Buckeye State-Bound: NAHB, Seniors Housing Council Ready For Fall Board
NAHB's Fall Board of Directors Meeting is right around the corner. Join more than 2,000 members of NAHB's Board of Directors from every state and region of the country Thursday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 3, in Columbus, OH, for one of NAHB's tri-annual meetings. Don't miss this prime opportunity to network with your peers, take care of NAHB business, and participate in Seniors Housing Council activities.

NAHB has a busy week planned for its Fall Board of Directors Meeting. Check out NAHB's meeting and event schedule and register today.

The Seniors Housing Council encourages you to become active in the Council by attending meetings in Columbus. Council meetings will take place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Columbus. The Seniors Housing Council's Fall Board schedule is below:

Seniors Housing Council Meeting Schedule

Thursday, Sept. 30
Greater Columbus Convention Center

Publications Committee	8-10 a.m., C215, Level 2
Seniors Housing Awards Committee	8-10 a.m., C210, Level 2
Research Committee	10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., C210, Level 2
Symposium Committee	1-3 p.m., C215, Level 2
Membership & Marketing Committee	3:30-5:30 p.m., C215, Level 2
Leadership Dinner	6:30-9:30 p.m., Chapel Grove   (held off-site)

Friday, Oct. 1
Hyatt Regency Columbus

Advocacy Committee	8-9 a.m., Hyatt, Union B, 2nd floor
Editorial Board	9-10:30 a.m., Hyatt, Union B, 2nd floor
Sponsorship Committee	9-10:30 a.m., Hyatt, Union E, 2nd floor
Convention Education Committee	11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Hyatt, Union B, 2nd floor
Icons Awards Committee	11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Hyatt, Madison, 2nd floor
Education and Certification Committee	1-2:30 p.m., Hyatt, Madison, 2nd floor
Rental Seniors Housing Committee	1-2:30 p.m., Hyatt, Union B, 2nd floor
Full Council Meeting	3-6 p.m., Hyatt, Delaware C&D, 2nd floor

The Council's Leadership Dinner is planned from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, at Chapel Grove, an independent living community in nearby Heath, OH. Cost is $60 per person, and transportation will be provided. Check out the registration form for more details. Reservations are required. E-mail the Seniors Housing Council or call 800-368-5242 x8220 for more details.

Working Group Looks At Section 8 Fair Market Rents For Assisted Living
The Seniors Housing Council will hold a working group of assisted living builders and developers to discuss the issue of fair market rents for Section 8 residents of assisted living facilities during the NAHB Fall Board of Directors Meeting in Columbus, OH. The meeting is scheduled from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus, Champagne Room.

Recent NAHB policy has supported increasing fair market rents (FMRs) for assisted living residents. NAHB presented the argument to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that the rent portion of construction costs are higher to support the increased square footage of common space needed to provide specialized services for residents.

The working group will look at strategies and options to gain leverage to convince HUD to increase FMRs for assisted living residents.

Seniors Housing Council members or NAHB members who build or develop assisted living communities are invited to participate in the working group. E-mail Leslie Marks or call her at 800-368-5242 x8235 for more information. [return to top]

Want To Brag? Enter 2005 Best Of Seniors Housing Awards
Proud of your new community? Does it break the mold in architectural or community design, amenities, community center, or merchandising? Is your marketing program generating plenty of buzz in your sales center? Don't waste another second — enter the 2005 Best of Seniors Housing awards program today!

The Seniors Housing Council celebrates excellence and innovation in the seniors housing industry by recognizing current and "on the boards" projects that set the standard. In addition to active adult, there are dozens of design categories for assisted living, continuing care retirement community, congregate care communty, mixed use, multifamily, renovated seniors housing, special needs housing, and aging in place.

New this year are marketing categories for:

• Logo
• Community brochure
• Direct-mail piece/campaign
• Print advertisements
• Radio and television commercials
• Sales center
• Special promotion
• Web site
• And more!

