Join NAHB's New 20 Club For Seniors Housing
Do you want to learn from your peers in the seniors housing industry? The National Association of Home Builders, in conjunction with the NAHB Seniors Housing Council, is preparing to launch its first 20 Club for builders and developers who serve the 50+ housing market.

NAHB is seeking single-family and multifamily builders and developers who build for-sale and rental communities that cater to boomers, empty nesters, pre-retirees, active adults, and seniors. Plans also are underway to eventually form separate clubs for architects and other industry professionals involved in assisted living and other types of seniors housing.

NAHB's 50+ Seniors 20 Club is open to CEOs, presidents, owners, principals, and partners in companies involved in the seniors housing industry. Members will be grouped with other industry leaders from non-competing markets whose companies are similar in size and operations. They will meet to exchange ideas and develop business, strategic, and marketing plans that position their companies for success.

"The networking and education in a 20 Club is second to none," said NAHB Seniors Housing Council Vice Chair Randy Rinehart, a custom builder from Charlottesville, VA, who has been active in 20 Clubs program. "It allows the owners and decision-makers from companies to exchange information, find out what others are doing across the country, and pick up ways to improve operations and increase their bottom line. The best way to learn is through others' experiences." 

Fill out the 50+ Seniors 20 Club application. Or e-mail Kristin Peck or call her at 800-368-5242 x8105 for more details.

Del Webb Survey: Empty Nesters Ready For New Home, Expect Return Of Grown Children, Aging Parents
Many empty-nesters will be in the market for a new home now that their grown children have moved out, according to the 2004 Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey. The annual survey by Del Webb, a brand of Pulte Homes, asked boomers throughout the country about their feelings on becoming empty nesters and the impact it is expected to have on their retirement plans.  More than a third of the respondents (36%) plan to move to a new home when they become empty nesters, while a quarter (26%) are considering buying a home in an age-qualified active adult community.

The survey also looked closely at the Boomerang and Sandwich Generation phenomenon and how it will affect housing. Among the findings:

• While 58% of boomers are emotionally prepared for the kids to leave the house, many feel their "alone time" won't be long. Around 25% of the boomers surveyed anticipate their adult "boomerang" children will move back in with them. In fact, 15% currently have grown children who already have returned to the nest. A majority of the respondents (65%) say they would be happy to help their grown children if they needed to move back.
• Many boomers realize the nest could get crowded. In addition to their grown children, many boomers will have to deal with their own aging parents who may require assistance and need to move in with them. A quarter of boomers (24%) anticipate that their parents or in-laws will move in, and half of the respondents say they would welcome it.

According to the Del Webb survey, boomers who have grown children or aging parents living with them are interested in communities that can help them accomodate these life changes. Boomers ages 40 to 58 are more than twice as likely as those ages 59 to 70 to prefer an active adult community that is part of a multi-generational development. Del Webb anticipated this trend, launching several Anthem multi-generational communities in Arizona and Nevada starting in 1998.

Other survey results included the following:

• More than a third of empty nesters (36%) will relocate more than three hours away from their previous home.
• Boomers say their top reason for moving is they want a smaller house (44%). The same percentage want a home requiring less maintenance.
• Of boomers who plan to buy a home in an age-qualified active adult community, 86% seek security features, 85% want high-tech features, 79% prefer social activities, and 72% desire fitness programs.

The Del Webb survey also focused on boomers' finances and addressed grandchildren and other  emotional issues. Visit www.delwebb.com to check out the press release, key facts, and other information about empty nesters. [return to top]

Best of Seniors Housing Awards Reward Marketing, Design Excellence
Does your company have an innovative marketing campaign to promote your active adult or seniors community? The NAHB Seniors Housing Council has expanded its 2005 Best of Seniors Housing awards program to include 108 categories, including 31 for marketing. Among the new marketing categories are logo, community brochure, direct mail piece/campaign, Web site, black-and-white and color print advertisements, radio and television commercials, and special promotion for active adult, service-enriched, and multifamily communities.

The 2005 Best of Seniors Housing design and marketing awards program, "Celebrating Excellence ... Visions of the Future," also includes 77 design categories, offering plenty of opportunities for recognition. Design categories include:

• Active adult community
• Multifamily housing — for-sale condominiums, rental apartments, and affordable apartments
• Community center and community center interior design
• Model home merchandising
• Aging in place
• Assisted living
• Continuing care retirement community
• Congregate care community
• Mixed use
• Renovated seniors housing
• Special needs housing
• And much more!

