Kenneth Bargers Blog

Poll: Boomers Want Convenience, Familiarity

Baby boomers considering where they’ll spend their retirement say they prefer single-story living in suburbia, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders and the MetLife Mature Market Institute. 

The survey of owners and renters 55 and older identified some interesting preferences: 

• One-third would choose a close-in suburb; another third prefer an outlying suburb; 25 percent desire a rural community; and 9 percent want to live in the center city.
• About 79 percent want a single-story home, 15 percent prefer a two-story, and 6 percent want a split level.
• Most respondents say they’d like their next home to be the same size as their current one.
• The five features rated most important were in-home washers and dryers, storage space, windows that open easily, main-level master bedrooms, and easy-to-use climate controls.
• Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed said they were not concerned about the impact of home building on the environment; 23 percent are concerned, but say that will not be a consideration when they purchase a retirement property; and 37 percent responded that want an “environment-friendly” home, but would not pay extra for it. Only 12 percent said they would be willing to pay more.

Source: MetLife Mature Market Institute (09/15/2009)

September 17, 2009 Posted by kbargers | real estate | boomers, buying, housing, poll, residential | Leave a Comment