Home Design

There seems to be a lot of debate about what Boomers really want in their new homes. On one hand, some would argue that a home built for retirees should allow for aging-in-place, a relatively new concept in home design that means building a home that adapts to meet the changing needs of aging home owners. The emphasis is placed more on building a home with the most practical features versus the most popular features. Homes equipped to age-in-place are often built with subtle modifications such as wider doorways, raised commodes and vanities, wheelchair accessible features and grab bars in the bathrooms.

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It is no secret that the Baby Boomers are changing the concept of retirement living. Whereas older generations flocked to Florida or moved to nursing homes, Boomers are redefining the retirement living landscape. Many retirees will pick up and move to a new home or a new state. But the fact is a majority of Baby Boomers will stay put right in their existing homes. A study conducted by the AARP noted that 71 percent of people 45 and older “strongly agree” that they wanted to remain in their current home when they retire.

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Active adult communities may not be for everyone. Many retirees instead prefer to find the perfect house for their needs and lifestyle. If the ideal retirement home cannot be found in one’s community of choice or the possibility of creating a personalized home is too appealing to ignore, many turn their thoughts toward building a new home.

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A recent study of 150 Coldwell Banker brokers around the country reveals that more empty-nester Baby Boomers are eager to leave their current homes once their children have moved out. The primary motivator for making this change is the desire to downsize.

It was quite common in the past for people to live in the same home from marriage until retirement. Many homeowners viewed their homes as a long-term investment worth staying in for many years. The study indicates that that attitude is slowly waning.

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The National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) 50+ Housing Council recently published an interesting report about the latest trends in the active adult market. The report confirms several of the trends 55Places.com has spotted in the industry. Specifically, the 50+ Housing Council noted that while buyers are downsizing, it is not by much and most 55+ home buyers will stay close to their current home when they make their next purchase.

The NAHB estimates that in the next year over a quarter of a million people will buy homes in age-restricted communities specifically designated for people 55 and older. New home builders will build over 100,000 units in active adult and retirement communities in order to meet this demand.

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There are some definite housing trends the real estate market is seeing when it comes to the preferences of empty nesters, baby boomers, retirees and those ages 55+. According to an article at RealEstate.com, four key trends are emerging:

* One-level living. Forget the stairs. People in this age group want everything on one level.
* Low-maintenance construction and materials. People don’t want to waste precious time doing periodic upkeep on their property. They want their homes constructed of materials that will continue looking great without periodic maintenance.
* A turnkey lifestyle. This is a mobile group. They want a home and a community that makes it easy to lock the door and go—leaving security and yard work to someone else.
* Downsized luxury. Although this age group often downsizes in terms of square footage, they still want fancy kitchens and other luxury amenities.

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There is an interesting article at NewHome Source that discusses floor plan trends, and may be useful if you are considering building or remodeling a home in an active adult community. Planning the layout of your new home is half the fun when you are making a move, and this article cites four useful pieces of information you should consider.

Site Lines. Want to make your space look bigger? Then you need to consider how you can open up the views from several different key perspectives in your home. Walling off views makes a space seem smaller. There are many professional and amateur CAD-type programs on the market that will help you visualize what certain interior perspectives will be long before the first nail is pounded.

Traffic Patterns. As the NewHome article states: “The success of a floor plan isn’t judged by how it looks when you’re standing still or seated. The true measure of a floor plan is how you move through it.” This requires not only looking at the floor plan, but really walking it in your mind to understand how the space will function.

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According to a story earlier this year in the Chicago Tribune, people ages 55 or more will account for 20 percent of this country’s new home sales. The information comes from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

The article points out some other surprising facts. Most people would assume that the 55+ crowd is in a downsizing mode, but the truth of the matter is that often 55+ buyers who make the move into an age-restricted community are actually looking to buy a bigger home and better quality.

Other new home features that are important to buyers in active adult communities include:

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