Finding a location in Florida for retirees to live a holiday lifestyle can be tough. The trouble is, any options you will find may be over-restrictive, fluctuate in value, or not cater to seniors.

The best 3 locations in Florida for retirees to live a holiday lifestyle are The Villages, Boynton Beach, and Sarasota. Boynton Beach has properties with stable, rising value but a reasonable price per square foot. The Villages has properties with slightly fluctuating and inflated prices, while Sarasota’s properties have experienced turbulent rises and falls.

I’ll be highlighting the benefits retirees get in each of these 3 locations and mention the cost of properties. To help you find the best possible housing, I’ll briefly walk you through the real estate markets and their trends in the past few years.

The Villages

With over 130,000 in population, The Villages is the most populous retiree destination. The average age of people in the Villages is 62 for males and 60 for females. Its size allows room for town centers and golf courses, and inhabitants can go anywhere in a golf cart.

People under the age of 19 are not allowed to live there but can visit for 30 days. Being a 55+ community, at least 80% of the inhabitants have to be over the age of 55. The village also imposes other rules that a 55+ community imposes, such as property paint colors, and décor.

In December 2022, properties in The Villages had a median list price of $435,000, and new listings had a median list price of $437,400. Over 49% of sellers have reduced their prices this month, and 4% have relisted their properties for sale. However, from December 2019 to May 2021, the median cost of the luxury bracket was within $550,000. Since then, the median price has wavered from $500,000 to $753,900.

Buying a property at The Villages is to buy into a tightly knit community exclusive to seniors. You won’t get added value or amenities for the money you spend per square foot right now. And you’ll risk selling for less in the future, depending on market conditions. 

Boynton Beach

Boynton Beach is underrated among the locations in Florida for retirees to live a holiday lifestyle. It has a population of about 68,217, and 25.8% is 65 years of age or older. Boynton Beach offers golf, tennis, swimming, grilling, and picnic spots as general ways of recreation. For 55+ citizens, there are arrangements for line dancing, jazz band dances, a seaside café, and a fitness room.

Unlike The Villages, Boynton Beach doesn’t enforce any restrictions. So, you have more control over your lot. There are also no restrictions regarding visitations either. Boynton Beach doesn’t offer any tightly knit community like The Villages, but you’ll have access to more privacy and your time.

Boynton Beach’s properties have a more stable rising value. In December 2022, the median list price is set at $555,000, and the price of new listings is set at $555,000. 50% of sellers have lowered the prices, and 8% have relisted their property for sale. However, in all brackets, properties have shown up to a $234,000 rise in median price without any significant drops.

Boynton Beach has a comparatively stable market with low chances of crashing. So, you can buy a property and expect to turn a profit if you sell. A way to keep the value component but bypass the high price is to go for all ages community like Greystone. You can expect fair prices that’ll rise in value over the years.

Sarasota

Sarasota has a population of 54,842, 28.0% of which are 65 years and older. Sarasota offers mild winter weather and access to white sand beaches like Lido Key and Siesta Key and the Gulf of Mexico. The living cost is low enough for a retiree on a budget to live a comfortable life.

Sarasota also has a few 55+ communities, such as Del Webb at Lakewood Ranch, Del Webb Bayview, and Cresswind at Lakewood Ranch. These unique benefits include event rooms, training centers, arts and crafts, lounges, game rooms, and social clubs. However, they also have restrictions on house modification, visitors, and more.

Sarasota has the worst case of rising and falling prices of the 3. In December 2022, the median list price of properties was $639,000, and new listings are $525,000. Frequent rises and falls have simultaneously made over 42% of sellers drop, and 12% of sellers raise their prices. The luxury bracket has seen a 200% increase in price and drops within 3 months in 2021.

Sarasota is overall less restrictive than The Villages but offers similar amenities. The only issue is that the properties are far too unstable in value and price. So, just like The Villages, you’ll be buying into the community.

As a retiree, you have to consider exactly what you want out of your home. If you want to join a senior exclusive community and care for nothing else, Sarasota or The Villages have no competition. But if you want some privacy, more control, and high-value property, then go for Boynton Beach.