Features Baby Boomers are Looking for in Communities and New Homes.

If you’re building homes aimed at attracting Baby Boomers, here is some research on community & home features they want, and don’t want.

According to the NAHB Housing Trends Study, Baby boomers highlight their most desirable community features as:

• Near retail space (72% ranked essential or desirable)

• Walking/jogging trails (66%)

• Typically suburban (65%)

• Walkable community (62%)

• Park area (61%)

Among features they found undesirable were golf course community (53%) and high-density development (52%). These desires highlight the need for smaller neighborhoods in suburban areas, as “67% prefer to live in the suburbs versus 8% who prefer the city”.

In homes, Baby Boomers are looking for laundry rooms and energy efficiency. Below is a graph of essential/must have and desirable features for Baby Boomers.

Builders should note that the outdoors is also important, as a patio and exterior lighting are features wanted by 88%+ of Baby Boomers.

A Houzz article recently highlighted how Baby Boomers are addressing aging needs in kitchen remodels, you can read the full article here.

Here are a few ways Baby Boomers report addressing aging-related needs:

• Choose an open floor plan. An open floor plan can be easier to navigate than one with closed-off rooms, particularly for people who use wheelchairs or walkers.

• Include robust lighting systems such as in-cabinet lighting. As people age they need more light to see well compared with when they were younger.

• Upgrade wall ovens and cooktops. Choosing a wall oven can eliminate the need to bend over to reach into the oven, an activity that can lead to or aggravate back pain.

• Choose touch-only or touch-free faucets. Turning a faucet knob with hands that have arthritis can be challenging, and touch-only or touch-free faucets can eliminate this challenge.

While there were items updated in existing homes, most builders can use this information as they plan for their 55+ consumers.

If you’d like to know more in-depth answers to what your buyers are looking for in a community or home, connect with Yule Group today!