What’s better than a new car, new clothes or new shoes? A shiny, brand spanking new house! Not just any new house, but a new house in a brand new community with all kinds of awesome amenities and special features! But beware:  It’s easy to be so dazzled by the decorating that the important questions never get asked.

If you are seriously shopping for a new house in a new community, be prepared to ask the questions that will help you make the right decision, especially if you are interested in a 55+ or Active Adult Community. Write out your questions before you go so you can be sure you get the answers you need, even if you find yourself getting caught up in the beautifully decorated models, the Clubhouse, the Golf Course, the pools and tennis courts, and other community amenities.

For example, in new construction we know that there are generally options and upgrades available. If you ask the salesperson, what options and upgrades do you offer?” you will likely hear about the optional sunroom or bonus room, the optional deck or fireplace. For upgrades, you will generally be offered different kitchen cabinets or counter tops, higher grade appliance packages or a more luxurious master bathroom. Some communities have pages of possible options and upgrades.

But if you are shopping for a home to live in the rest of your life, whether or not that home is in an Active Adult Community or other age restricted community, you may want to add this question: “Do you offer a Universal Design Package?” or “What Universal Design features do you offer in this house/community?”

Forward-thinking builders will not only have an answer but they will provide a comprehensive list of features that can be incorporated into their homes. The best builders will be able to point out Universal Design features that are already standard items and tell you about others that can be substituted or made available as upgrades.

Standard items might include:

• Rocker Light Switches at 42” instead of 48”
• Electrical Outlets that are 18” high instead of 12”
• Lever door handles
• Task lighting
• Reinforced bathroom walls for later installation of grab bars
• Decorator towel bars that work as grab bars

Options or Upgrades that should be available today include:

• 36” wide doorways with off-set hinges
• Showers with a low or zero threshold
• Variety in both bathroom and kitchen counter height to allow for seated use or wheelchair access
• Appliances with front controls for less reaching
• Washers, Dryers and Dishwashers installed on raised platforms for less bending

Why be concerned about buying a Universal Design home today? Even if you don’t plan on living in your new home for the rest of your years, over 37% of Eastern Sussex County is already over the age of 50. How old will the average buyer be when you’re ready to sell? In less than a decade, even the youngest Baby Boomer will be over 55.

Want to sell your house in a buyers’ market? Rejuvenate it! Tune into HGTV any time of day or night and you’ll see shows about how to prepare your home for sale. Look at your house through the eyes of a buyer if you want to sell today.

Want an even better idea? Remodel your house for independent living, not just curb appeal. That will open up a whole new market of opportunity.

Pretend that you are handicapped or a retiree buying your last home and you are looking for a home that is accessible. You would prefer to buy one that you don’t have to immediately modify. Whether due to age, illness, or an accident, a family member, a spouse, or a close friend has limited mobility or may already be in a wheelchair. You need to buy a house that will be comfortable, accessible and visitable and you cannot find one.

A major problem at the moment is the widespread – and false – perception that making a house handicapped-accessible will diminish its value, especially in upscale homes. That makes the assumption that wealthy people never have accidents or get older. That also assumes that to make a house accessible will make it look like a hospital.

There are so many design options available that improve accessibility without sacrificing aesthetics. Several companies now offer bathtub and shower stall conversion products at an affordable price. But in a luxury home, an elegant ceramic tile, custom-built accessible shower could be the focal point of the Owner’s Suite.

One client of mine remarked “I don’t recall having seen any house in which 36″ bathroom doors would cause a noticeable decrease in usable space, yet houses continue to be built with 30 – 32″ bathroom doors, presumably because smaller doors are cheaper.” Simply widening at least one bathroom doorway will not diminish your home’s value; it may actually increase it. One option to create a wider doorway is to replace a standard door with a pocket door.

Continuing improvements in products for handicapped people will make more houses accessible. Eventually, even multi-story homes will be accessible with the installation of stair climbing robots, for instance.

While we wait for technology to improve the accessibility of our existing inventory of homes for sale, making your home accessible for disabled or older buyers – and making sure your Realtor lets the whole world know – will give you a leg up on the competition and expand your potential pool of buyers.

If you have a property for sale right now in Coastal Delaware, your stiffest competition is all the new construction, the housing of choice for buyers coming to Sussex County today.

Why is new construction such tough competition? It’s not just the designs and long list of upgrades and options. If you have a home for sale with no basement, no garage and no first floor Master Suite, you are competing with similarly priced new homes that do offer full basements, large garages, elegant master baths, and pricing incentives or perhaps no mortgage payments for the first year.

The new buyer coming to Sussex County is likely to be a couple over 50 from New Jersey who never considered Delaware until the latest tax hike. Many have never vacationed here and have no family or friends that live here. They are attracted by low taxes and cost of living, our central location in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic Region and lots of new housing options at relatively reasonable prices. Proximity to the beach is important but not to the same degree as historical buyers who have been coming here for years.

