There is a new trend happening in the 55+ communities.
Del Webb, the leader in building and creating the unique 55+, Active Adult lifestyle communities has always acquired a large parcel of land and over time built the homes, activities centers, more homes, additional activities facilities and more homes. Sun City West for example, the largest of the age restrictive communities in the greater Phoenix area, has 17,000 homes, It truly is a city. Del Webb started construction of the community in 1978 and completed the last homes in 1997 almost 20 years later.
As additional builders came into the Active Adult Community arena they too acquired large parcels of land and over time built all the homes within that community themselves; Shea Homes and most of their Trilogy Communities for example.
The new trend is to have one initial investor who created the Homeowners Association, establishes the community as a 55+, and then sells off sections to be built by many different builders.
This will have the community completed much faster. With 3 or 4 different builders all actively constructing homes, the number of homes completed increases exponentially.
This method has been the norm for many Master Planned Communities all over the Valley. It has only been a trend for the Active Adult Communities in the past 5 years.
There are benefits to the home buyer.
- Neighborhood construction for a shorter time once you move in.
- Diversity of floor plans and exterior elevations
- Variety of price points
- Social groups, clubs, and activities develop quickly
Identifying a disadvantage of this new trend: an Active Adult Community floor plan is not just a single level home. Builders new to the market have to recreate their floor plans to effectively provide the style of home this unique homebuyer is looking for. However, some residents may want to go for an already established home that has previously been built. If this is the case, they are going to need help in searching for something that will be right for them no matter where they want to live, for example, they may want to look up websites such as https://www.lineala.com/ for apartments and homes that suit the criteria they are looking for.
I would classify the Active Adult floor plan as one with luxury features; wider halls, high ceilings, large master suites, gourmet kitchens, open great room, with a split plan for the guest room. The 55+ buyer looking at a 1700 square foot homes is not looking for the same thing as the first time homebuyer looking at the same sized house.
Enjoy the diversity and options available to you in these new trending communities, but also remember to consider the design and layout of the homes.
If you need help navigating all these communities, I am here for you.