SENIOR-FRIENDLY LIFEWISE HOME OPENS TO THE PUBLIC, GROUNDBREAKING SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED This December the NAHB Research Center opened its senior-friendly LifeWise Home for public tours, and released the findings of its National Older Adult Housing Survey (NOAHS). The LifeWise Home features products and design techniques that facilitate aging in place. NOAHS examines the choices that older adult homeowners make with respect to community amenities, home features, and living arrangements. The LifeWise Home was completed in November 2002. It was built by the Research Center as part of its Marketable, Affordable, Durable, and Entry-level (MADE) Homes project in the National Research Home Park in Bowie, Md. The home was also designed to be energy-efficient, low-maintenance, and accessible for older homeowners and/or homeowners who may be in a wheelchair, use a walker, or may have a physical limitation that impairs mobility. The list of features includes main living areas on the first floor, an accessible shower with grab bars, a washing toilet, wider doorways and hallways, a raised dishwasher, a front-loading clothes washer and dryer, a home automation system, and an upstairs suite for a live-in care giver or boomerang child. Terre Belt, acting president of the NAHB Research Center, said, "We are proud to offer the LifeWise Home to builders, remodelers, consumers, and the aging profession to demonstrate building techniques that facilitate older adults' ability to live comfortably, safely, and independently in their homes as they age." Major collaboration and support for the LifeWise Home has been provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) program, the National Housing Endowment, and the National Center for Seniors' Housing Research (NCSHR) through the U.S. Administration on Aging. Numerous manufacturers and other private industry entities have made product donations, as well. Many of the products and design concepts used in the LifeWise Home were derived from responses provided by NOAHS respondents. The NAHB Research Center and NCSHR implemented NOAHS, in collaboration with the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, in early 2002. NOAHS may be used as a reference for builders, developers, remodelers, manufacturers, marketing professionals, and members of the aging profession who are interested in providing more focused and targeted products and services for this market segment. The Research Center received over 2,300 mailed surveys from respondents who represented one of five housing options: homeowners in mixed-age residential communities; homeowners in age-restricted or active adult communities; residents of assisted living facilities; adults with parents in assisted living facilities; and parents who live in the homes of their adult children. The survey report analyzes the responses of those living in mixed-age residential and age-restricted or active adult communities, and adult children with parents who live in assisted living centers. Survey topics include: housing preferences; available and attractive community amenities and housing features; home features added by homeowners; features that facilitate aging in place; reasons for choosing a specific community type; health-related home modifications; attitudes and practices regarding second homes; and availability and benefits of features in assisted living centers. The report features information that is easy to understand and implement for those in the residential construction industry. For example, the report features "Top 10" lists for the following categories: amenities that attracted homeowners in mixed-age and age-restricted communities to their current residence; additions to homes in mixed-age and age-restricted communities; features that help older adults age 65 and over live comfortably, safely, and independently in their homes; reasons for choosing to live in an age-restricted community; most and least beneficial mixed-age community amenities; most and least beneficial age-restricted community amenities; health-related home modifications in age-restricted and mixed-age communities; reasons for choosing the location of a second home; and primary reasons that older adults move to assisted living facilities. The NOAHS report will be available for $75.00 through the Research Center's website. For inquiries on the NOAHS database, contact info@nahbrc.org. More information on the LifeWise Home or other activities of the NAHB Research Center's National Center for Seniors' Housing Research is available on the Research Center's website: http://www.nahbrc.org/. back to top BABY BOOMERS EXPECT TO INCUR MAJOR HOME-RELATED EXPENSES IN RETIREMENT As contractors and home improvement warehouse giants begin to adjust for the onslaught of aging Baby Boomers, a recently released study affirms that most Boomers plan on carrying major home-related expenses like mortgages and home improvement projects into retirement. The "Retirement Reality Check" created by Allstate Insurance Company in conjunction with Harris Interactive, an Internet market research company, finds that whether they relocate, stay put or choose to renovate their current homes, Boomers plan on spending a large portion of their retirement savings on house payments and home improvement projects. The survey found that 23 percent expect to carry a mortgage on their primary residence once retired and that Boomers expect to spend approximately $5,800 annually on home improvements. Additional survey findings reveal: - Nearly 40 percent plan to move during retirement
- One-third of those who move want to downsize
- Some 17 percent plan to move to be closer to family
- Another 14 percent would like to move to a warmer climate
- About 13 percent want more access to activities and amenities
