In North Bethesda's New Senior Communities, the Family House Is Part of the Contract

"Just coordinate with your real estate agent to list your house shortly after moving in." That advice comes from Erickson Senior Living's own guidance for incoming residents of The Grandview, the large senior community now open on the former Marriott headquarters site in North Bethesda. In that sentence, the house is treated as part of how the apartment gets paid for.

That matters for families in Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac who are weighing a parent's next move. Three senior communities are arriving within a short drive of one another in North Bethesda, and they don't charge residents the same way. At one, the family home usually ends up funding the entrance fee. At another, the home can stay out of the arrangement entirely. The choice of building is also a choice about when, how and why the house gets sold.

Three buildings, three stages

The Grandview is the largest of the three by a wide margin. Bethesda Magazine reported that the full buildout, expected around 2030, calls for 1,300 independent living units, 210 assisted living and memory care units, and 50 skilled nursing beds on 33 acres. Under county requirements, 15% of the residential units will be moderately priced dwelling units. Its second building, Woodmont Terrace, is set to add 243 homes.

Because of that scale, The Grandview's payment model is the one most families in the area will run into first.

What "up to 80% refundable" means in dollars

The Grandview charges a one-time entrance fee plus a monthly service package. According to Erickson's Grandview pricing page, up to 80% of the entrance fee is returned to the resident or their beneficiaries if they leave. The monthly package covers utilities, a meal plan, maintenance, transportation, covered garage parking and access to the on-site medical center.

These are the posted reference ranges:

A second person adds $1,372 a month. Erickson calls these prices reference only, says the monthly packages are usually adjusted once a year, and says the fee schedule changes on January 1, 2027.

If at most 80% comes back, then at least 20% is the real cost of entry. On the smallest one-bedroom at $374,000, that is at least $74,800. On a $1,868,000 deluxe unit, it is at least $373,600. The other 80% is not spent, but it stays tied up for as long as the parent lives there. Erickson tells residents to read the Residence and Care Agreement for the conditions that must be met before a refund is paid.

A sum that size usually comes from home equity, and Erickson says so directly.

The promissory note links the house sale to the contract

Erickson's move-in guidance says some people use the equity in their house to pay the entrance fee. For that reason, The Grandview lets incoming residents pay only 10% up front and sign a promissory note for the rest, due when their existing house sells. The same guidance encourages residents to sell after they move in.

This arrangement changes how the house sale plays out. The parent moves first. The house then goes on the market with its owner already living elsewhere, and the sale proceeds have a debt waiting for them. Consider a $1,000,000 entrance fee. The parent pays $100,000 to move in, and $900,000 comes due when the house closes. Pricing, prep work and how fast the house sells are no longer only about the family's own plans, because they also settle what the parent owes the community.

That shapes some practical choices:

• Prep before the move or after it. Once the parent has moved, the house can be repaired, cleaned out and staged without anyone living in it. Someone in the family still has to manage that work.
• How long the house can sit. The note is due on sale, so a listing that drags on means the balance stays open longer.
• Who handles the sale. Adult children often run the listing on a parent's behalf, so roles and decision-making should be agreed before the move date.

Erickson also runs a program it calls AILU, described as an offshoot of Montgomery County's MPDU program. Residents who qualify by income pay the same refundable entrance fee and a lower monthly fee on certain one-bedroom plans. Since the entrance fee is the same, the house still matters under AILU.

The Maryland timeline starts when the contract is signed

Entrance-fee communities fall under Maryland's continuing care law, which the Maryland Department of Aging administers, including issuing provider certificates of registration. Under Maryland's Human Services Article, Title 10, Subtitle 4, several rules affect timing:

1. A provider must give a prospective resident a disclosure statement before they pay any part of the entrance fee or sign the contract, whichever comes first. The statement must describe the fees and, where refunds are offered, say whether the refundable portion is held in trust or escrow.
2. Deposits collected from prospective residents go into an escrow account. Until the provider has written approval to withdraw them, the deposit agreement must keep deposits and entrance fees in escrow until the unit is registered, construction is finished and occupancy approval is issued.
3. A resident may cancel for any reason before moving in. If they cancel within 90 days of signing, the provider refunds the money within 30 days, minus an approved processing fee and certain documented costs for modifications the resident asked for.
4. If they cancel more than 90 days after signing but before moving in, the provider may keep up to 25% of the entrance-fee deposit.
5. If a refund after move-in depends on the unit being re-occupied, the contract has to say so, and the provider has to make reasonable efforts to meet that condition.

Together, these rules mean the time between signing and moving in has a cost attached once it passes 90 days. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Each family should review the disclosure statement and agreement with its own attorney or financial advisor.

The lease model keeps the house separate

The Pinnacle, at the corner of Towne and Old Georgetown roads in the Pike District, works differently. Its website says there is "no large entrance fee or long-term commitment," just a lease, with assisted living and memory care on site. Independent living is for people 62 and older. The site also mentions an initial community fee. According to a May 2026 announcement from Chiron Real Estate, which agreed to buy the property, the 175 homes break down as 88 independent living, 59 assisted living and 28 memory care. The company said it was about 30% preleased as of April 30, 2026.

Under a lease, nothing in the contract makes the house the funding source. The family can sell now, sell later, rent the house out or keep it, and those decisions don't affect the rental agreement. The trade-off is a monthly cost with no refundable lump sum behind it.

The Reserve Strathmore Square is the third option, still about a year or more away. Bethesda Today reported that the 20-story, 220-unit building, developed by Fivesquares Development and NexCore Group and run by Experience Senior Living, broke ground on Dec. 10, 2025. Ron Kaplan of Fivesquares told the outlet construction would take up to two and a half years. The building is planned to offer independent living, assisted living and memory care, along with an indoor pool and a top-floor lounge, a short walk from the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro station.

When nobody is ready to move

Some families keep the house and bring help to it instead. Bethesda Metro Area Village serves neighborhoods including Bethesda Row, Edgemoor, English Village, Kenwood Forest, Kenwood Park and South Bradley Hills. Its volunteers offer rides, errands and grocery runs, minor home repairs, tech support, light yard work and someone to take notes at medical appointments. Its September–October 2026 newsletter reported 180 members. Montgomery County's Join a Village directory lists North Bethesda Village as an active village. North Bethesda Village runs twice-monthly Coffee Connections, teen tech help at Davis Library, and Scrabble twice a month.

FAQ

Does The Grandview require selling the house first? No. Erickson's guidance encourages selling after the move and lets residents pay 10% of the entrance fee up front, with the rest due when the house sells.

Are The Grandview's posted prices locked in? Erickson calls them reference pricing and says the fee schedule changes on January 1, 2027.

Where are the refund terms spelled out? In the community's Residence and Care Agreement and in the disclosure statement Maryland requires before any entrance fee is paid or any contract is signed.

If your family is deciding between an entrance-fee community and a lease, the timing of the house sale is the part to plan first. Carmen Fontecilla Group can review the house with you, map out preparation and pricing around the move date, and coordinate the sale with your parent's timeline. Request a personalized market consultation and we'll start with the house.