October - November 2019

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Manager’s Corner

On behalf of Fairways Country Club, we’d like to recognize all our residents who have served in the United States military this upcoming Veterans Day. We want to honor you all as it is your service and sacrifice that has kept our country safe and free. No matter which branch you served in or how long you served, we commend you.

While vocalizing our gratitude to our veterans is a good start, illustrating it through actions is much better. So please, if you are a veteran at Fairways, let us honor you, your spirit, your bravery, and your service this Veterans Day. On Wednesday, November 11 we are hosting a luncheon in the Masters Clubhouse in your honor. If you’d like, we encourage you to wear your uniform or bring your cover and metals. We’ll begin serving food around noon and we hope to see you all there.

Along with celebrating our veterans this month, we’d like to give a special shout out to the following residents who have worked hard this summer on improving their homesites. We know that heat and rain this summer can make it hard to maintain our yards and homes, especially battling the weeds and mildew. All the work you’ve put it means a lot!

Thank you - Jose & Lourdes Gonzalez, Angela Santiago, Joyce Jane Allen, Seth Morales Rivera, Pamela O Neill, Michael & Kimberly Jones, Naomi Attama, Frank Orswell, Marie Costa, Nancy Church, John Wilson, Roger Deblois, Kevin Taylor, and William Girard.

Sincerely,
Priscilla

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Activities Corner

From our monthly wine and cheese night to movie nights, Fairways residents always have something to look forward to!

As always, our residents have the monthly wine and cheese night to come together with their neighbors and friends while enjoying the delicious pairings. Stay tuned to find out when we’ll bring this event back this month.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the other monthly resident favorite: movie night! In the past, we’ve enjoyed blockbusters like a “Mamma Mia” double feature, “Poms” with Diane Keaton, and “Going in Style” with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. For our upcoming movie list, check out the Eagle newspaper or the community channel.

On Wednesday, November 11, Hometown America will honor all of our Veterans with a luncheon in the Masters Clubhouse. Join us for delicious food and camaraderie as we honor your service to the United States. Local ROTC squads will perform drills for everyone and we encourage our veterans to wear their uniforms and/or medals. We hope to see you there!

Lastly, we’re holding our last big show in November! While we’re deciding on a band with a 60s and 70s spin, feel free to send us your suggestions – this is your party! We’ll announce the final band decision and details at a later date, so stay tuned.

As always, please let me know if there is any other event you’d like to see at the Fairways.

Best,
Amy Kramer
Activities Director
AKramer@hometownamerica.net

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Sales Update

Happy Fall from your Fairways sales team! We love this time of year as our snowbird friends return and we all get to reconnect. Do you have a friend who’s thinking about making the move this year? As you might have noticed, we’ve had many “pending sale” signs going up around the community lately. This is thanks, in part, to many of you encouraging your friends to join the Fairways community. As a reminder, we’re still offering a $2,000 resident referral reward if your friend or family member purchases a new, Hometown America home.

Have you noticed the new homes coming in? We’re excited to bring some new floor plans to the Fairways! A few of these floor plans have already arrived and are receiving rave reviews. Want to see for yourself? Be on the lookout for open house events. They are the perfect times to check out the new homes and meet your potential new neighbors.

We’d also like to thank those of you who have trusted your home listing with our sales team. We work hard to earn your business and love working for you. Thinking about selling your home? Our team is credited with selling approximately 50 pre-owned homes and 8-10 new homes per year. When you list with us you get:

• • Drive-in traffic
• • Two full-time internet sales representatives who assist in answering online inquiries and make appointments for our on-the-ground team 7 days a week
• • A dedicated sales team who is open and ready to sell 7 days a week
• • The only sales agents who sell from within the community that can give your buyer a golf membership for one year
• • Marketing across multiple websites to market your home
• • A well-trained staff who is incredibly good at what they do

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Fairways sales team!

Best regards,
- Judith Stebbins and Madeline Sanchez

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Tools for School

Many years ago, several of the all-age communities in Florida banned together to create the "Tools for School" program to collect and distribute school supplies to all-age communities. This year, we brought back the program to University Lakes.

Many University Lakes residents came directly from Cuba to enjoy the freedoms, education, and opportunities we have in the United States. However, they often moved here without knowing anyone or having family here to rely on. That’s why, this year, we worked as a regional community to collect approximately 320 various back to school supplies from all our 55+ communities in Florida and organized for them to be delivered to University Lakes before the start of the school year.

We kept it simple - each community collected only one or two items. For example, one community may have collected 3-ring binders, while another collected rulers and crayons. Every community manager participated somehow, whether that was helping advertise and organize collection efforts or driving to a nearby community to pick up their supplies.

Eventually, all of the supplies were consolidated enough for Franco, the University Lakes manager, to pick up on the east coast and Kelsey, the University Lakes area manager, to pick up on the west coast. Franco and his team had advertised the event for a few weeks before the supplies were delivered and had an open house in the office, where parents and students could stop in and pick up what they needed free of charge.

On behalf of the Florida regional office, we’d like to give a huge thanks to our phenomenal and giving residents at our 55+ communities. We feel incredibly blessed to have so many caring residents. This is just one small example of what they do to continually to help others.

- Gena Paugh
Florida Regional Manager

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One Call Now

In a crisis, communication is only as good as its delivery speed. That’s why Hometown America is introducing One Call Now to send messages instantly to our residents during an emergency situation.