Check out the 2005 Call for Entries for a complete list of categories and rules or visit www.nahb.org/seniorshousingawards. Or e-mail Eucklan Matthews or call her at 800-368-5242 x8220 to have a copy of the Call for Entries mailed to you.

Platinum, gold, and silver winners will be announced at the 2005 Best of Seniors Housing awards luncheon to be held Jan. 13, 2005, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL, in conjunction with the International Buiders' Show.  [return to top]

Get Ready For Columbus And NAHB's Fall Board Meeting
Join the National Association of Home Builders and the NAHB Seniors Housing Council at NAHB's Fall Board of Directors Meeting Sept. 29-Oct. 3 in Columbus, OH. More than 2,000 members of NAHB's Board of Directors will be on hand for one of the association's tri-annual meetings. Don't miss this prime opportunity to network with your peers, bolster your industry knowledge through educational programs, and participate in Seniors Housing Council activities.

The Seniors Housing Council invites you to become active in the Council by attending meetings in Columbus. Meetings will take place at the Hyatt Regency Columbus and the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Check out the complete Fall Board of Directors Meeting schedule and the preliminary Seniors Housing Council schedule. More details will be available in the next issue of Seniors Housing e/Source.

Register online today to make your hotel and travel plans. We look forward to seeing in Boston this fall. [return to top]

Affluent Boomers Interested In Buying A Second Home, Centex Says
More boomers are interested in owning a second home, according to the Second Home/Vacation Property National Study conducted by Centex Destination Properties. The study estimated that 25% of affluent households — which included boomers and some Gen-Xers ages 35 to 65 — are considering buying a second home in the next two to three years. In fact, the total number of second-home buyers is projected to double from 5.8 million in 2000 to 11.4 million in 2009, according to data from Claritas, Inc.

The CDP survey respondents, with a median age of 45 and incomes of $125,000 or more, noted that they were willing to spend an average of $350,000 for a single-family home and $295,000 for a condominium or townhome.

The survey respondents identified low upkeep/maintenance, proximity to shops and restaurants, walking paths, and outdoor activities such as hiking and bicycling as the most important amenities or features. However, the study revealed a few surprising results:

• There was relatively little interest in championship and private golf courses, tennis courts, or nearby ski areas.
• Most second-home buyers are willing to drive farther. Nearly 40% of respondents will travel more than four hours.
• Buyers are motivated by a desire to tune out and relax, rather than treat the second home as an extended office. A majority of the repondents (57%) viewed second homes as a place to get away from business pressures.
• While boomers are the primary market, there is an increasing number of younger buyers who are looking for a second home. Around 30% of the survey respondents were Gen-Xers under the age of 40. 

The survey also noted that the most desirable locations were places with a year-round temperate climate, followed by those with with a distinct change of seasons. The top five most popular destinations were Naples/Marco Island, FL, the southern New Jersey and Delaware coasts, the Florida Keys, the southern South Carolina coast, and Maui.

"Today's second home is a safe haven from the pressures of day-to-day life, where people can unplug and enjoy themselves with friends and family amidst natural beauty," said Joel Sowers, executive vice president of Centex Destination Properties. "We consider it not recreation, but re-creation."

Check out the executive summary for more information on the CDP study. [return to top]

NAHB Provides Online Voter Registration and Early Voting Tools
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently kicked off four months of election activities with the launch of a comprehensive election Web site (www.nahb.org/elections) for its members and their employees.

The Web site, which helps users in all 50 states register to vote and vote early, positions NAHB as a leading provider of election information for its members, their families, and their employees. 

State and local associations are encouraged to promote this site as a valuable — and free — member benefit. An Election Tool Kit, which includes promotional copy, talking points, and a press release, is available online to help HBA staff in these efforts.

In addition to the site's early voting and voter registration features, www.nahb.org/elections contains a variety of election resources, including the latest national poll results, information on NAHB's activities at the nominating conventions, and candidate contribution information.

The early voting and voter registration areas of the site, accessible directly at http://Homebuilders.HelpingAmericansVote.org, leverage recent voting law changes to help members and their contacts take advantage of convenient voting methods, such as early voting, absentee voting, and voting by mail. Although each state has its own set of election laws, three-fourths of them allow their citizens to vote early — some as early as 43 days before Election Day.

For more information on voting laws and requirements in your state or to register to vote or vote early, go to http://homebuilders.helpingamericansvote.org. NAHB members can view the full suite of NAHB's election resources at www.nahb.org/elections.

