Active adult home buyers want maintenance-free options
like yard or grounds service and exterior home repairs, according to results from a new study from NAHB and Countrywide Home Loans. The study results, announced during the 2003 Seniors Housing Symposium, indicated that while baby boomers and seniors may plan on having more leisure time in their golden years, they don't intend to spend it doing chores. Three out of four builders surveyed indicated that the quest for a maintenance-free lifestyle was their customers' primary motivation for relocating to a seniors community, followed by the desire to be closer to children, grandchildren, and family.

Around two-thirds of builders reported that their 50+ customers were relocating from the same community or the same state. About one-fourth of the builders built in outer suburbs, 15% in central cities, and 11% in rural areas. These seniors communities included age-restricted, age-targeted (50 or older), independent living, assisted living, and continuing-care retirement communities.

A few of the other survey findings were:

• The most popular feature and amenity was central heat and air conditioning, with 90% of builders including that feature in their seniors communities. Other common amenities were lever handle/door knobs (83%), a full bath on entry level (83%), and an attached garage (79%).
• Builders recognize that customers want homes that promote safety and a sense of security. Around 69% of builders included strategically placed streetlights, followed by a home security system (52%) and controlled community entrance/exit (46%).
• Builders have responded to the fact that today's seniors are increasingly technologically savvy. Around 69% of builders included structured wiring in their communities in 2002, and 60% installed high-speed Internet access.
• Convenience is a major plus for senior buyers.  Three out of four builders built seniors communities close to shopping centers, and two-thirds of builders built homes close to churches, hospitals, or doctor's offices.
• Around 60% of builders indicated that 50+ buyers prefer to pay cash for their new homes. Of the remaining respondents, 27% said their buyers opted for high downpayments of 30% or more.

Read NAHB's release for an overview of the results or check out the complete 2003 Builder Study. For more details, contact Jeff Jenkins at 800-368-5242 x8292 or jjenkins@nahb.com.

2003 Seniors Housing Symposium sets record
with nearly 500 attendees at the event held April 28-30 at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, CA. Highlights of Building for Boomers & Beyond: Emerging Trends, Evolving Markets were a sold-out community bus tour, a first-ever golf tournament, and 20 educational sessions.

Keynote speaker Mark Goldstein of the Impact Presentations Group pumped up Symposium attendees with his presentation, Staying on Top of An Ever-Changing World: Implications for the Building Industry. Goldstein identified the evolution of women as one of the key factors affecting the industry, pointing out that 84% of boomer women in families are either joint or key decision-makers in the home. He identified the growth of the senior population, a declining birth rate, and the emergence of aging boomers as the biggest demographic shifts affecting the building industry and noted that today's seniors continue to redefine what retirement means. In addition, he alluded to two significant events — Sept. 11, 2001 and the 2000 stock market crash — that continue to impact the industry. The events of 9/11 turned the travel boom into the nesting boom, causing Americans, especially seniors, to spend money on improving their existing homes or to seek the new home of their dreams. Meanwhile, the bull market caused 80% of investors ages 50-70 to lose money during the past few years, which has made many seniors highly skeptical about marketing.

Other Symposium sessions covered hot trends like the growing popularity of multifamily product and urban infill communities, the benefits of universal design, and much more. Visit NAHB's Web site to get audio tapes of the 2003 Symposium's educational sessions. To order a copy of the Building for Boomers & Beyond handbook with session notes, contact Carroll Richie at crichie@nahb.com.

Special thanks to the following 2003 Symposium sponsors and exhibitors:

• Sponsors: Professional Warranty Service Corp. (hole-in-one) and Mosshaim Innovations (Icons of the Industry Awards breakfast)
• Exhibitors: Access Industries, Andersen Corp., Comfort Designs, Fidelity TeleAlarm, Genesis Homes, Ideal Software, Inc., Life Fitness, Martin Architectural Group, Mature Living Choices, MarkSzabo.com, Max-Ability, Inc., MGA Interiors & Graphics, Mosshaim Innovations, NAHB Seniors Housing Council, NAHB University of Housing, nvision strategies, Perlman Architects, ProMatura Group, LLC, Professional Warranty Service Corp., Sharon Brooks & Associates, Trace Marketing, VELOX, and Villas of America.