Our new alert system will enable the community office to send recorded phone messages, text alerts, and/or emails to the resident contact information on file. The system also allows for two-way emergency communication, meaning residents may respond by pressing “1” or “2.” This will allow us to adjust our emergency response plan based on real-time feedback.

The community office will be sending out test calls in the upcoming months. If you wish to receive text message alerts, you are required to “opt in” by texting ALERT to 22300. If you desire to “opt out” at any point, you may text STOP to 22300, but this will put you at risk of not receiving time-sensitive information.

Hometown America strives to provide top-quality service during times of crisis and One Call Now will allow us to deliver this commitment.

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Don’t Lose Touch

With new technology and apps, distance no longer prevents grandparents from keeping in touch with their grandchildren. Read on for tips for using new tech to keep in touch!

• Beyond Messaging. WhatsApp is a messaging app that will let you stay connected with your grandkids no matter the distance. Like texting, the app lets you send messages, photos, and videos to individuals or groups that you can create. Unlike other texting apps, it can also do calls and video chat. WhatsApp is especially helpful if you or your grandkids live, or are traveling, outside the United States as you have internet access.
• Digital Photo Frames. Sharing photographs has always been a great way for grandparents to stay connected to their grandkids and digital photo frames, like the Skylight Frame, are improving it. With the Skylight Frame, as soon as a photo is taken on a phone or device, it can be emailed directly to the frame. Being able to share and receive high definition photos in an instant ensures that you won’t miss a moment. The Skylight Frame can also hold enough photos that would require multiple albums without taking up as much space.
• Facebook Portal. Facebook has long been a way for grandparents and grandkids to stay connected and they have expanded on that connection with the Facebook Portal. The Facebook Portal is a video streaming device that includes a smart camera that follows a person’s movement. One of the most popular uses of the Portal for grandparents is “Storytime” that brings a story to life on the screen as you read classics like Little Red Riding Hood.
• Working Together. Apps like Scoot & Doodle let you connect with your grandkids and help them with activities. This app works with Google to allow you to work on projects with your grandkids that you couldn’t before, like sketching, drawing, and even helping them with their homework during the week.

To learn more about how technology can help you stay connected, click here. New types of tech are always popping up, so make sure that you stay “in-the-know” and, connected with your grandkids.

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Cruisin' into the Fall

Summer may not be the best season to take a cruise. Autumn offers both great prices and less crowded destinations for travelers. If you’re looking to get the best bang for your buck on your next maritime vacation, keep reading!

We’ve compiled some of our favorite tips for cruising during the fall months below:

• 1. Don’t let the season fool you. In many cruise destinations, the weather will still be warm during the autumn months, so you don’t have to sacrifice your tropical cruise for less expensive fares. Plus, more northern destinations will have pleasant weather in addition to beautiful sights like foliage and changing leaves. You get great views and nice conditions, it’s the best of both worlds.
• 2. Find ways to save onboard. Many cruise companies offer age-restricted discounts. For example, Norwegian offers up to $100 off select cruises for AARP members. You can also save by pre-booking packages for things like drinks and spa treatments. Plus, many solo travelers spend more than needed by booking a standard two-person room. Save by asking for a single room if that works for you.
• 3. Be your own pharmacy. While many cruises may offer complimentary motion-sickness medication and infirmaries, it’s likely that they only have a limited supply. By bringing your own medications (whether it’s something you take daily or something to bring just in case), you can enjoy your trip uninhibited knowing you have everything you need.
• 4. Explore the shore. Cruises offer excursions at every port, ranging from swimming with stingrays to walking tours. Using their support program, you can find the excursions you most want to join. These adventures are a great way to see the world while creating memories that will last forever.
• 5. Cruise Your Way. Interested in more than tropical destinations, drinking, and children scurrying about the deck? There’s a whole host of cruise lines that cater to adults with specifically curated activities revolving around cultural immersion, delicious culinary choices, and other enriching activities. Check out a few of these options here.

If you want more helpful hints like these, click here. Armed with this knowledge, it’s sure to be smooth sailing when planning your next cruise vacation!

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Negotiating Tips

Negotiation is an important skill and a great way to score discounts on purchases. Do your research, explain why you should get the item for a lower price, and see the tips below for the best haggling hacks to help you get a great deal:

• • Keep Your Eyes Open. When you’re out shopping, stay alert for ways you can save and negotiate. If you notice an item you want to purchase, such as a microwave or mixer, and it has slight damage, like a scratch, ask for a discount. Also, if you are buying more than one of an item, don’t be afraid to ask if there is a volume discount or a bundle deal.
• • Research Prices. Before you go out to the store or click the purchase button, make sure to research the price of the item beforehand. Comparing the price of a product from various stores can help you find the best deal and the best price. Also, don’t be afraid to ask the salesperson you are talking to if they do price matching, as some stores don’t advertise their policy online.
• • Make a Connection. You might think shopping online means there’s no way to negotiate the price, however, never underestimate the power of starting a conversation with a customer service rep or live chat. After a few minutes of chatting, you can nicely ask if there is any wiggle room for the price of the item.
• • Don’t Let a “No” Stop You. When trying to get the best price you can, the first representative might say no or hang up on you, but don’t let this stop you from negotiating. Stay calm and try to get a hold of another representative. When calling stores, this is as simple as calling the customer service line again.

Interested in learning more before giving negotiating a shot? Check this article and go into your next negotiation feeling confident.