Seeing that Baby Boomers dominate the market home centers are changing their focus from do-it-yourself to do-it-for-me. "Baby Boomers aren't necessarily lazy," said Rick Strachan publisher of ProSales. "[They] enjoy the luxury of being able to go to a home center, like The Home Depot, pick out the kitchen or bath of their choice, and have the home center supply the contractor and financing." With 70 percent of Baby Boomers owning their own homes, contractors will have their work cut out for them. In fact the NAHB, in conjunction with the NAHB Research Center, and the NAHB Remodelors Council, launched its Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) program in May to give professionals the skills they need to make home modifications to accommodate people as they age. For more information go to http://realtytimes.com/rtnews/rtcpages/20021217_boomers.htm back to top "NEW AMERICAN HOME" TO FEATURE EMPTY NESTER/ACTIVE ADULT TOWN HOME The National Association of Home Builders will debut the 2003 New American Home during its International Builders' Show in January. For the first time since its inception in 1984, the home will take on a new configuration showcasing three homes instead of one. The 2003 project homes target the needs of the single executive, the empty nester/active retiree, and those seeking a second or third home. The town homes will offer three different intimate lifestyle-oriented plans, which integrate home automation, technology, energy efficiency and healthy home construction techniques. Additionally, the home geared toward empty nesters will include an Easy-Living home design, which will accommodate persons with disabilities. The New American Home has consistently attracted large convention crowds anxious for new ideas they can replicate in their own markets. The 2003 project theme is an Italianesque lakeside resort offering the newest trends and complete with the latest technologies. The town homes are located in the luxury golf course community of Lake Las Vegas Resort and the selling price of each, depending on design and amenities, ranges from $825,000 to $975,000. The New American home is sponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry, "Builder Magazine", and Home Planners, LLC and will be open to Builders' Show attendees during exhibit hours. For more information visit the website of the International Builders' Show at http://www.buildersshow.com/. back to top THE LAUNDRY ROOM GETS A MAKEOVER Next month, at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, the Whirlpool Corporation will debut its "Family Studio". The "Family Studio" is a new concept laundry room. Its features include: a dry-cleaning armoire, a jetted sink for washing delicates, a cabinet for drying fine woolens, an ironing station and a front-loading washer and dryer set. Citing the success of the gourmet kitchen and the spa bathroom, Whirlpool executives are hailing the laundry room as the next center of pleasurable activity. Pulte, a national homebuilder that built 28,000 homes last year, 38 percent of which were for buyers 55 and older, has seen laundry rooms in their active adult homes grow larger over the last few years. "They're multipurpose," said Valerie Dolenga, a spokeswoman for Pulte. "They absorb the whole crafting and sewing and hobby and home office trends." The idea is that retiring Baby Boomers will find any opportunity to enhance even the time spent doing household chores like laundry. According to a 2000 survey conducted by the NAHB, the laundry room is the most requested feature after the standard issue living room, dining room, bedrooms and bathrooms are considered. "It used to be wire shelving and a fiberglass tub," said Frank Alexander, the owner of Anthony Construction in Freemansburg, Pennsylvania. "Now it's wall cabinets, undermount sinks, Corian, TV's, telephone systems." Mr. Alexander said the cost of the laundry room in an upscale $350,000 to $500,000 house had risen from $1,500 to $10,000. For more information go to http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/19/garden/19STUD.html (you will have to register to access the article) or read the press release at http://www.buildersshow.com/bsn/vpress.pl?id=486 back to top EPA'S AGING INITIATIVE TO PROTECT OLDER PERSONS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH THREATS A new initiative, planned to result in a national agenda, has been designed to examine and prioritize environmental health threats to older persons. The EPA's Aging Initiative will examine the impact that a rapidly growing aging population will have on ecosystems as well as encourage older persons to volunteer in their own communities to reduce hazards and protect the environment for future generations. This will be the first coordinated approach by the agency to address environmental hazards, both indoor and outdoor, affecting the health of the elderly. The agency will build on ongoing projects as part of the initiative. "Protecting the health of older Americans must be one of EPA's priorities," said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. "There is much we can do together to make older persons and their families aware of --and safe from--environmental hazards that may impact their health and quality of life." Hazards that may adversely impact the health of older Americans include: lead poisoning, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and microorganisms in water and pesticides. The Aging Initiative will draw on the expertise of professionals and researchers at the federal, state and local levels in the fields of environment and health. EPA will also work with the public and service provider organizations dealing with the aging population. Whitman announced that public meetings to get input for the initiative would be held in the spring in California, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, D.C. Visit http://www.epa.gov/epahome/headline_103002.htm to read the press release. back to top NEW YORK LAWS AIM TO CHECK PREDATORY LENDING PRACTICES Though the booming housing market has continued to provide a stimulus to our strained economy, it has also encouraged the