Rossmoor

Walnut Creek

Parent Q&A

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  • My husband and I are considering buying a house on the outer edge of Walnut Creek. Kind of by the end of Walnut Boulevard, RockSpring Pl., Whitecliff way….

    we noticed that the disclosures in the house explain that some of the housing community is dedicated to Rossmoor assisted-living/retirement community…? We don’t want to unknowingly buy a house in a neighborhood with only retirees and no children. We don’t currently live in Walnut Creek and we don’t know anyone who does so I don’t have anyone to ask. Can anyone give me some reliable first-hand information about this area? Thanks in advance!

    We live a street over from Whitecliff Way and do not have anything like this in our disclosures. Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions!

    That seems very odd, since Rossmoor is on the other side of the freeway and quite a ways away.  I'd ask your realtor or the listing agent to explain. 

Parent Reviews

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Archived Q&A and Reviews


Sept 2012

Re: Affordable East Bay community for retired mom?
My mom just moved to Rossmoor, a sort of retiree community on the Walnut Creek / Lafayette border. She loves it. They provide a lot of amenities and there is good access to restaurants in Walnut Creek / Lafayette, Bart to SF for cultural events, etc. Most people own, the homes are co-op and so are priced low but this is offset buy a big buy-in fee and monthly dues. However, many folks do rent there. Technically you can only rent for one year but apparently they don't enforce that if you're a good tenant --- my mom has many friends that have rented in Rossmoor for years and enjoy it. It's probably not for everyone --- among other things it's not a a terribly diverse community --- but my mom loves not worrying about home maintenance and can easily shut the door to leave for trips to see her grandson and children.


Realtor for parents moving to Rossmoor

Sept 2012

My parents are interested in moving to Rossmoor. Looking for recommendations for realtors. Someone not pushy, experienced and communicative. Matt


Pat Trager is a fabulous realtor with lots of experience in Rossmoor. She's warm, personable, attentive to details--overall just a delight to work with. Here's her contact info: Pat.Trager [at] cbnorcal.com 925-216-1448 (cell) 925-831-3371 (office) Janet


For a Rossmoor realtor, I recommend Danny Smith. http://www.rossmoorrealty.com/50/Profile/82397. He knows the market and is very easy to work with. I have worked with him on two occasions and was pleased with results both times. Miriam Schaffer msch


I don't have my people index in front of me, but I can highly recommend Lori Young of Rossmoor Realty. She represents buyers and sellers, she has great people skills including and especially with seniors, but most of all, she will make sure your parents are well represented in every way. As a realtor myself, I am perhaps more sensitive to who's really great in this profession, and I don't mind putting my name to this recommendation. It should be easy to locate Lori online. heidi


I highly recommend Marsha Wehrenberg. She is a real estate agent that sells exclusively in Rossmoor. She is knowledgeable, warm, caring and compassionate. She can be reached at marsha [at] rossmoortoday.com. Her # is 925.787.7625. anon


Nov 2011

Re: 78 yr old Jewish father looking to retire in N CAL
I suggest Rossmoor. I know a number of people whose parents moved there and love it. Many activities. Lots of people who are on the go. I don't know whether there is gardening but they do have a picture of a woman gardening on their site. He could volunteer at Heather Farms Gardens which is in Walnut Creek and is a gorgeous place maintained by an army of volunteer gardeners. There are other community gardens too.

My friends are all Jewish. Not everyone is Jewish at Rossmoor, nor are the Jews necessarily religious, but there are Jews. The JCC is not far and they have some movies and cultural activities. It is not far from BART and your dad could go in to Berkeley or over to SF to museums and such.

Take a look at their website: www.rossmoor.com

They have golf and swimming. Dawn


Pleasant place for retired parents?