Additional information and election and promotional tools will be arriving in your inbox in the coming months. [return to top]

Help NAHB Solve the GLI Crisis: Complete The Survey
More than 50,000 NAHB members have received a “call to action” to fill out a survey about their general liability insurance (GLI). The survey is part of a GLI initiative to get an accurate national picture of the loss experiences of the residential construction industry and to develop new GLI products exclusively for the NAHB membership.

“NAHB members who receive the mailing should sit down and complete the survey and provide the materials needed to make this project a success,” said NAHB President Bobby Rayburn. “With insurance costs rising and exemptions making coverage less effective, it’s in everyone’s interest to participate in this effort.”

Builders, remodelers, and trade contractors who did not receive the mailing are strongly encouraged to participate in the initiative. The materials are available online at www.nahb.org/gli.

NAHB is partnering with Marsh, a global insurance and consulting firm, to develop new GLI products that will meet members’ needs. Marsh and NAHB are working on a timetable that would bring new GLI products to the market by January 2005. 

E-mail Blake Smith or call him at 800-368-5242 x8583 for more information. [return to top]

Protect Your Home, Company From Fraud
Are you concerned about fraud? At any time, you or your company can be robbed — whether you are working on the job site, sitting at your desk, or away on vacation. And, in all likelihood, you won't know it happened until well after the fact — if ever.

NAHB has published a series of monthly articles by Diane C.O. Gilson, president of Info Plus Accounting, in Nation's Building News Online. Among the topics are:

• Assessing your knowledge of fraud
• Why construction businesses are at increased risk for fraudulent activity
• The power of self-defense strategies (awareness, preparation, and action)
• Warning signs and what to do if you suspect or discover a problem
• Analyzing and recognizing the specific risks that your company faces
• The importance and impact of environmental controls
• Preventative and detective controls for bank accounts, credit cards, payroll and employees, purchasing and company costs, and computer and accounting systems
• Avoiding identity theft

Check out the current article in NBN Online as well as past articles. [return to top]

Seniors Housing Council Welcomes New Staff Member
The NAHB Seniors Housing Council recently hired James Boston as its new account manager. In addition to handling advertising sales for Seniors' Housing News magazine, Boston  coordinates the Council's sponsorship program and is in charge of exhibit and sponsorship sales for Building for Boomers & Beyond: Seniors Housing Symposium.

Boston comes to NAHB after a five-year stint as the advertising sales manager for Landscape Architecture magazine. He also has sold advertising for USA Today and worked in sales for General Electric and Automotive OEM Lighting, handling accounts for companies like the Ford Motor Company.

A graduate of Longwood College in Farmville, VA, Boston is originally from Orange, VA — the same hometown as President James Madison and PGA golf pro John Daly.

If you are interested in sponsorship, advertising, or exhibit opportunities, please e-mail him or call 800-368-5242 x8208.

Welcome aboard, James! [return to top]

Member Advantage: NAHB Members Get Preferred Association Pricing With DHL Express
The National Assocation of Home Builders has teamed with DHL to bring members a full suite of domestic and international shipping services, covering 220 countries and territories around the globe.

NAHB members can take advantage of the complete menu of DHL services, including DHL Next Day, DHL 2nd Day, DHL Ground, International Document Express, Worldwide Priority Express, Import Express, and more.

Members also eligible for preferred DHL association member pricing, and members previously participating in NAHB's Airborne program automatically will be transferred to the DHL program.

For more information, to set up your DHL account, or for questions about your current account, contact the dedicated association hotline at 800-MEMBERS (800-636-2377) from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET or log onto www.membersales.com/NAHB.

For the most up-to-date details on the Member Advantage discount program and all of the participating companies, go to http://memberadvantage.nahb.org. Or visit www.nahb.org to explore the full range of benefits associated with membership in your local, state, and national home builders associations. [return to top]

Have An Idea? Contact Seniors Housing e/Source
Is there a topic you'd like to see in an upcoming issue of Seniors Housing e/Source? Please send us company news, interesting articles, or tell us what you'd like to see in your monthly newsletter. Feel free to contact me:

Seniors' Housing e/Source

c/o Jeff Jenkins

NAHB Seniors Housing Council

1201 15th St., NW

Washington, DC 20005-2800

jjenkins@nahb.com

800-368-5242 x8292

202-266-8195 (fax) [return to top]