growth of the sub-prime mortgage industry. Sub-prime lenders provide loans to consumers with poor or blemished credit, often targeting elderly, low-income, and/or minority homeowners. While these lenders enable borrowers to obtain mortgages they otherwise wouldn't get from mainstream lenders, the opportunity comes at a price - the loans are more expensive than conventional loans. And in the case of unscrupulous subprime lenders, the terms can be so onerous that these borrowers are unable to pay, and their homes end up in foreclosure. Nationally, predatory lending practices cost U.S. borrowers more than $9 billion per year, according to the North Carolina-based Coalition for Responsible Lending, a non-profit advocacy group. In addition, foreclosures are up nationwide to all time highs. New York has been identified as a fertile ground for predatory lending practices. In response, both the state of New York and New York City have recently passed predatory lending laws designed to protect the borrowers. The New York law provides the following consumer protections: - Loan principle must decrease with each payment
- Balloon mortgage clauses are prohibited
- Lenders are prohibited from offering loans if they have no net benefit to the borrower
- Loans that finance credit life, credit disability or credit unemployment insurance policies are prohibited
- Borrower's total monthly debts cannot exceed 50 percent of their monthly gross income
The new law will also protect people from home improvement scams. Seniors especially are vulnerable to this problem. In some cases seniors have been persuaded to take out a home improvement loan where the loan fees have totaled half the amount of the loan. Due to fixed income, seniors may be unable to repay the loan and lose their homes. In this case the law provides that proceeds from home improvement loans must be paid to the borrower or jointly to the borrower and contractor. The New York City ordinance takes sharper aim at the large financial corporations that buy such loans, stating that the city will not do business with what it considers predatory lenders. It also offers a stricter definition of a high cost loan, and prohibits all balloon payments. Lenders question the effectiveness of the new laws, which have been passed in several states, predicting that they will make it more difficult for low-income borrowers to obtain loans. Steve O'Conner, vice president of government affairs of the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington, notes that the "proliferation of proposed state and local predatory lending laws in the past couple of years" has created wide concern in the industry. But so far, there is no agreement among housing advocates and mortgage industry officials as to the impact of such laws. For the full article go to http://www.acorn.org/. back to top CALIFORNIA NEIGHBORHOODS SQUARE OFF IN BATTLE OVER GRANNY FLATS A new California law, which goes into effect in July 2003, will make it easier for granny flats to be built in single-family neighborhoods throughout the state. To the affordable housing activists delight the new law is meant to strengthen existing state law that has kept local governments from rejecting granny flats outright. Many cities and communities however, are not as welcoming toward the new legislation. Under the new law governing granny flats such units will need only a permit for approval and would allow applicants to bypass a public hearing process where neighborhood opposition has often killed the projects. California cities and communities are alarmed by the legislation and some fear the second units will proliferate in established neighborhoods. Simply defined a granny flat is a self-contained dwelling that includes a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen with a separate entrance from the main house. The units typically run 600-700 square feet and are usually built in the rear of an existing home or over a garage. San Diego City Councilman Jim Madaffer makes no effort to disguise his distaste for the new law, which he says robs neighborhoods of their right to be heard on key land use matters. "The thing that bothered me about this bill is that it's a state mandate on local land use, and I'm opposed to that," he said. "If every house on a given street decided to do a granny flat, a neighborhood could be turned into an apartment zone." For more information go to http://www.signonsandiego.com/ and search the archives using keywords "granny flat." The full article must be purchased. back to top SUIT UP FOR THE "AGE EXPLORER" German consultancy Meyer-Hentschel has joined forces with opticians, gerontologists and orthopedists to create an age simulator. The "Age Explorer" is an all-enveloping suit that is similar to a motorcyclist's outfit with some additions to simulate the physical condition experienced in the everyday life of an aged person. The "Age Explorer" comes weighted with 13 pounds of lead, which limits the freedom of movement and gives the wearer the impression of reduced muscle power. Built-in earmuffs equipped with special insulating materials absorb high frequencies and rigid material in the gloves provides decreased dexterity. Topping things off is the helmet, which limits the field of vision and wraps it in a yellowish tinge. "Its goal is to make younger people aware of the specific difficulties that older people have," explained developer Hanne Meyer-Hentschel. The suit was originally developed in 1994 at the request of a Swiss company who wanted to make its shops more accessible. An encounter in the Age Simulator makes it possible to experience the physical impairments as well as their psychological effects. Now in its third generation, the product is geared toward the business and care sectors and is meant to cause the wearer to better respond to the needs of the aged. For more information go to http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=31&art_id=qw1039668480796B241&set_id=1. back to top | 