One of the most compelling reasons buyers may want a new home in a new community came from a couple that had relocated many times in their careers. They found that moving to an existing neighborhood always made them feel like outsiders. When they moved to a new community, however, they found that everyone was in the same boat. Everyone was new and it was easier to find common ground and make friends quickly. That made so much sense to me because I was moved many times during my previous career and I remember that feeling.

So, how do you sell your home in this Buyer’s Market? You have to look critically at your home and your neighborhood through Buyer’s eyes.  Would you buy your home today? Have you gone to look at the competition? How does your home compare to new homes in the same price range? Do you need to update or remodel your kitchen or bath? Does it make sense to add a first floor master suite or sunroom?

Find a good contractor and ask for advice. Get a copy of the 2009 Cost vs. Value Report published annually by Remodeling Magazine. You might not recoup the full cost of a remodeling project but it might just sell your home.

You may not need a contractor but you will need to prepare your home for sale and make it more attractive to a buyer’s eye. If you need help, ask your Realtor to refer you to a local professional home stager and give those new homes some real competition.

Mark your calendars! On Saturday, March 27th, Teller Wines will have their 7th Annual Wine Expo & Benefit at the Lewes Yacht Club from 1 to 4pm. This is a great event with over 100 top-knotch wines to taste and really great gourmet food (appetizers and small bites). This year, a portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit the Historic Lewes Farmers Market. Tickets are $60, and they sell out quickly.  For tickets, call 302-644-7400 or pick them up at Teller Wines, 1201A Savannah Rd. in Lewes.  

This year the HLFM will be offering three fabulous silent auction items at this event that are so special that you will want to get a ticket just to be able to bid on them!

As you plan for retirement or semi-retirement, what’s your next move? Will it be within the same town or will you move to another state or country? Will your home be in town or in a community? Will you live in a house or in a condo? There are so many choices!

Some of the choices depend on where you live or where you want to live, and some reflect the current trends in marketing to this growing population. What’s the difference between an “Active Adult Community” and a “55 and Better Community” or an “Age Qualified Adult Community”? What happened to Retirement Communities? When should you consider a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)?

Several years ago we visited two different Active Adult Communities in Florida, one with other members of the Seniors Real Estate Advisory Committee and one to visit friends and play a little golf. It was a tough assignment, but someone has to do it! We drove and drove, and twenty miles South of Disney World we finally came to an oasis, a relatively new Active Adult Community with golf, fitness, classes and a hometown atmosphere. Lifestyle is the buzzword to describe living in an Active Adult Retirement Community and they were then selling homes as quickly as they could build them.

My husband and I visited friends for several days at a much larger, more mature community about an hour North of Disney World that was expected to become home to at least 100,000 residents. Golf is the game with a wide variety of Executive Courses that residents can play for free at any time, and several excellent championship courses that are available to residents for a nominal charge.

When we toured the model homes at both communities, however, we were surprised to find that none of the homes included the Universal Design features we had expected to see. The doorways were still a narrow 30” or 32”. Bathrooms were still being designed with narrow shower entrances and curbs.

We had truly expected to see some great ideas we could bring home, some innovative designs and concepts in housing designed for the aging population. Just because a home is single level does not make it truly accessible. As Active Adults become less agile, many will have to engage in substantial home modification or be prepared to sell to the next generation of retired golfers and tennis players.

Developers of these Active Adult Communities pointed to extensive research indicating they are providing what the market is demanding. But did they ask the right questions and offer the right choices? Did they ask prospective buyers if they would like a house they could live in as long as they so desired? Ask most Baby Boomers if they ever plan to move into Assisted Living and hear the resounding “No!”

Active Adult Communities are really being designed for Active Adults only. If you are the kind of person who wants to move at retirement and stay in that home forever, is this your best choice? All over the country, developers are building new Active Adult Communities targeted to the current wave of retirees – the Baby Boomers! In Delaware we’ll never see communities the size of The Villages, but we are starting to see a variety of housing options all designed for the leading edge of Boomers who are already over 60!

When you are ready to begin evaluating your options and planning your next move, start by visiting www.seniorsrealestate.com to locate a Seniors Real Estate Specialist.

It’s always nice to get a compliment and it feels great to be recognized by your own industry for the work that you do. Recently, ActiveAdultsDelaware was recognized for outstanding niche marketing in the real estate industry! We spent much of the past year revising this blog site and providing information for our target market – Baby Boomers who live in Delaware or wish they did. Read the comments at Agent Applause. Both Bill and I are Baby Boomers and we decided that it made sense to focus on working with people we understood and could relate to. It makes business enjoyable for us and, we hope, for our clients as well.