New Jersey’s 55+ adult building industry has evolved into a housing category that now transcends traditional dynamics involving home designs, ease of maintenance, fl oorplan convenience and Clubhouse assets.

This transition was fueled both by the diversifi cation of the market itself, and greatly increased competition among homebuilders. More and more— particularly with the advent of the retirement of a 78,000,000-strong “Baby Boom” generation—homebuilders are thoroughly researching and acting upon the preferences of this extremely sophisticated market of savvy potential buyers.

The increase in life expectancies of the present contingent of adults has also contributed to the necessity for developers to hone their market research efforts as close to perfection as humanly possible. As is revealed in the text that follows, even in a world growing ever more reliant on technology as a marketing research tool, today’s most discerning adult buyers place at least as strong an emphasis on the human factor in their purchasing decisions as they do on a community’s location, construction quality and the reputation of their builder.

Several months ago, the New Jersey 50+ Housing Council* hosted a breakfast seminar attended by adult community homebuilders and other professionals in building-related fi elds. A panel of four active-adult homebuyers who had recently purchased at different adult communities was asked a number of questions by a moderator, Ron Kaplowitz, the Executive Vice President of a central New Jersey Title Insurance Agency. His queries covered several topic categories that are among the most crucial to homebuilders. According to the panel of homeowners, a powerful human element surfaced repeatedly, in contrast to the relatively vague sea of online and printed research data on which building firms heavily rely.

The homeowners’ panel consisted of a retired textile executive; a retired public school principle; and two members of building industry associations. Mr. Kaplowitz’s carefully prepared inquiry would cover these recent homebuyers’ tendencies, preferences, marketing channels and reactions to the customer services rendered by the builders from whom they purchased.

Why each panel member decided to seek a new lifestyle (age) was easily trumped by the questions of what they were looking for in an adult community; and how long it took them to fi nd their new homes. Not surprisingly, location ranked number one. In addition to a place sited within easy access to their family and friends, all panel members had simply “outgrown” their previous homes and neighborhoods. They now wanted to reside alongside their peers—in similarly designed homes—just as they had during child-rearing years spent in their former residences. Most of the participants visited communities over the course of a few years— with the desire for adult living intensifying as time passed—leading to the “sudden” discovery of their new lifestyles when the ideal community was visited. Nearby amenities were enormously important in their buying decisions, as well. The favorable proximity to shopping, houses of worship, healthcare facilities and dining establishments also played a great part. Of note is that all but the last of these preferences were people-driven.

Next, Kaplowitz delved into the media involved in the panel’s home/community search. Remarkably, considering today’s proliferation of instant cyber communications, the timetested trio of printed publications (magazines, newspapers), word-of-mouth and real estate agents, reigned as the media of choice for the group. Interestingly, the entire panel was consistent in their use of the Internet as an information and reference tool after their sales contract signings in order to acquire more complete community specifi cs, as well as data on other communities they had experienced. The panel also praised the power of a printed publication’s “portability” in the car when driving to a given community. But when the dust cleared, it was the priceless intangible aspect of effective interpersonal contact provided by the developers’ on-site sales people that made the difference for every one of these buyers in their purchasing decisions.

Another consistency of the panel’s behavior concerned visitation to the communities where they ultimately purchased. All four members returned only once. Additionally, there was a strong preference for the “reality” of experiencing a decorated model home— rather than merely a fl oorplan brochure—to stimulate their imaginations on the possibilities that beckoned in their new homes. The one exception, a purchase from fl oorplans, was induced by a considerable cost savings enabled by pre-construction pricing.

Home designs were a split among panel members between single and two-level homes, but ample storage space was mandatory for all panelists (lofts were acceptable). The major fl oorplan priorities were open spaces, and a fl owing interior confi guration for convenience. Primary bedrooms were used for sleeping, while their secondary counterparts were converted to either offi ces or added storage space. The panel’s options and upgrades varied, with some members preferring a “full boat” and others choosing only those amenities affecting their lifestyles on a daily basis.

The people factor made its reprise when all panel members rated as “excellent” the performance of the onsite sales personnel, particularly in communicating to the design centers (options/ upgrades facilities), explaining warranties and customer services available after the homes’ sales. As for delivery timeframes, half of the panel’s homes were occupied within days of the originally set closing dates, while others took up to a few months longer for occupancy. If nothing else, there is one overwhelming aspect that could be gleaned from the panel’s collective responses: from start to fi nish, the performance of the on-site sales representatives—better known as people— represented the most impressive component of the homebuying experience.

Augie Bartolo is the Senior Copywriter for Imagemaker Associates, a full service Advertising/ Marketing/Design fi rm based in Brick Township, NJ. Portions of this article fi rst appeared in an issue of The Council Communiqué, the offi cial newsletter of the New Jersey 50+ Housing Council. *The New Jersey 50+ Housing Council is a division of the New Jersey Builders Association (NJBA).