Amenities at Point Edwards, in Edmonds, include the Charter Club’s 8,000-square-foot two-story clubhouse, fitness center, Jacuzzi spa and pool, 34-seat movie theater and more.
Real Estate
A New Roost
As the number of empty nesters grows each year, so do retirement residence options that minimize household hassles and maximize life

Downsize, downsize, downsize. That’s the mantra empty nesters chant as they wave goodbye to their children and look around a mostly empty big house. John and Pauline Velton recited the words after their daughters moved out of their Bay Area home in the early 1970s. One moved to Seattle, the other to London, and in September 2005, the 80-year-old Veltons were ready to move as well.

They shed a 1,500-square-foot house, large garden and a storage unit for a smaller house in Redmond, closer to their Seattle daughter and two grandsons. “I think that in the end it’s good for us [to downsize], because otherwise our daughters will be left with a huge task,” Pauline says.

Later, it was time to scale back once again. In January this year they moved to The Bellettini, a Bellevue retirement community with hotel amenities plus assisted-living capabilities when needed. “We’re a retirement option for people who don’t want to live in a retirement community,” says Kristen Happe, The Bellettini’s move-in consultant. The building is close to John’s doctor at Overlake Hospital Medical Center, a good church, shops, restaurants and a movie theater. “We simplified our lives, made everything as simple as we could, while still staying in control,” John says.

In 2010, 55-plus adults will account for a quarter of the U.S. population. As this segment grows, so do retirement options. Empty-nester couples have a wide array of alternatives: a smaller one-floor house, a second home in a warm locale, an urban condo or a combination, such as renting an apartment as a home base for world travel.

More than half of 1,475 real estate professionals nationwide surveyed in March by Coldwell Banker have seen an increase in retirees who plan to downsize from their primary residences into smaller properties. Agents from the survey mostly see retirees move from a primary residence into a previously purchased second home, buy a new residence for retirement or move into previously purchased retirement homes earlier than expected—possibly as a cost-cutting response to the current economy. However, analysts at a recent National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) symposium say that the fastest growing trend among those aged 55 and older is to group together in community pockets amid the general population, as the Veltons did.

The Veltons considered buying a condo and a second home in a warmer climate, but instead decided that an uncomplicated life was the best decision. “We would rather just travel for a month or two and not have to think about two homes,” Pauline says. “We’ve always wanted to make life simple.”

Empty nesters who want a quieter lifestyle than that provided by an urban core sometimes look at smaller nearby cities. Though Point Edwards, a waterfront village community in Edmonds, is not age-restricted, it attracts a strong empty-nester clientele base in the 40-to-75-plus demographic, according to sales manager Nancy Marsh. Many buyers have spent years raising and providing for children and are excited about a smaller footprint that gives them all of the amenities of a large home—hot tubs, clubhouses, guest suites and a theater room—without the maintenance and upkeep. “They’re just typically at a point in their lives where it’s their turn to choose an uncomplicated, enjoyable lifestyle in a beautiful view setting,” Marsh says.

“[They] don’t want to be in a high-rise in downtown Seattle or Bellevue, leaving their 4,000-square-foot home,” she says. “It would be more of a jolt to them to move from something so spacious and private to something like a high-rise.” Marsh says residents at Point Edwards have created their own networking community, looking after one another and their homes, and walking to downtown Edmonds or the beach together.

Before the recession gained momentum, a March 2008 Coldwell Banker survey of real estate agents noted that half of their empty-nester clients were looking for single-family homes, while 49 percent wanted condos or townhouses. This population has mostly reacted to the economic downturn by putting off real estate purchases, but panelists at the NAHB symposium predict that as the market gets stronger, the demand for late-life residence options will increase. With economic changes, demand may even grow for market-rate senior rentals.

A study released at the symposium found that a significant segment of the baby-boomer market is not choosing traditional retirement options. They are working longer into their retirement years, staying close to family and work, and may prefer to remodel their existing homes to accommodate their needs instead of selling and moving.

NAHB and the Master Builders Association are responding to this trend by offering certification courses for builders and interior designers to become proficient and knowledgeable in how to make homes livable and safe for clients with changing needs.

Local interior designer Patty Koskovich is also a registered nurse who completed a course with the MBA as a way to merge her talents and be prepared for the growing needs of the boomer population. “I was interested in helping people have accessible homes and make their life transition,” she says. Koskovich notes that older adults, unlike young couples and families, may already own a house and so are freer to focus on aging-in-place remodeling.

For those who don’t want to move, Koskovich and other design and build professionals know how to help them age gracefully, by making modifications such as bath grab bars, wheelchair ramps or wider doorways or even transforming a first-floor room into a bedroom—all in ways that still make their homes look and feel aesthetically pleasing.

For retirees who don’t want to be tied to any real estate, businesses offer unconventional options. Through A Change Is Afoot, Stan McKenzie helps people make more personalized retirement plans. One of his most exotic requests was in 2005 from a man who wanted to take a permanent cruise around the world. McKenzie was surprised at how affordable such luxury was: For $5,000 a month (about the cost of a two-bedroom home in a retirement community, he notes), the man got a windowed view to the ever-changing world around him, plus concierge service, access to nurses and doctors, and morning exercise classes and evening dancing to keep him in shape. “It’s a very active opportunity for folks who are interested in that kind of thing,” McKenzie says.

As boomers’ children leave the nest, this generation is finding more personal options for moving into the next phase of their lives. Retirement may mean downsized spaces, but it doesn’t mean downsized choices.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2009 print issue of Seattle Homes & Lifestyles.