|
The Ten Tips of Marketing an Active Adult Community
 Don't pass up an opportunity to market your active adult community this holiday season. Turn the season into your chance to ring in the New Year with new, qualified prospects.
Many boomers are interested in active adult communities, and many will have the time to visit yours and see what you have to offer.
Not only that, home owners in your community will have visitors for the holidays, and with the right community presentation, these visitors can also become qualified prospects.
So, with all this in mind, here are 10 tips for marketing your active adult community for the holidays:
- Remind your sales staff to send holiday greetings to their database. Include a photo of the community or your sales team. This helps to personalize the effort.
- Make sure construction sites are clean of debris, especially over the long holiday weekends when there will be visitors throughout the community.
- Invite guests to your Welcome Center. Home owners will be showing off their new home and community to friends and family during the holidays. So, put away signs that read, “Sorry, we missed you,” and provide holiday hours for all to see.
- Merchandise the community in the clubhouse. This may be where home owners will first bring visitors to show off the community. Be sure to have guest registration to obtain addresses for follow-up. Also provide take-away cards with Welcome Center holiday hours.
- Consider opening on Christmas Day and New Years Day to capture visitors. On Christmas weekends, it’s amazing how many people drive around to communities to check out progress.
- Provide knowledgeable staff to answer phone inquires and e-mail requests. Boomers home for the holidays may be surfing for information as they make their New Year’s resolutions. Don’t be surprised if one of them is makes a move very quickly.
- Deliver a small gift to your new home owners. The holidays are a perfect opportunity for sales people to re-establish bonds with home owners.
- Include home owners on contract who have not yet closed on their homes on holiday event guest lists. Be sure they receive the community’s newsletter, too. These special touches of hospitality go along way with boomer customers.
- Host caroling parties and “Decorate your door/yard contests.” These are simple ways to bring the spirit of the holidays to your community.
- Decorate model homes for the holidays. From door wreaths to more elaborate decorations, you have a showcase to attract return traffic. A special advertising/PR campaign can be built around this special time with open house weekends.
Janis Ehlers is the founder and president of The Ehlers Group, Inc., a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based marketing and communications company that specializes real estate development and active adult communities throughout the country. For more information, she can be reached via e-mail, at 954-726-9228 or 703-934-0165, or visit The Ehlers Group Web site.
 Save the Date for 2007 50+ Housing Symposium
Mark May 30-June 1, 2007 on your calendars to attend the 50+ Housing Symposium.
The seniors housing symposium is the premier educational and networking event for industry professionals who serve the burgeoning 50+ market.
Visit www.nahb.org/build4boomers for more information.
 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.
 New 50+ Designation Coming in 2007
Coming in 2007 is a new designation from NAHB specifically for individuals in 50+ housing.
The Certified Active Adult Specialist in Housing (CAASH) designation gives housing professionals serving this rapidly burgeoning market the essential knowledge, tools and skills that will help them succeed — from conducting initial research to design considerations and features to closing the sale and servicing the customer.
For more information, visit www.nahb.org/CAASHinfo.
 NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips in Cooling Market
With the current cooling of the nation’s housing market expected to persist into the middle of next year, NAHB has developed a comprehensive online toolkit geared to providing association members with information that will help them prosper in today’s changing business environment.
To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.
For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.
|
