plumbing, home exterior, smoke alarms, replacemenet HVAC filters, kitchen equipment, refrigerator, condenser filter cleaning, locks and doors.

Personal Transportation: Within 10-mile radius, each round trip with a 5 minute max wait time is $12. For other rates, ask.

Utilities: So far this winter my gas heat has run around $45 per month. Electricity has been around $48 per month. Summer has yet to come, so don’t have an a/c bill yet. Water in the condos is lumped together by building and then divided by the number of units, so my first bill from mid-Nov to mid-March was $53.
Taxes: City, County and State taxes range from $1900-$2600. Each unit is different so check it out.

Lawncare: $0 out of pocket at Mallard Landing. What do you spend on fertilizer, landscaping, maintenance, equipment, etc. at your house?

Insurance: One needs condo or cottage insurance, which will probably be less than what you pay for house insurance since the fire department is just down the street.

Food: You will need fewer groceries at Mallard Landing because most of your meals will be covered by the monthly fee. Many people take “doggie” bags home from dinner. (I’ve noticed that lots of people have trouble using all their meal allowance, so invite guests for dinner.) Don’t like going to the dining room all the time? You can order your meal for pick up at the Pub and eat it in your own home or it can be delivered to your door for a $3 delivery charge billed at the end of the month. There is NO tipping at Mallard Landing.

General Maintenance at the house: Each year my house was getting older, just like me, and needed more upkeep. The last several years I added a new roof; new pipes from the well to the house; then new pipes under the house; the plantings were getting overgrown and I couldn’t handle them anymore; the driveway needed re-sealing and so on. Add it to your list!

Each time I went over my numbers I reassured myself that the numbers were close, so I should be alright. But what I found when I moved into Mallard Landing was that I didn’t even care any longer about what needed doing…it was someone else’s headache, both here and at my former house. Yea!