Check out NAHB's new enhanced Web site
to learn more about the Seniors Housing Council and the seniors housing industry. NAHB unveiled Version 2.0 of its Web site, www.nahb.org, during last month's Spring Board of Directors' meeting. The new version features public information to help educate consumers about the home building industry as well as content developed specifically for NAHB members, including Seniors Housing Council members.

The Seniors Housing Council main page includes six different sections. Check out the About the Seniors Housing Council section for general information, or click on Seniors Housing Council Resources, which includes the latest market statistics, the most popular amenities, and current NAHB research. You'll also find out how to join Council committees under Seniors Housing Council Leadership & Governance and vital Council reports under Seniors Housing Council Meeting Minutes. The site also houses issues of Seniors Housing e/Source and a list of current Seniors Housing Council Sponsors. 

NAHB members can log in to www.nahb.org using their current www.nahb.net username and password. Just go to www.nahb.org, click on the blue Member Log In button, and enter your username and password. Once you've been logged in, you'll be prompted to change your username to a current e-mail address. There also is a tool for first-time users. Call 800-368-5242 x0 for details. [return to top]

Be a speaker at the Seniors Housing Symposium
to be held April 14-16, 2004, at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Chicago. Building for Boomers & Beyond: It's All About Lifestyle is expected to attract more than 500 builders, developers, architects, sales and marketing professionals, and others who serve the 50+ market. Go online to fill out a Request for Proposal form. Don't miss the Monday, June 9, deadline for RFP submissions. The Symposium Education Committee is looking for innovative educational programs, especially ones that cater to more experienced industry professionals. For details, contact Leslie Marks at 800-368-5242 x8235 or lmarks@nahb.com. [return to top]

Do you know what you should about "visitability?"
It's a term coined by advocates for the disabled to reference accessibility issues in single-family homes, and it's something that could affect your business. While numerous design modifications can make homes accessible to physically challenged people, many builders are concerned about possible increased costs and their impact on basic housing affordability. NAHB recently adopted policy opposing mandatory visitability requirements, yet supporting state and local HBAs wishing to develop voluntary programs that encourage builders to incorporate accessible design features in single-family homes. Get all the facts in NAHB's latest edition of the One Minute Report. Contact Laura Dooley at 800-368-5242 x8361 or ldooley@nahb.com for a free copy of the publication. [return to top]

Council recognizes its 2003 Icons of the Industry
during a ceremony at the 2003 Seniors Housing Symposium held recently in Indian Wells, CA. The four winners were cited for their leadership in developing communities, products, and educational services targeted specifically for the growing 50+ seniors housing market. The Icons include Henry J. Paparazzo of Heritage Development Group in Southbury, CT (active adult builder/developer); Andrew S. Kohlberg of Kisco Senior Living in Carlsbad, CA (service-enriched builder/developer); Richard Duncan of The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC (educator); and Minneapolis, MN-based Honeywell (product manufacturer). Learn more about the 2003 Icons from an NAHB press release. Contact Leslie Marks at 800-368-5242 x8235 for more information about the Icons of the Industry program. [return to top]

Demand is high for adult day centers
across the United States, according to a national study funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In fact, 56% of counties don't have enough adult day centers to meet the need, says Nancy Cox, national director of Partners in Caregiving and an instructor in psychiatry and behavorial science at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Cox told an audience at the recent 2003 Joint Conference of the National Council on the Aging and the American Society of the Aging in Chicago that the recent U.S. Census revealed that there are only 3,407 adult day centers in the country, serving primarily people with dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) and frail elderly people. Cox added that 5,415 new centers are needed nationwide (1,424 in rural areas and 3,991 in urban areas) and that the average daily cost for an adult day center is only $56. Contact Cox at 336-716-4941 or njcox@wfubmc.edu for the complete report. [return to top]

Member Advantage: Save up to 20% on postage
NAHB members can eliminate time-consuming trips to the post office for stamps and to weigh packages while saving up to 20% on postage costs with a Pitney-Bowes Personal Post™ postage meter.

For more information, or to order, call 888-253-7900 toll-free. Mention reference #9999 99 101.

Click here to order online and for details on more than a dozen other money-making Member Advantage discount programs, or send a blank e-mail to membersavings@nahb.com. Go to www.nahb.org to explore the numerous advantages with membership in your local, state, and national home builders association. [return to top]