When people move to a new city, far away from where they once lived, the popular wisdom is to rent for a year before buying a home. That way, you have plenty of time to scope out numerous neighborhoods to determine exactly where you'd like to reside.

Seniors, though, have a different perspective. When they're checking out places to retire -- or join the 55-and-over "active adult" set -- their question is often, "How do I know I'm going to like the community I'm considering?"

That's the dilemma Mike and Robyn Bonitz faced when looking for a place to retire. After narrowing their choices to four retirement communities -- one in Summerville, South Carolina; one in Ocala, Florida; and two in Arizona -- the Connecticut couple gave all four a try, for a few days each. Now they're trying to decide between the two Arizona locations.

Staying at the properties for a few days "was extremely helpful," Mike says. "I would highly recommend it. You need a deep dive to see if these places live up to their reputations."

As it turns out, many major retirement properties offer so-called "discovery packages" similar to the ones the Bonitzes took advantage of. These "try before you buy" programs are an excellent way to experience the lifestyle as a resident.

I recently visited Sun City Festival in Buckeye, Arizona, which is one of the communities the Bonitzes are considering. I stayed with friends for six days, just across the street from the clubhouse and pool complex. I made great use of the workout room -- it was nice to lift weights with people my own age, as opposed to a bunch of young, muscular studs who make us old guys feel puny -- and the hot tub.

But had I known the Del Webb property offered a discovery package, I might have made use of that instead of inconveniencing my friends.

To attract buyers to Sun City Festival, the company offers furnished homes for two to four days, for up to four guests. They're not free, but the cost, depending on the time of year, ranges from just $49 a day for one or two people (in the summer) to $134 (in the high season, from February to April).

For that fee, you can live like an owner for a short while. The deal includes a golf cart, Wi-Fi, free use of the rec center, and golf at the residents' rate. The houses are outfitted with linens, towels, basic cookware and practically everything else you might need. Just turn the key and enjoy.

Sun City Festival opened in 2006, and some 3,000 people now live at the property. Residents enjoy amenities such as a golf course, tennis courts, cyber cafe, crafts center, classes sponsored by Arizona State University, numerous clubs and a playground for the grandkids.

Del Webb promises no high-pressure sales pitch with its discovery packages, but part of the deal is that you do have to meet with a sales consultant. Still, it beats staying in a hotel, and there's hardly a better way to relax and experience the property.

Sun City Festival is hardly the only place to offer a deal like this. Go to privatecommunites.com and click on the Discovery Packages tab to find dozens of others. Florida alone lists more than 30 places with "get acquainted" programs.

Here's the lowdown on a few other properties:

-- You can stay for four days and three nights at Retama Village, which is part of the Bentsen Palm gated community in Mission, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. No charge for folks 55 or older. The property has four unique neighborhoods designed for people of all ages. For sale are homes from $129,000 to $140,000, and lots from $20,000 to $90,000.

-- Shea Homes offers try-before-you-buy packages at all three of its Trilogy projects in California. For $299 at Trilogy at the Polo Club near Palm Springs, the "Taste the Good Life" program includes a three-day, two-night stay in a standard two-room hotel, plus a pair of spa tickets, a $100 dinner voucher -- and, of course, a tour with a sales rep. This active lifestyle resort will have 750 residences adjacent to two polo clubs. Prices range from the mid-$200,000s to more than $800,000.

-- At Soleil Laurel Canyon in the Georgia foothills in Canton, you can stay for three days, two nights in a fully furnished home with at least two bedrooms and two baths. For $79, you'll also get to enjoy a round of golf or tennis lessons for two, breakfast or lunch for two, and the obligatory private tour of the eight model homes, clubhouse and tennis center. The gated community has bocce ball, an arts and crafts center, greenhouse, outdoor amphitheater, walking trails and a horticulture center. Two- and three-bedroom ranch-style homes are priced from the low $200,000s into the $400,000s.

Homeowners who are required, all of a sudden, to carry flood insurance have a way to appeal their property's placement in a flood zone.

The process isn't simple -- not by a long shot. But following it could save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, especially since premiums under the federal National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) keep getting bumped up.

First, a little background.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently remapped most of the country using 100-year flood plain projections. The result was that many homes were placed into flood zones that never before existed, despite the fact that many of them had never (or rarely) experienced flooding.

The bottom line: If a house's mortgage is touched by the government in any way -- insured by the Federal Housing Administration, backed by the Veterans Administraion or purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac -- borrowers are now required to carry flood insurance. And some lenders now require coverage, no matter what.

Flood insurance is not a bad thing. Indeed, damage from flooding is costly: The average flood claim to the NFIP is $30,000. Flooding is the nation's most frequent natural disaster, and it's not always associated with hurricanes or broken dams. Floods can happen from busted pipes and torrential rains, and they occur in all 50 states.

Consequently, many borrowers elect to buy coverage, even if their lenders don't demand it. But if you don't want it and it isn't necessary, you shouldn't have to pay for it. And you may not have to, if you follow the steps set up by FEMA to appeal your flood zone designation.

To appeal your home's placement in what officially is called a "Special Flood Hazard Area," you must show that the lowest adjacent grade, or the lowest ground touching your home, is at or above the "base flood elevation." That's the elevation to which floodwater is projected to rise during a so-called "100-year flood," also called a "base flood."

Remember, though, the term "100-year" is something of a misnomer. It doesn't mean that a major flood happens once every 100 years. Rather, it means that the area has a 1 percent chance of flooding every year. Another name for it is the base floodplain.