Check out the Call for Entries for the criteria and various categories and view last year's winners. Deadline for entries has been extended to Friday, Nov. 5. E-mail Janice Coyle or call 800-368-5242 x8386 for more details. [return to top]

AARP Research Closely Examines Boomers' Wealth
Net worth has grown substantially among boomers in recent years due to strong economic growth, but it may not be enough to get them through retirement, according to AARP research.  In its paper titled "The Distribution of Financial Wealth Among Boomers," AARP's Public Policy Institute notes that net worth increased substantially for many boomers — especially whites, men, married couples, older boomers, home owners, and those with college degrees — but it still may not be sufficient without Social Security and other pension plans.

Using data from the Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances, AARP revealed the following:

• Median net worth increased from $36,000 in 1989 to more than $107,000 in 2001. Counting home equity, net worth exploded from $140,000 to nearly $400,000 during that same period.
• Median net worth varied by individual and demographic factors. For example, the median net worth for white households grew from nearly $57,000 to $147,000, while the total for nonwhites increased from only $3,000 in 1989 to just under $25,000 in 2001. Married couples and boomers with college degrees saw their net worth expand substantially.
• Older boomers (born from 1946 to 1955) tripled their median net worth from $45,000 to $146,000. Younger boomers (born from 1956 to 1964) jumped from $29,000 to $86,000, but these boomers are doing better than older boomers at comparable ages.
• Homeownership is the primary source of net worth for Americans. Home owners had $100,000 in net worth in 1989, compared to just more than $2,000 for non-home owners. By 2001, home owners had $175,000 in net worth, while non-home owners had only $7,000.

A second AARP study, "The Inequality of Financial Wealth Among Boomers," noted that boomer wealth is more concentrated in the highest income brackets than in the late 1980s. The top 1% hold a greater share of net worth than the bottom 80% and almost as much as the bottom 90%. However, the percentage with zero or negative net worth has declined steadily.

The two studies confirm that boomers have more money today than a decade earlier, although people in the upper income ranges and in certain demograpic groups control most of the wealth. While builders should target their most affluent buyers, they shouldn't forget to offer product across several price points to meet the needs of an wildly diverse market. [return to top]

Maryland Court of Appeals Rules In Favor Of Active Adult Developer
The home building industry recently scored a victory in Maryland's highest court in a legal case where a land developer's fully-executed development agreement with a local government was under legal attack by a citizens' conservation group. The Queen Anne's Conservation Association, headquartered on Maryland's Eastern Shore, opposed development of K. Hovnanian Companies' proposed active adult community in Queen Anne's County and raised several legal objections, mostly zoning-related.
 
In Queen Anne's Conservation, Inc. v. The County Commissioners of Queen Anne's County, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the conservation group lacked standing to challenge the development agreement in court because the group had not exhausted all administrative remedies. Under the administrative appeals process, the group was required to appeal to the local board of appeals — which it failed to do.

K. Hovnanian already had spent years obtaining approvals for the proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD), so the case signifies a big legal victory: Had the Court granted standing to the conservation group, the case likely would have lingered in the courts for another two or three years at the developer's expense. 

The Court of Appeals determined the circumstances and forum which a third party could launch a collateral attack on development agreements executed by developers and municipal governments. Because the development agreement process is a relatively new land use tool in Maryland, the Court's ruling is instructive with regard to the significance of development agreements.

NAHB filed an amicus brief in the case on behalf of K. Hovnanian, advocating the importance of protecting the development agreement process from open-ended legal attacks by third parties after agreements have been executed. The Court of Appeals agreed, quoting extensively from NAHB's brief in their opinion. 

Development agreements, which serve the critical function of vesting developers' property rights, are vital to the public and private sectors in fostering predictability and certainty in the development approval process. Allowing third parties to attack these agreements at any time would damage the process by which land development is approved, financed, and delivered. Fortunately for the building industry, the Maryland Court of Appeals agreed.

For more on the case, e-mail Jon Luther,  NAHB staff counsel, or call 800-368-5242 x8329. [return to top]

Immigrants Have Huge Impact On Housing Market
America's growing immigrant population will have a lasting impact on the housing industry. A recent article in The Washington Post highlighted several important trends. 

