A stern-looking man with close-cropped white hair, wearing an open-collared button shirt, stares at you with piercing eyes. His lips are shut tight, forming a short straight line across his face. His expression is no-nonsense. And he issues you a simple challenge:
"You want a piece of me?"
If you know what’s good for you, the answer will be "Yes."
This is no hostile stranger wanting to take you on in a dark alley. This is one of the marketing images for the upcoming Seniors Housing Symposium. And don’t worry: This gentleman’s bark is far worse than his bite.
Sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Senior Housing Council, this event will focus on the fastest-growing segment of the new construction market—the Baby Boomers. In the wake of World War II, the generation born in the 1950s was the largest this country has produced, and earned the moniker of the Baby Boomers. Today, they are largely fifty-somethings, and they are entering what has come to be known as the active-adult market.
These homebuyers are typically in their fifth home now, and their children have grown and moved out on their own. They have hobbies and activities. They have a desire for a new house, with more features, that better serves their changing lifestyle. They have income. They are gold.
"More and more builders are interested in this area," says Leslie Marks, executive director of NAHB’s Senior Housing Council. "If you are not already involved in the senior housing market, you should be."
"Should be" is right. The active-adult housing market is expected to grow 75 percent in the next 15 years.
That is why the NAHB focused a symposium on this market, to help builders understand the unique housing needs of the age-50-and-older homebuyer, how to best sell to them, and how to offer home features that meet their lifestyle needs.
"The draw here is on the educational value to builders. The symposium stresses case studies, trends, take-away advice, and marketing strategies," Marks says. Marketing advice is especially important with this segment, since they are very willing to purchase option packages for their new homes. "Boomers have a different mindset than previous generations. They want to invest in their lifestyle needs now. They don’t feel they have to leave anything behind," Marks says.
The result is consumers who are willing to invest in technology features. Networking access is a given for these consumers. Distributed audio is very popular. Security systems make a lot of sense. And controlled lighting can be an easy sell. The key is to stress lifestyle improvements.
Attendees of the Senior Housing Symposium will learn about the growing active-adult market for single-family homes, for multifamily dwellings, and for planned active-adult communities. The core of the event are the educational sessions, but there will also be approximately 40 exhibitors. A by-invitation-only executive session will also feature a meeting with approximately 25 corporate division presidents who are involved with the active-adult market.