The Demographics of Aging

You hear anecdotes around the country about being in the business of selling to folks 50+. As many of you who have attended NARA Conferences know, there are several distinct age groups in the 50+ industry and there are different attitudes, stages of health and stages of wealth in each of those age segments.

Across all ages, many reports are that if an older adult "has" to move because of health or wealth, he/she has moved forward. If it is a desire to move, the older adult has continued to "shop" and has been reluctant to pull the trigger.

This scenario is not true across the board, however. For instance, 50+ Active Adult communities that got a good foothold before the downturn continue to sell well. I would point to Jim Chapman Communities in the Atlanta area and Carolina Preserve and Carolina Lakes Del Webb communities in Cary, NC and Lancaster County, SC, respectively.

Location helps, of course, Cary is stuck in the middle of the popular Triangle area of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. The "Panhandle" of Lancaster County, SC has become a suburb of the affluent Ballantyne area of Charlotte. Both of these communities have remained top sellers in their areas even in the downturn.

But, as NARA speakers have repeatedly stressed in the past, success can also be narrowed down to delivering what the customer wants. And these are three examples of developer/builders that do an excellent job of pricing, home designs, community design, lifestyle and amenities.