Thinking of relocating to a different state when you retire?

Eleven states experienced faster senior growth than Florida in the 1990’s, according to American Demographics magazine.

Nevada experienced the highest senior population growth rate during the late 1990’s (70%) followed by growth of more than 25 percent in Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Hawaii, Utah and Colorado.  South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia each recorded growth of at least 19 percent in senior populations.

 Real Estate Business. Jan/Feb, 2002

 A survey conducted by the National Investment Center for the Senior Housing & Care Industries seems to be a wake-up call for senior housing communities. 

The survey of 4,511 mature households aged 60+ found that these communities need to focus less on the care provided and more on the lifestyle benefits of the community. 

While the proportion of 60+ households thinking of moving to a retirement community more than doubled from 1998 to 2000 (1.9% to 5.2%), there has not been an increased proportion of seniors actually moving into communities.

Respondents in the study have stayed in their own homes longer (a mean of 26.8 years) than in any of the previous studies.  Results indicate seniors are delaying the move until they actually need care.  

More information: www.nic.org

 There is a range of steps to consider when you’re preparing to buy or sell a house.  Renee Funk, president of The Relocation Company, an independent firm that manages home sales, offers some thoughts

Select a REALTOR® experienced in and knowledgeable about the area to do an analysis of the property.

Review several market analyses to determine the listing price.

Make sure your agent has a specific marketing program and performs in a timely way.

If you are selling, pay heed to special problems the agent might indicate, such as whether the house needs work, is too cluttered or too pristine.

If you are buying, make sure the agent understands your needs, and is acting to meet them.

Don’t feel overwhelmed.  Break the process into steps, and take them one at a time.

Look at this as a business transaction.  If selling, remember that your home is an asset, no matter how many happy years you spent in it.  Look at it objectively.

Lifestyle, 2001

When they became first-time parents, baby boomers helped redefine how a baby is brought into the world.  Out went the sterile hospital model of doctors with forceps and in came soft lights, music, midwives and birthing rooms.

“There is a greater awareness on the part of consumers about what hospice is, and baby boomers are starting to deal with these issues with their parents,” says Dick Burnham, CEO of Odyssey Health Care, Dallas, which offers hospice care to 3,500 patients a day at 40 locations in 21 states.

Greater education about end-of-life issues and a changing market is driving growth in the hospice industry.  Burnham estimates the industry is growing at about 8% to 9% a year, with a still large untapped market of patients.

As baby boomers experience hospice with their own dying parents, they are more likely to turn to hospice for themselves when the time comes. 

Family satisfaction surveys show 99.5% of families are satisfied with the hospice care they receive, according to John Millett, spokesman for the National Hospice Foundation.

Hospice care emphasizes pain and symptom management and psychosocial/spiritual support for people at the end of life.

Care involves a team of professionals and volunteers who address the emotional,

Social, and spiritual needs of the patient and family.

Selling to Seniors, Feb. 2002     

Don’t forget to ask your local Seniors Real Estate Specialist about all the special services he or she can offer their mature clients.  Buying, selling, or investing, work with a SRES® REALTOR®

“We Earn Your Respect Before We Ask For Your Business”.

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