55+ Amenities, Features & HOAs | 55+ Retirement Communities Blog

Mike Gerrard has been writing about Arizona property for 55places since 2019. Born in England, he and his American wife bought their home in Green Valley, south of Tucson, in 2004. As travel writers, they love exploring and writing about the USA, and Arizona in particular, which they write about on their website: Arizona-Travel-Guide.com. Mike also writes about drinks, and is the author of Cask Strength, a history of the barrel, and Behind Bars, about the connections between drink and crime.

Savannah is a teacher assistant who works with preschool children. She has an associate degree in Medical Assisting and experience in retail and restaurant work. Savannah enjoys martial arts when she isn't writing articles in her free time. She has a 1st-degree black belt in Shito-Ryu Karate and a 2nd-degree black belt in Tomiki Aikido.

Kira is a freelance writer living in the beautiful state of Colorado. She is passionate about words and science and loves how writing requires her to learn something new every day.

Maddy Crozier (she/her) is an experienced freelance writer and editor who has worked with 55places since 2018. Now a fifth-year PhD Candidate in English at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, she has a BA and MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse from DePaul University. She specializes in researching real estate trends across the country with a focus on the Midwest and Southeast regions, including the housing markets of Chicago, Indianapolis, and East Tennessee. Dedicated to helping homebuyers make evidence-based decisions, she brings six years of experience in real estate writing and research.

Alexis is your friendly, neighborhood freelancer and Oxford coma advocate. She holds a Master's in English and Creative Writing and has an extensive social media and digital content marketing background. She loves blogging about anything unusual, niche, or out of the ordinary. Travel, pets, hospitality, health and beauty, fitness, food and nutrition, and tech are just some of her favorite topics!

Michelle Halsey has been a freelance writer since early 2017, and before that, a news reporter, editor, public relations professional, and social media director for a specialty retailer. She specializes in long-form content and well-researched articles. She has extensive experience creating blog content, web copy, glossary entries, and writer guides. Her favorite topics include marketing/SEO, outdoor adventure, horticulture/agriculture, interpersonal relationships, culture (not the Kardashian kind, either), event planning, mental health advocacy, and anything involving flamethrowers.

Ellen Kershner is our creative content writer from New Jersey. She has 20+ years of experience writing for local publications, websites, and real estate marketing companies. She has a knack for crafting reader-friendly, original content that educates our readers with clear information. Ellen has lived in Central NJ, Southern NJ, Washington, DC, and Owings Mills, Maryland.

Alexis is your friendly, neighborhood freelancer and Oxford coma advocate. She holds a Master's in English and Creative Writing and has an extensive social media and digital content marketing background. She loves blogging about anything unusual, niche, or out of the ordinary. Travel, pets, hospitality, health and beauty, fitness, food and nutrition, and tech are just some of her favorite topics!

Alexis is your friendly, neighborhood freelancer and Oxford coma advocate. She holds a Master's in English and Creative Writing and has an extensive social media and digital content marketing background. She loves blogging about anything unusual, niche, or out of the ordinary. Travel, pets, hospitality, health and beauty, fitness, food and nutrition, and tech are just some of her favorite topics!

Savannah is a teacher assistant who works with preschool children. She has an associate degree in Medical Assisting and experience in retail and restaurant work. Savannah enjoys martial arts when she isn't writing articles in her free time. She has a 1st-degree black belt in Shito-Ryu Karate and a 2nd-degree black belt in Tomiki Aikido.

Kira is a freelance writer living in the beautiful state of Colorado. She is passionate about words and science and loves how writing requires her to learn something new every day.

John Garrison is a freelance writer and software developer. With several HubSpot certifications in SEO and inbound marketing and a deep learning certification from DeepLearning.AI, John has the skills and expertise to write technical content that is both informative and engaging. His development experience ranges from compiler design in C++ to backend web development in Python, giving him a unique perspective on the intersection of writing and technology. Whether he's writing about technical topics or crafting a compelling blog post for a small business, John brings a creative and analytical approach to every project. In his free time, he is developing an app to help people more easily learn a foreign language.

Mike Gerrard has been writing about Arizona property for 55places since 2019. Born in England, he and his American wife bought their home in Green Valley, south of Tucson, in 2004. As travel writers, they love exploring and writing about the USA, and Arizona in particular, which they write about on their website: Arizona-Travel-Guide.com. Mike also writes about drinks, and is the author of Cask Strength, a history of the barrel, and Behind Bars, about the connections between drink and crime.

Deana Becker is the Senior Content Strategist at 55places.com. With an extensive editorial background, she has been writing, editing, and researching real estate topics since 2018. Her work has brought her in contact with many subject matter experts in the real estate industry, and she enjoys continually improving her SEO and content marketing skills. As a Chicago native, she's also well-versed in the Midwestern housing market (as well as the best places for deep-dish pizza).

Alexis is your friendly, neighborhood freelancer and Oxford coma advocate. She holds a Master's in English and Creative Writing and has an extensive social media and digital content marketing background. She loves blogging about anything unusual, niche, or out of the ordinary. Travel, pets, hospitality, health and beauty, fitness, food and nutrition, and tech are just some of her favorite topics!

Ellen Kershner is our creative content writer from New Jersey. She has 20+ years of experience writing for local publications, websites, and real estate marketing companies. She has a knack for crafting reader-friendly, original content that educates our readers with clear information. Ellen has lived in Central NJ, Southern NJ, Washington, DC, and Owings Mills, Maryland.

Cari Oleskewicz is a writer based in Gainesville, Florida. She has been writing about real estate, property management, travel, and active adult lifestyles for 10 years. She has delivered lectures on the importance of high-value website copy for small businesses, and has ghostwritten books for real estate investors. Before settling in Gainesville, she lived in Tampa, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; Los Angeles, California; and Florence, Italy. Before launching her writing career, Cari was a communications and editorial strategist for a digital advertising agency in Tampa and managed the communications department of a nonprofit organization serving people with disabilities in Maryland. She has also taught middle school and writes poetry. Cari graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1994, with a BA in Communications/Journalism. She currently lives in Tampa, travels frequently, and recently helped her father find the perfect 55+ community to call home.