I moved here on June 17th, 2014 so about 4 and a half years.

Q. What did your process of moving to The Cottages look like? 

 I was taking my granddaughter to school, and I kept seeing the sign for The Cottages so one day I just decided to see what it was about. The sign said “no down payment,” and usually you have to pay into a place like this so I thought that was very interesting.  My husband had passed in 2006 and so I thought it was time that I start looking around for a new place. When I first came in, I got some information and thought about it for a little while. In November, I came back and made the decision to move here but they were still in the building phase. I kept in touch with Jennifer, the Senior Living Specialist, and finally decided to list my home in April. Much to my surprise, it sold in one day. I called Jennifer that next Monday to see when the soonest I could get in was, and she said I would be able to move in during June.

I initially moved into a 2 bedroom cottage, but I have bad feet, so a couple years later I talked to Jennifer about moving into a one bedroom when it came up. Now that I’m in here, I just love it! It’s also been fun to be able to watch the community develop.

Q. What are your favorite aspects of your home? 

I love that my particular floorplan has a window in the kitchen, and my whole home is just so bright. Everything is so convenient and there are no steps so I can get in and out easily. I have my own car, so I love that I can come and go as I please out of the attached garage. It’s like being in a home but more convenient and less work. My previous home was 3 bedrooms, 2 stories, and the laundry was in the basement, so it’s nice to have everything, including a full laundry, all on one floor.  The layout of the one bedroom really suits exactly what I need.

Q. What services and amenities in the community do you use? 

I know there are a lot available, but I don’t use too many just because I don’t need to at the moment. One service I do use is the meal delivery. In fact, there were 5 of us here for Easter and they brought us 5 meals. I invited my friends and family over and it was neat to have the food delivered.

They really take care of everything here. If the lightbulb goes out, they’ll be here so quickly to fix it. I recently had to have my dishwasher replaced, and Meg, the Warranty Coordinator, was great and took care of it.

Q. How would you describe the community? 

Everybody is so nice and caring. Everybody waves and says hello, and we all chat with each other. It’s very nice. I’ve been to a few events up at The Lodge and I enjoy those. I especially enjoy the music programs. They bring in entertainment like the Jenison High School music programs which are nice to hear. I used to live in Grandville, so often go back out there for church and other activities.

Jennifer, the Senior Living Specialist, is a gem. I don’t necessarily need her very often, but she’s always there when I do. I feel very confident knowing that she’s there. Everybody loves her!

Q. If you could give some advice to someone who is considering The Cottages, what would you say? 

Don’t wait! Don’t risk waiting too long. I think sometimes people think that when they get older they’ll make the move, but when you’re that much older you don’t get to participate and enjoy everything as much. I’ve highly recommended The Cottages to several people.