Top 5 Affordable 55+ Communities in Delaware (2025 Update)

Are you considering retiring to Delaware, but you're not really sure where to start? Today, I am breaking down the top five most affordable 55 plus communities in Delaware. We are going to be talking about the price ranges, HOA fees, and what each community feels like. And I'm gonna give you the firsthand take on every single community that we are going over. I'm Jen, your Delaware realtor. I specialize in helping retirees and out-of-state buyers find their next community for their next chapter. So without further ado, let's just jump right on in. Before we jump into the communities, let's talk about why Delaware has become such a huge retirement location. The number one thing being no sales tax. Can I tell you that it is so nice not to have any sales tax? So when I go into the store and I want to purchase something, if it is listed for 299, I am paying 299. I'm not paying 6% sales tax or any other sales tax like the surrounding states have. And it's really nice when you're making large purchases. For example, if you want that big screen TV for the Super Bowl, you're gonna wanna purchase that in Delaware because you're not gonna have any sales tax on it. It's really nice when you're furnishing your new home, also going shopping and different restaurants. The number two reason is because we have low property taxes, especially with the surrounding states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This allows you to save each year and get more bang for your buck. Number three is the location. I hear this time and time again. My family lives in the Northeast. I've decided that I either want to move back because most likely they're living in Florida or South Carolina. I want to move back and be closer to my family. Or I'm the type of person that likes to go to the cities. So I want to live in Delaware because it is centrally located, which means that I can get to Philadelphia within an hour or so. I can get to Baltimore within an hour and 20 minutes. I can get to Washington, D.C. within an hour and 20 minutes. It's really, really nice to be centrally located. And also, if your family does live in the Northeast, you can get to Pennsylvania very easily, New Jersey very easily, Maryland, and Virginia. This is why 55-plus communities are so popular in Delaware. So whether you're looking to locate to New Castle County, Kent County, or Sussex County, all three counties have plenty of 55-plus communities. It is also why affordability is so important when it comes to living in Delaware. Okay, so let's start off with the first community, which is Heritage Shores. Heritage Shores is located in Bridgeville, Delaware. It is a rural part of the state. This community currently has around 1,000 homes and is going to end up being around 1,800 homes. They have plenty of amenities. So if you are looking for an outdoor pool, it has it. If you're looking for an indoor pool, it has it. If you are looking for a fitness center, pickleball courts, tennis courts, a golfing range, a driving range, restaurants, it has all of that. And what's really nice is that the restaurants in this particular community are open to the public and also the golf course is open to the public, which means that this is going to keep your HOA fees affordable. The HOA fee currently is $320 monthly. There are currently two builders in this community. There is Brookfield Residential and Ryan Homes. Brookfield Residential is the main builder for this community. Ryan Homes only has a few lots, not many. The price ranges in this community roughly are either in the high threes to low to mid fives, depending on what you're looking at. If you're looking at a resale home, you're going to be anywhere between the high threes to I would say the low fives. Brookfield Residential with a bigger home with basically all the bells and whistles backing up to woods, you are probably looking in the 570 range. Currently, Brookfield has home sites that back up to woods or you can be on the golf course. Now there are lot premiums with each location. So whether you want to be on the wooded side or you want to be on the golf course, just keep in mind you're looking anywhere from 5,000 to $15,000 for a lot premium. But they do have spec homes that are available and you could get a beautiful 2,300 square foot home, brand new with a screened in porch, with a side patio for around either 519, depending on what you're looking for or it could go anywhere up to 570. So the pros and cons of this community. The pros are that you have tons of amenities. So if you are looking for an amenities rich community and you would like to be living on a golf course, Heritage Shores probably is the place for you. Also, if you would like homes that are in the threes to 400s, this also is a great community. The cons to this community is that Bridgeville is a very rural area and some people don't really like how rural it is. Now, you still have the Wawa and Borough Farms and Food Lion and all of your other amenities there, but it is not like it is located right next to say, Middletown or Newark or even Rehoboth. You are more inland, so you're about 40 minutes from Millsboro or like the beaches area. So just to give you an idea of where it is located in Delaware. It is in Sussex County, so you are towards the bottom of the state, but a lot of people like the price ranges and also the amenities and this is why they choose to live there. All right, moving on to community number two, which is Independence, which is located in Millsboro, Delaware. Independence is a Shell Brothers community that is all resale homes. So they have completed construction, there is no new construction, it's all resale. I'll be honest, the homes in this community used to be listed around the 400s, but now they have appreciated and they are in the 600s. But Independence is a wonderful community. So you will have mature trees, mature landscaping. It is a very well-kept community. It has a huge clubhouse. It has a lap pool inside. It has an outdoor pool outside. It also has a library. It has billiards table, a fitness center, a yoga room, which you can do Tai Chi in or yoga or dance or anything else like that. And it also has a bar located inside. Now, because you do live in Millsboro, you are about 15 minutes from the beaches, which means you will have a little bit more of beach traffic. Just keep that in mind if you are looking at this community. So that is the one con about this community. But if you are looking for a Shell Brothers home and you would like to be near the beaches, Independence would be the best option for you. But just keep in mind, while it's not the cheapest, the home prices are around 600,000. By the way, if you are looking for a full list of all the 55 plus communities in Delaware and not just the