limited developments skyrocketing – The Washington Post

“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said, noting the dozens of activities available to residents, from a ceramics studio to water aerobics, as well as nearby shopping and health care. “Whatever you want, it’s there.” She said she also appreciates that yard maintenance and snow removal are taken care of for residents.

Lynch is part of a trend of people buying homes as they get older. According to the National Association of Realtors, the average age of all repeat homebuyers is 58, and some of them, like Lynch, are buying in age-restricted communities.

“We see that by 2024, every boomer will have turned at least 60, a critical period when they ask themselves: ‘Do I want to retire? Where do I want to live?’” said Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.

“Last year, baby boomers made up the largest share of buyers. That means they’re buying later in life than traditional. We didn’t used to see the retired saying “I want to move.” Baby boomers have reinvented everything. I suspect they are reinventing what it means to be retired. It doesn’t have to look like their parents’ generation.”

In its 2024 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Report, the Realtors Association found that 19 percent of all buyers over 60 moved to communities designed specifically for older adults. Nearly 60 percent purchased single-family homes, while 12 percent purchased townhouses and 5 percent purchased condos.

More than half of the homes purchased in these communities were in suburbs or subdivisions, a trend seen in the Washington area, where new 55-plus communities, also called active adult communities, are popping up in Loudoun County and the northern edge of Montgomery. County, rather than in Washington itself, where land is scarce and pricey.

In Clarksburg, Maryland, for example, three builders are building what will eventually become a 375-home community called Village at Cabin Branch, with apartments and townhomes. Beazer Homes is putting the finishing touches on a 140-unit apartment building there as part of its Gatherings brand of communities for people 55 and older. The meetings at Potomac Station in Leesburg, Virginia, opened last year. The four-story Gatherings buildings have elevators and fitness rooms, as well as book, craft and other clubs based on residents’ interests. Condos start in the mid to upper $400,000 range.

Beazer Homes’ Area President Troy Radelat said Washington is one of six metropolitan areas in the United States where Gatherings communities are being built, not only because of a growing population of older adults, but because apartments and condos are more common than in some areas.

“We are focused on the location, very close to where our potential buyers live. People want to keep the same doctors, dentists and social networks. Meetings give you the opportunity to get to a place where you spend a much smaller portion of your time maintaining your home. Instead, you can spend time with people of the same age and interests,” says Radelat.

The number of homes being built in age-restricted communities has skyrocketed since 2009, reflecting trends in all types of housing, says Paul Emrath, vice president for research and housing policy for the National Association of Home Builders. He compiled the numbers from the Census Bureau, which began tracking new homes in age-restricted communities that year. According to the most recent data available for 2022, 59,000 homes were built in age-restricted communities for people 55 and older or 62 and older, about 6 percent of all new housing.

Although the average home size at 2,300 square feet in age-restricted communities is the same as all other home types, the lot size is smaller, according to Emrath. There are also other differences. While 77 percent of homes built in age-restricted communities were one-story, in non-age-restricted neighborhoods that figure was only 47 percent. In addition, homes for the elderly were less likely to have a basement, but more likely to have a patio.

This echoes what Creig Northrop, founder of Northrop Realty in Clarksville, Maryland, has found.

“First floors are the hottest trend right now,” he says. “Stairs become the biggest enemy as people get older. Elevators are getting big. Those over 55 appeal to people who want more facilities, but do not need senior housing or care.”

What could keep people away from these communities? Northrop thinks some people don’t want to live in homes that are too close together and want more privacy. At the same time, local zoning often allows developers to build closer to these communities, making them attractive to builders, he said.

Another disadvantage for some people is the age restriction itself. No children under the age of 16 are allowed to live there, but they are welcome to visit. This means that if a resident’s young grandchild needs to come live with him, the resident will have to move. On the other hand, Northrop noted that some municipalities are more likely to approve these types of communities because they won’t bring more children to already overcrowded schools.

For Sandy Jaso, the decision to move from her five-bedroom home in Ellicott City, Maryland, was a fortuitous one. She moved a mile away to the end unit of three attached homes in 2017, built as part of the Courtyards at Waverly Woods development in 2014. The home has three bedrooms, including a primary suite on the first floor. Soon after, she needed knee replacement surgery and was grateful not to have to climb stairs.

Jaso, who is also a real estate agent with Northrop Group, said she is in contact with many of her clients who are looking to buy in 55-plus communities.

“They’ve had the half-acre plot, the mowing and the garden beds. They’re kind of done with it. They want to turn the key and know that everything is arranged outside. Shoveling snow right to the front door is a blessing for many people. It’s a really fun, easy lifestyle,” she said.