Using data from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, Georgetown University, U.S. Census Bureau, and the Center for Housing Policy, the article noted that: 

• More than 30 million immigrants reside in this country, and their tastes and preferences will influence new-home design trends and sales tactics.
• Foreign-born households accounted for approximately 19% of new and existing home sales between 1998 and 2001.
• 13 states saw foreign immigration increase by more than 100% during the 1990s.
• Approximately 50% of immigrants own their own homes — a percentage that increases as immigrants become official U.S. citizens.
• Immigrants are three times as likely as other adults to rank home buying as their top priority.
• Asian and Hispanic populations in this country grew at almost four times the speed of the overall population from 2000 to 2003.
• The number of newly formed U.S. households could beat previous estimates by as much as 10% due to immigration in the next decade.
• Compared to about 8% of U.S.-born families, 14% of immigrant families pay half their incomes for housing.

The seniors housing industry has recognized the influence of the growing immigrant population. The Seniors Housing Council published several articles in a past issue of Seniors' Housing News, one exploring the importance of cultural diversity in kitchen design and another on creating optimal living for the Asian culture.  

"Today's senior homes should support and help preserve their cultural heritage, not only as a special link to the past, but an an influence and tradition for future generations," said Mary Jo Peterson of Brookfield, CT-based Mary Jo Peterson, Inc., a certified kitching, bath, and aging-in-place designer. "Incorporating cultural elements of our target market offers the opportunity to improve the product we offer and better meet clients' varying needs." [return to top]

NIC Conference And Other Industry News
The NAHB Seniors Housing Council hosted its conference, Building for Boomers & Beyond, earlier this year in Chicago. Now, the National Investment Center For the Seniors Housing & Care Industries (NIC) will hold its 14th annual NIC Conference this fall in the Windy City. Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton, and Thomas A. Scully, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, will speak at this year's conference to be held Oct. 6-8 at the Chicago Marriott Downtown.

The conference's theme is “At the Intersection of Wall Street and Main: Bringing Together Opportunity and Capital.” Breakout sessions will focus on financing, operating, and regulatory topics of interest to both facility providers and capital suppliers, and will cover the seniors housing and care continuum from independent living to skilled nursing. Visit NIC's Web site or call 410-267-0504 for more details.

In other industry news:

• Margaret Wylde, president and CEO of ProMatura Group, LLC, won the American Society on Aging's 2004 Leadership Award. ASA presents the award to a member who has made significant contributions to the growth and development of ASA and the field of aging. Wylde, an NAHB Seniors Council trustee, is one of the seniors housing industry's foremost market researchers and consulants. She is the author of several books, including Boomers on the Horizon: Housing Preferences of the 55+ Market.
• The Policy Committee for the 2005 White House Conference on Aging recently announced the first White House Conference on Aging of the 21st Century to be held Oct. 23-26, 2005, in Washington, DC. The Policy Committee, as required by the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000, will plan and implement next year's conference, including making decisions on the theme, selection of delegates, pre-conference events, topic areas, and the general direction. NAHB and the Seniors Housing Council plan to be involved in this event. Check out the Administration on Aging's press release for more details.
• The Erickson Foundation recently announced a $5 million commitment to support the formation of a new school at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, to develop leaders in the burgeoning seniors housing and care industries. The new Erickson School of Aging Studies, named after John Erickson, chairman and CEO of Baltimore, MD-based Erickson Retirement Communities, will focus on courses and research in seniors housing and services for the aging. The school will offer its first non-credit executive development courses during the fall semester. The NAHB Seniors Housing Council plans to collaborate with the Erickson School of Aging Studies on active adult research in the future. Check out the press release for more details.
• Del Webb is planning its second Sun City active adult community in South Carolina. According to an article in the Charlotte Observer, the Lancaster County Council recently approved a 3,600-home age-qualified community in the northern part of the state. Dubbed Sun City Carolina Lakes by Del Webb, the development will be built on 1,200 acres and could eventually house 4,800, making it the largest retirement community in the Charlotte metropolitan area.  Home prices are expected to range from $150,000 to $350,000. The article states that the Carolinas continue to be a hotbed for seniors housing and that many retirees are attracted by South Carolina's low taxes. Sun City Carolina Lakes joins Del Webb's Sun City Hilton Head, the builder's other community in the state.