top five most affordable, I have a full list and it is listed in the description down below. It has everything that you would ever want to know about the 55 plus communities all located throughout Delaware. Like I said, there is a link down below in the description to where it can be emailed to you right away. Okay, so moving on to the third community, which is Spring Arbor in Middletown, Delaware. Spring Arbor, the price ranges are gonna be anywhere from the high threes to the fours into the low five. Spring Arbor is not the type of community that has a lot of amenities though. Basically just your lawn maintenance and your snow removal. Now it does have a clubhouse, so I'm not gonna say it doesn't have that. It does have a fitness center and lounge area. It doesn't have your like pickleball courts or your like indoor pool or anything else like that. So if you were looking for a low maintenance living, this might be the location for you. Many people love living in Middletown because it is closer to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. And also if they needed to go to Christiana Hospital, it is slightly closer than say if you were in Sussex County. The only con I see about living in this community is the fact that it doesn't have a lot of amenities. So if that is something high on your list, if you're looking for a lifestyle director, if you're looking for say a bunch of clubs and stuff like that, this might not be the community for you. Number four on the community list is Nobles Pond. Nobles Pond is located in Dover, Delaware. And it's a very, very popular community because it is amenities rich. It has a huge clubhouse with an outdoor pool. It has a community garden. It has bocce ball, tennis courts, pickleball courts. It has a fitness center, a library, a huge ballroom. I mean, it really does have everything. Many people choose to live in Nobles Pond because of its proximity to certain things. For example, you can get to Sam's Club very easily. You can go to Middletown for shopping if you want to. You can shop in Dover if you want to. It's very close to Route 1. So if you are looking to go to New Jersey or Pennsylvania or even the beaches, it's very centrally located. Price ranges start anywhere from the high threes to I would say the high fours. When we touch into the high fives, I don't see very many of those homes. It is what's considered a gated community, although no one really ever is in the guard station. So you will go through a gate to get in. The clubhouse is in the front of the community. Now, the front of the community was built back in like 2008. So it looks fairly different in the front than it does in the back. In the front, the homes are actually kind of closer together. In the back, they are slightly more spread out. Right now, we have Lenar building in this community as well as Wilkinson Homes. Regal Builders was in this community, but they have since finished up, and now we just have two. We will have another entrance to this community. It is under construction. If you are someone looking for a strong social calendar, Nobles Pond would probably be your best bet because they have a lifestyle director. So they have so many clubs. They have Taco Tuesday nights where they have the food trucks come in. They'll have the car shows. They plan trips. They plan international trips, cruises. I mean, you name it. If you bring it up to the lifestyle director, she will most likely make it happen for you. So very tight-knit community, and like I said, the prices are about the high threes to the higher fours. The HOA fee for this community is around $525 quarterly, which for all of the amenities is fairly affordable. And finally, wrapping up this list is Auburn Meadows in Smyrna, Delaware. Auburn Meadows is a newer community. They are by Lenar. They have a huge, huge brand new clubhouse, and it is beautiful. It has an outdoor pool. It also has a bar lounge area. It has like a little kitchenette area where you can have like craft space. You can have card space. There's billiard tables. I mean, really such a beautiful clubhouse. It also has pickleball courts and tennis courts as well. These homes are more of a modern feel with an open layout. So if you are looking for a home maybe in the 400 range, this might be the community for you. It is located off of Brentford Road, which is really close to Route 1, and also Food Lion, Wawa, Aldi, Walmart. I mean, anything you can really think of. Also, it is very close to the Smyrna Emergency Room if you needed that. And if you needed to get to a major hospital, we do have Bay Health Kent General, which is located in Dover as well. So people love living in this community just because of its proximity to everything. Also, the fact that the HOA fee is $198 monthly, which is pretty affordable when you consider the area that it is in. There are many 55 plus communities located in Smyrna. And also, these are all brand new homes that have a very, like I said, modern open floor concept that people love. What we're seeing is a lot of times that when people are looking in the Middletown location and the price ranges are a little bit out of their budget, they always look to Smyrna where they can get a little bit more bang for your buck. All right, so there you have it. There are Delaware's five most affordable 55 plus communities located all throughout Delaware. So whether you are looking in Middletown or you're looking in Smyrna, or maybe you're looking near the beaches, or you would like to be in a more rural area like Bridgeville really Delaware has it all. And there are affordable communities in each county. And really each community has its own personality. So whether you're looking for amenities rich community that has a huge clubhouse that has all of these clubs and an outdoor pool and indoor pool, we have it. Or maybe you just want the lawn maintenance and the snow removal. Spring Harbor might be the place for you. I do have a full list of all of the 55 plus communities in Delaware and it is down in the description below. And if you would like to see any of these communities in person, I would absolutely love the opportunity to help you. There is a link also in the description for my calendar where we can get set up on a Zoom meeting or a phone call. And then we can set up your schedule to come and visit what Delaware has to offer you as a retiree or if you're just looking for the next chapter. I really hope this video helps. If it did, be sure to give me a thumbs up. Be sure to subscribe to the channel and I see on the next one. Hey, if you are thinking about moving to Delaware you should definitely check out this video right here. And if you would love a full playlist of everything Delaware has to offer to you as a retiree check out this playlist right here and don't forget, subscribe to my channel.