Wow! And understanding all that is just the beginning of the process.

To start, you have to submit a request to FEMA for a Letter of Map Change, which, according to FEMA, "reflects an official revision/amendment to an effective Flood Insurance Rate Map." The map is said to offer much useful information and represents the official depiction of flood hazards for your community.

All of this is outlined on the FEMA webpage at fema.gov/information-homeowners, where you can start the step-by-step process and find out what supporting documents you might need. Follow the detailed instructions to ensure that your request is complete and logically structured.

Meanwhile, bipartisan legislation intended to remove barriers to the development of a private market alternative to Uncle Sam's program has cleared a key House committee by a resounding 53-0 vote.

"In many cases, we have found comparable private flood coverage is much less expensive than the NFIP product," according to Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller.

Currently, only a few carriers -- most notably, Lloyd's of London -- offer flood insurance, primarily because many lenders are unsure if private coverage meets government requirements. Also, private companies may not cover higher-risk properties, leaving the NFIP as the only choice in those cases.

Another drawback to the development of a private market is that borrowers who switch to a private policy and then decide to return to the government's program will probably not be eligible anymore for any rate subsidy they enjoyed with the NFIP previously.

The bill by Florida representatives Dennis Ross and Patrick Murphy would require lenders to accept private coverage if it complies with state laws and regulations and includes the required limits of coverage. Acceptable policies would have to be issued by a company that is licensed, admitted or otherwise approved by the state in which the property is located.

Rookie homebuyers should have a better go at financing over the next few years, compared with those who have gone before them.

At least, that's the story as laid out at a recent meeting of lenders in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Speakers said they expected hundreds of thousands of first-time buyers to enter the housing market in the coming years, and talked about what lenders are doing to try to satisfy the coming demand for mortgages.

David Stevens, a former federal housing official who now leads the trade group Mortgage Bankers Association, said household formations will increase to about 1.6 million a year between 2015 and 2024, compared to the increase of 1.2 million a year between 2010 and 2014.

Millennials and minorities will drive this demographic boom, with two-thirds of new household formations coming from minorities, Stevens said at the Regional Conference of Mortgage Bankers.

People form new households either by marriage or by moving out of Mom's house (or both). These new "households" either rent apartments or houses, or buy places of their own.

The popular wisdom suggests they will become renters first. But Stevens believes ownership may soon come first, especially for those not saddled with student loans. If ownership doesn't come first, than at least it will follow soon after an initial rental period, he predicts.

"The homeownership rate will go up again," he told the conference. "Younger renters want a home."

The ownership rate has plunged since the mortgage crisis of 2008. But in tandem, the rental sector has become tight and less affordable. Which means owning a home rather than leasing one is now a better option, in many places.

The challenge, said Regina Lowrie, a former MBA chair, will be "to access credit."

But on that score, major players already are looking forward. One is mortgage giant Fannie Mae, which has a program called HomeReady.

As described by Jennifer Whip, a vice president and head of customer management for Fannie Mae, HomeReady is designed to provide expanded mortgage eligibility in low-income, minority and disaster-impacted communities through low down payments and other features.

Fannie Mae isn't a lender itself, but it and its cousin, Freddie Mac, drive an enormous percentage of the mortgage market by purchasing loans from primary lenders. That helps lenders replenish their supplies of cash so they can make loans to more and more homebuyers.

Finding the up-front money is always a major obstacle for any borrower, but it is especially difficult for those of modest means. Under the HomeReady program, though, Fannie will buy loans with only a 3 percent down payment. Better yet, other sources of funds -- say, a gift from Dad -- can be used to help make a down payment and pay closing costs, so it is possible young buyers will need little or no money of their own.

Fannie and Freddie require all borrowers to obtain private mortgage insurance on any loan with less than 20 percent down. The insurance, which can be expensive, sometimes adding several hundreds dollars to the monthly house payment, serves as a backstop in case a borrower defaults on his loan. But for HomeReady, Fannie Mae has adopted a more flexible mortgage insurance program that trims premiums substantially.

Whip said HomeReady represents her company's attempt to get ahead of the next wave of buyers. Fannie Mae sees "a demographic sea change in the housing market, characterized by the rise of the millennials, increased diversity and a growing elderly population," she said. "And new household growth is being driven by traditionally underserved segments."

Radian Guaranty, a private mortgage insurer, is yet another big mortgage market player looking to cash in with future homebuyers. It has built a robust website full of advice for newbies on obtaining financing. The site -- achievethedream.com -- has articles that should be required reading for first-time buyers. Topics include what previous borrowers wished they'd known when they bought their first homes, how to repair damaged credit, how to save for a down payment, and how to connect to good real estate agents and mortgage lenders.

Meanwhile, Bank of America, in conjunction with a community development financial institution called the Self-Help Credit Union, is offering a program called the Affordable Loan Solution that gives eligible borrowers what it labels "an affordable entry price." (Full disclosure: I write a monthly column for a BoA newsletter.)

Under BoA's program, the giant bank will make the loans, then sell them to Self-Help. The credit union will then sell the loans to Freddie Mac, but it will continue to collect the payments on Freddie's behalf.

"The strength of the Affordable Loan Solution program is how it brings each partner's special expertise together to address the barriers faced by aspiring homebuyers with limited savings," according to Danny Gardner, vice president, affordable lending and access to credit at Freddie Mac.

-- Freelance writer Mark Fogarty contributed to this report.