Re-Tool for the Fastest Growing Population of the Century - 5/31/2004 - Home Remodeling Interior Decorating Design

Re-Tool for the Fastest Growing Population of the Century

Older Americans are this century’s fastest growing population. They are living longer and, according to an AARP study, a majority prefer to age in their own homes. They also have more financial security than at any other time in history and are willing to pay for needed and desired amenities to make their lives safer and more comfortable.

Those needs and desires will vary. Some may require live-in family members to provide long-term care. Indeed, 25% of those surveyed in an American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Aging-in-Place study indicated that they expected a family member to eventually live with them because of aging needs. Others may want better access, lighting and convenience.

Selling to This Market Literally Begins at Your Door

Critical to successfully marketing to this group will be your ability to not only accurately identify their needs, but to master and meet their shifting demands. Will the fastest growing population of the 21st century be able to enter your homes? Exterior and interior steps, elevation changes and steep grades will make or break the opportunity to sell your home to a market demanding effortless convenience for themselves and their loved ones.

Once inside, will home owners be able to reach upper cabinets, replace a burned-out fuse in the basement electrical panel, change a ceiling-mounted light bulb, entertain their grandchildren, receive large furniture pieces or step into a tub? Are door openings less than 34 inches wide or do they have higher than half-inch thresholds? Is there flexibility in height differences or appliance placement?

These may seem like insignificant issues, but research shows they are not.  According to the ASID Aging–in-Place survey:

• 79% of Americans plan for their future home just as they do for financial and healthcare needs.
• 57% want a house that is easier to maintain than current home.
• 40% want a house that is easier to get around in than their current home.
• 77% are likely to remain in the homes they currently live in as they age.

Equip Your ‘Tool Kit’ to Answer Their Needs

When preparing for this market, will you have the right “tools” in your “tool kit” to answer their needs and fulfill their dreams? Will you be able provide the basics like design, comfort, flexibility and ease-of-use?

This may require:

• Additional training for your subcontractors, employees and sales staff
• New and improved suppliers, products or a specification process
• Adjusting your marketing mix and materials to better target your market

Earning your Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation can help build your tool kit. CAPS courses will teach you many of the technical, business management and customer service skills essential to competing in today’s market.

Earning your CAPS designation will give you:

• The knowledge to provide and install at least one stepless entry on a home’s main level to allow easy entry and exit
• The ability to build wider doors and maneuverable living spaces on the main level to allow easy passage for living, moving furniture and accommodating guests or relatives who need assistance
• The foresight and design parameters to provide a full bed and bath on the main floor with enough maneuvering space for a wheelchair, transfer seat, walker or crutches, and bathing access to accommodate two people, if a caregiver is needed.

What Over-60 Home Buyers and Owners Want

Understanding and applying the principles of universal design is also important to meeting the needs and desires of this market. There are literally hundreds of universal design products and applications available.

According to a random national sampling conducted by the Universal Design Alliance, the top universal design features for people under 60 living in their current homes include:

1. Lever controls on faucets
2. Light switches 36-48 inches above the floor
3. The microwave at counter height
4. 34-inch or wider interior doors
5. Adjustable shelves in wall cabinets

What they want in their future homes are:

1. One full bedroom and bath on the main floor
2. Adjustable shelves in wall cabinets
3. Under-cabinet task lighting
4. Base cabinets with pull-out shelves
5. Adjustable closet rods and shelves

Using universal design costs barely 2% of the initial construction cost of a home, whereas retrofitting cost estimates run as high as 25%-27% of the market value of a home. Many in the market have the finances to get what they want.

My advice to you is to learn as much as you can about how to deliver the basics. You will experience a sense of pride and profit every time your customers effortlessly walk through their front door, enjoy all the built-in conveniences that enhance their living experience and send you referrals because their friends and relatives rave over what makes your homes so special.

Rebecca Stahr, ASID, CAPS, is president of LifeSpring Environs, Inc. of Atlanta, and consults with housing industry innovators to promote their growth in the 50+ market. She is a Registered Interior Designer and Certified Aging in Place Specialist delivering aging-in-place environments for both commercial and residential projects nationally. For more information, e-mail Stahr at lifespring.env@mindspring.com or call her at 678-762-3330.