Grounds, Transportation, Apartment/Home

Grounds, Trails, Landscaping, and Outdoor Activities

• Are the buildings and grounds clean and well maintained? Same for lobby and all common areas?
• If there is a security gatehouse, was the staff professional and courteous? Did they provide a map for parking? Is it staffed 24/7?
• Is the landscaping well maintained?
• Were residents out and about and actively participating/interacting with each other?
• Are there tennis courts? Bocce ball? Pickleball?
• Golf course or miniature golf?
• Walking trails? Are they well maintained?
• Gardening plots for residents? Greenhouse?
• Other? (Note: One community I know of had a beekeepers club that maintained multiple hives and sold the honey to the residents
and staff.)

Transportation and Parking

• Is transportation of any kind provided? Is it free? (Note: Usually only group transportation is provided for free to community shopping and events.)
• How many buses do you have for group transportation?
• Do you have cars/drivers for private transportation and what are the fees? What is the policy to reserve a “ride?” (Note: One- or three-day advance reservation?)
• Do you offer transportation within the campus? (Some communities are so large it could be a long distance from the living unit to the dining room in another building!)
• Can my parents use their own golf cart to get around? Can they park it in a garage?
• What about individual rides for medical/dental appointments? Is there a cost?
• Is covered parking provided for private vehicles? How many spaces for each apartment?
• Are there charging stations for electric vehicles? Is there an extra fee?

Apartment or Home

• Are all appliances included in the unit? Are they new or replaced when a new resident moves in?
• Is the HVAC individually controlled in each unit? What kind of system is it?
• Is the carpet replaced with a new move-in?
• Can a new resident choose another type of flooring at their own expense?
• When was the last time this unit was updated with new counters, new cabinets?
• Can a resident pay for their own upgrades?
• Any upgrades already in this unit?
• Any extra fees for these upgrades?
• Is there a higher cost for top-floor units? Do they have higher ceilings?
• Is there a separate storage area provided for each unit? Cost?
• Is a parking space provided? One or two cars? Cost or free?
• Is there an emergency alert system in every apartment? What happens if my loved one initiates a call?
• Is there 24/7 security?