June 2010

My parents are planning a move to the Bay Area to be closer to us and are looking to buy a home or townhouse. Can anyone recommend a neighborhood that would be an affordable and pleasant place for an active retired couple to live? We live in Berkeley but that is out of their price range - the maximum they can spend is probably about $350,000. They don't necessarily need to be near the city or transport so outlying areas are fine. They are also willing to consider 55+ communities. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Jan


My father moved to Rossmoor last year. The prices there are much cheaper than outside. He picked up a nice 1400 square foot place, 2 bedroom 2 bath for $330K. The places outside that he looked at around $5-600K were small in comparison. There's a significant monthly fee. They have a great repair service--you sign up and they take care of all repairs. Not too expensive, although I forgot how much. The security is great. All the neighbors keep an eye on each other and anyone else, for that matter. The place is buzzing with activity during the day, much more than my bedroom community. At night, it is much quieter. Rossmoor fan


My mother lives in Rossmoor, a senior community (55+) in Walnut Creek. She's very happy there, has lots of friends, and there are activities and trips all the time. It's a very big place, over 6000 residents. The website is rossmoor.com. I recommend your parents check it out. Rebecca


2004 & Earlier


Rossmoor-type housing for active 70-year-olds

May 2004

My parents want to move to either the San Jose area or up here to be nearer to their kids/grandkids. They are in their seventies, very fit, play golf/tennis and socialize a lot. Are there any places besides Rossmoor to look at? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks. Stefanie


My in-laws moved out here from Baltimore last October. They also looked at Rossmore and another-type community up east of Santa Rosa. They ended up purchasing a home in the Del Webb Community in Lincoln (about 30 mins NW of Sacramento off I-80.) It's a 55- plus community with lots to do (rec center, golf, tennis organized trips, etc.) Though they're farther away from the Bay Area than they'd like to be, they liked the community and affordability of the housing so much better that it made the distance worth it for them. Having looked at houses in their community and in Rossmore, I can attest that the difference is significant and makes Lincoln worth considering. jc


December 2001

We have been looking into senior housing and the different types available. The Rossmoor housing in Walnut Creek sounds like it gears towards various age groups and levels of care, one buys their own housing/condo and it has it's own facilities such as buses within the housing complex, lots of activities, etc. Does anyone have any experience/opinions (good or bad) about Rossmoor? This facility seems different than the usual. Hana


My mother lives in Rossmoor and loves it. She is an active 64 year old (she still works in the financial district every day!) and bought a co-op several years ago. She completely gutted it and remodeled to suit her needs and taste. While she does not take advantage of many of the activities, many of her friends do. We have played golf there several times and it's great. She takes my son swimming and he has a great time. She travels quite a lot so the fact that she can literally lock her door and leave for weeks at a time is great for her. It would not be a good place if you require assistance with your day to day care and or activities. It is definitely geared toward self-sufficient seniors, there are no meals provided. Hope this helps. Kristi


My in-laws live in Rossmoor in the Waterford which is a four story condo complex. You own your condo and pay a monthly fee which provides weekly maid service, one meal daily (lunch or dinner in the dinning room), insurance etc. Folks who move to the Waterford are typically looking for more services (dinning room, maid service on site, etc). You must be able bodied to move in and it has no nursing home facilities. You still have access to all of the other amenities in Rossmoor, bus, pools, golf, community centers, etc...My in-laws like the Waterford because it meets their needs- they no longer want to cook every meal, the dinning room provides a daily social outlet, they own there own unit, they use the other facilities as wanted. We go out with my 3 year old and swim, feed the ducks, take walks, eat in the dinning room. My husband and in-laws met with a realtor from Rossmoor Realty and looked at everything - private homes, town houses and the Waterford condos. The Waterford was the best choice for them. Mary


My grandfather and his wife lived in Rossmoor and really loved it. There are hiking trails, clubs for all manners of interests, free shuttle buses to the supermarket and BART, and a lot of interesting folks living there. My grandfather swam laps every day in one of their pools, Edda was in the folkdancing and hiking clubs, and they had friends who were retired psychiatrists, psychologists, anaesthesiologists, artists, episcopal priests... Edda continued to commute to work on BART as a paralegal in Oakland for many years, and volunteered to deliver meals for shut-ins. They took BART into San Francisco for their season subscriptions to the symphony and ACT, and to Oakland for the ballet. All the maintenance of their place was taken care of. They were crazy about the place until the days they died. When their friends grew too old or ill to care for themselves, there was assisted living right outside the gates... Walnut Creek has a terrific arts complex. My mother often regrets that she sold their coop; she wishes she could winter there. Christine