The pandemic brought into sharp focus the importance of relationships. More now than ever, people are realizing the value of spending quality time with friends and family. What if you could eliminate some time-consuming chores from your weekly schedule? Maintenance free communities, where the yard-work and snow removal are done by someone else, free up hours of leisure time so that people can spend more time enjoying the company of others and doing activities they like.
Maintenance free homes used to be the domain of the 55+ crowd, but not anymore, as scores of younger homeowners, including young professionals as well as those with families, are discovering the benefits. This option has become increasingly popular among the younger set for many of the same reasons that retirees enjoy maintenance free living. Two main factors drive the attractiveness of maintenance free homes: more time and less responsibility while still reaping the benefits of home ownership. It means having the best of both worlds.
The freedom of home ownership comes with a price tag, namely the maintenance and time required to keep up the home and its landscaping. Weekends and evenings can easily be spent on mowing and yard work in the warmer seasons. When the snow comes, homeowners have to make extra time to clear their driveways and sidewalks of snow and ice before they can leave their homes.
The amenities a “maintenance free” home includes varies from community to community, but it always includes lawn maintenance and snow removal, covered by a monthly fee to a community or homeowners’ association.
Living in a maintenance free community means avoiding the physical exertion of hard work in inclement or extremely hot weather. That energy can be spent on fun physical activities with friends or family—bike riding, hiking, kayaking, or snowshoeing, for example, or simply relaxing outdoors.
Not having to take care of a landscape, which can be a huge drain on time, translates to more leisure time to enjoy hobbies and recreational activities with family. In other words, homeowners in maintenance free communities have more time to do what they like to do. For young professionals working long hours, it means the opportunity to come home and relax rather than mowing the lawn after a day at the office.
While homeowners do pay a community or homeowners’ association fee each month for landscaping and snow removal services, this is leveraged by the savings they gain by not having to own and store lawn and yard maintenance and snow removal equipment, service or replace that equipment, and buy fuel for a lawn mower or snow blower. According to the National Association of Home Builders, homeowners spend an average of $130 a month on snow removal and lawn care.
Another benefit of living in a maintenance free home is the freedom to travel without worrying that an overgrown lawn alerts passersby that the homeowner is out of town. Nor do homeowners have to find someone dependable to mow the lawn while they are on vacation. Crews perform routine lawn maintenance, so yards always look neat and well-maintained. If snow falls while a homeowner is away, the driveway will be cleared and ready to pull into upon their return.
Maintenance free homes help in the process of aging in place. There is no concern about the lawn becoming a burden to maintain or snow and ice being a slipping hazard in the winter. Someone else does the major job of seasonal fall and spring yard cleanup as well.
Increasingly numbers of home builders are catering to this growing market. If you’re tired of home upkeep, check out a maintenance free community.
