Betsy is preparing for a panel presentation for the International Builders Show in Las Vegas later in January. Betsy will be facilitating an educational session featuring Jim Chapman of Jim Chapman Communities, Andy White of Lifestone Communities and Saluda River Club and Rick Duke, an Atlanta based consultant. This should be a great presentation with rich content and excellent information about Boomer home buyers.
The International Builders’ Show® (IBS) is the largest annual building industry tradeshow in the country. It’s THE place to see and discuss products and housing trends and attend hundres of education sessions.
Sometimes all it takes is a little positive encouragement. When stories of gloom and doom dominate the headlines, stories of good news are often overlooked. Recently, B. Sheppard Consulting was asked to write a success story highlighting the achievements of one of their clients in the housing industry. The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) asked B. Sheppard Consulting to draft a success story for their 50+ online newsletter. Thrilled to share some words of encouragement, B. Sheppard Consulting President, Betsy Sheppard and Copywriter, Karla Zientowski collaborated on a piece highlighting the unparalleled sales success of Saluda River Club, an innovative mixed-development community located in Lexington, SC. According to Ann Marie Moriarty, Director of Communications for Multifamily and 50+ Housing at the NAHB, “The story was the most fun to work with….the photos were great, the copy was clean – your folks were so responsive to my last minute request for more photos – a good experience all around. Thank you!”
Promising times lie ahead according to builders of single-family homes for mature homebuyers. As reported by this quarter’s 55+ Housing Market Index (55+ HMI), recently released by the National Association of Homebuilders, single-family homebuilders for mature homebuyers are seeing an increase in traffic of prospective buyers. The component measuring traffic rose 5 points from last quarter, registering at 14 this quarter. However, while prospective traffic rose, sales traffic fell 5 index points to 12 from last quarter’s 17. The reason for this is that even though interest is peaking, homeowners are still wary of trying to sell their present homes in the current market state.
To see the full article, click here.
According to the recently published Metlife Mature Market Institute’s Housing for the 55+ Market Report, even though most Baby Boomers are choosing to “age in place,” an estimated 1.2 million households are deciding to move to active adult communities and other housing developments that meet their needs. The NAHB says by 2010 the Boomers will represent a quarter of the population, which will significantly impact the available housing market.
Continue reading Mature Market News…