Participate in National Aging In Place Week 2004
The National Advisory Council for Aging in Place, a group organized and supported by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, currently is making plans for National Aging in Place Week 2004 to be held Nov. 7-13.

The Council, supported by the NAHB Seniors Housing Council, the NAHB Remodelors™ Council, and the NAHB Research Center, will organize AIP Week activities in up to 25 cities to highlight public and private sector programs — including healthcare, transportation, housing, and other supportive services — that enable seniors to live in their homes longer. The primary objectives are to:

1. Raise the general public's awareness of AIP issues
2. Build a lasting coalition of allied business professionals in each community who can work together to help homeowners live in their homes as long as possible

Last year, NRMLA convened the National Advisory Council for Aging in Place to help coordinate the inaugural National Aging In Place Week. Events were hosted in seven cities to demonstrate the need for consumer education about home modification and other strategies that promote successful aging in place. Other activities were a well-attended AIP Summit at NAHB headquarters in Washington DC, the publication of the NRMLA Guide to Aging in Place, and the launch of the SeniorsSafeHome.com Web site.

To learn how to become involved in National Advisory Council for Aging in Place activities this year, e-mail Louis Tenenbaum or call 301-983-0131, or e-mail Darryl Hicks or call 202-939-1784. [return to top]

NAHB News: More Awards, A Taste Of Mexico
The National Association of Home Builders is offering the following programs and events. 

Building Systems Councils Excellence in Marketing & Home Design Awards — NAHB’s Building Systems Councils (BSC) are accepting entries for the annual BSC Excellence in Marketing & Home Design Awards. Categories for systems-built housing manufacturers and associates are open only to current BSC members; builder categories are open to any NAHB builder member using building systems. The Building Systems Councils represent the interests of the concrete, log, modular, and panelized home building industries. Deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 10. Winners will be recognized during the Building Systems Councils SHOWCASE in Austin, TX. Contact: Eric Fulton, 800-368-5242 x8577.

National Sales and Marketing Awards — Sponsored by NAHB’s National Sales and Marketing Council, the National Sales and Marketing Awards recognize excellence in new-home sales and marketing. Held each year at the International Builders' Show, The Nationals pay tribute to the best in architectural achievement, design, advertising and promotion, interior merchandising, Web site design, and more. Entry deadline is Friday, Sept. 24. Contact: Taylor Blanchard, 800-368-5242 x8680.

2005 Pillars of the Industry Awards — Apartment owners and developers, property managers, architects, interior designers, and others involved in the multifamily housing industry are invited to submit entries to this annual Pillars of the Industry Awards competition sponsored by NAHB’s Multifamily Council. The entry deadline is Monday, Nov. 1.  Eligibility requirements and application forms are available at http://www.pillarsconference.com/.

International Housing Conference of the Americas — The Mexican home building market is expected to grow to $6.7 billion by 2005. Want a piece of it? Attend the 2nd International Housing Conference of the Americas, sponsored by NAHB International, the week of Nov. 7-10 in Mexico City. Highlights include networking meetings between U.S. and Mexican company representatives, property tours of Mexico’s top builders, and interactive, highly informative panels. All sessions include simultaneous English/Spanish translation. The first 200 registrants will receive complimentary registration to the 2005 International Builders' Show. Contact: Matt Monjan, 800-368-5242 x8419.  [return to top]

NAHB Member Advantage: Members Get Special Discounts From Hertz
Special member savings are yours with Hertz. Use your Hertz discount CDP# 51046 whenever you rent a car to save up to 20% depending on where and when you travel. Call 800-654-2200. Better yet, go to http://memberadvantage.nahb.org, click "view all member discounts," and scroll down to Hertz. Make a reservation, check rates, or special offers.

That's also where you can join the Hertz #1 Club Gold® and have your fee waived (a $50 value). With Hertz #1 Club Gold, there’s no need to stop at any airport counters. Simply go to the designated Gold counter, show your driver’s license, and pick up your keys. When you register online, enter the following information: Company Name: NAHB, CDP#: 51046, Promo Code #: 4839.

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]