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Beyond Location: Factors That Drive Active Adult Sales
 “Location, location, location,” is not the only reason — and probably not the primary reason — active adults purchase a new home.
Astute active adult community developers are spending more time analyzing their markets and the reasons behind buyer purchases, and what they are finding is that consumers follow a distinct process encompassing many factors, not just location, when making a purchasing decision.
To put it more simply, they are discovering that this market generally shops community and community amenities first — and the house itself last.
Therefore, active adult developers should take advantage of the multiple opportunities to leave a positive impression that well-designed and through-out communities have on prospective buyers before those prospects ever see the models.
Designing communities for the active adult lifestyle requires a more comprehensive approach than simply plunking houses down on lots, although it differs very little from designing to appeal to other market segments. After all, 70% of all active adults will buy in an intergenerational community rather than an age-restricted one.
So how do you design a community that will appeal to this vibrant and rapidly growing sector of the market?
A More Comprehensive Design Is Needed
The key to successfully designing communities for active adults is to truly understand how they make the decision to purchase a home.
Our company, David Jensen Associates, Inc., has done just that by creating what we call the Buyer’s Sequence tool. The Tool is designed to show how every step of the community planning process is an opportunity to get inside the buyer’s mind, to appeal to the consumer’s needs and wants, and to help mold the ultimate decision to purchase a home.
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The Home Buyer’s 12-Step Purchasing Sequence
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Beyond the Control of Community Developers: |
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1. 2. 3. |
Access and proximity to employment and quality educational facilities
Image and character of the area
Regional recreational facilities and opportunities
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Within the Control of Community Developers: |
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4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. |
Community perimeter
Community gateway
Community threshhold/transition drive
Community lifestyle
Community streetscape
Neighborhood entry
Neighborhood streetscape
The lot
The house |
Creating communities for active adults is a sophisticated process. It requires learning the sales and marketing elements, so that the fabric of the community has an appealing function, lifestyle and image. Additionally, it’s important to recognize active adults’ hobbies and desires and create images of a rewarding lifestyle throughout the community. For this discerning market, the attention to detail will pay off.
And while location may not be the primary consideration, there are several locational aspects that matter greatly to consumers. These factors make up the first four steps of the buyer’s sequence: access and proximity to employment; educational facilities and personal services; image and character of the area; and recreational facilities and opportunities.
Access
Most people have a tolerance level of a specific length of time they will spend driving to work each day, so a development with reasonable access to employment has a distinct advantage. Typically, when looking to purchase a new home, buyers will begin in an area at an optimum distance from their jobs and expand to a certain point only if no housing options exist within their price range.
Personal Services and Lifestyle Opportunities
Active adults are more interested in a new and exciting lifestyle than a new house. They prefer communities that offer them a wide variety of amenities, so communities should include access to specialty retail, wellness centers, libraries and hobby shops. Central trail systems should link the amenities and facilitate walking, biking and alternative modes of transportation.
Community Character
To achieve true walkability, plans should begin with open space and trails and walkways. Once done, the remaining development space should be refined and roads should be connected to that space. Curvilinear streets should replace monotonous grids in order to slow traffic, display elegant landscape design and encourage a walkable lifestyle.
The remaining eight steps of the buyer’s sequence fall entirely within the community developer’s and land planner’s control and begin at the perimeter of the property. As consumers are driving down the road, changes in landscape or structural features such as a brick wall or wood fencing should signal the approach of the community, and logos should be used to stimulate the buyer’s interest. Buyers will investigate the features of a village, street scene of individual enclaves and village’s street scene of individual neighborhood, street scene from individual lots, views, traffic, adjacent land uses and the house.
Active adults focus on future wants and desires and seek a community that addresses their desired lifestyle and maximizes natural features. Builders and developers who focus on these activities will win big with the active adult market.
David Jensen is president of the Denver-based David Jensen Associates, Inc., which specializes in active adult and mixed-use master-planned communities. The company's award-winning communities rely on parks, open space and trail systems to create structure and a sense of place. For more information, visit his company’ Web site at www.davidjensenassociates.com, e-mail Jensen, or call him at 303-369-7369.
 Attend the 50+ Housing Symposium in Phoenix
Learn more about the fastest-growing segment of the housing market. Attend the Building for Boomers & Beyond: 50+ Housing Symposium, April 24-26 in Phoenix. The seniors housing symposium is the premier educational and networking event for industry professionals who serve the burgeoning 50+ market.
For more information or to register, click here.
 Find Out What Boomers Want
“Boomers on the Horizon: Housing Preferences of the 55+ Market,” available through BuilderBooks.com, can help you better build and market homes to this age group.
Capitalize on the niches, needs and opportunities of this rapidly growing market by learning their preferences. To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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