Yes, pickleball is all the rage, but what else is at the top of the list for 55+ homebuyers ready to make the move to a place where they can truly live it up? At Trilogy by Shea Homes, we are dedicated to staying ahead of the curve at our communities around the country, continually refining our amenities to deliver best-in-class services and creating the ideal environment for our members to optimize their health, social lives, and enjoyment of life! What are 55+ buyers seeking in a new home, club, and lifestyle? These are the top 5 trends in 55+ communities and active adult communities across the U.S.
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1. Holistic health and wellness
Eating right and getting exercise is a great start for a healthy lifestyle, but today’s 55+ buyer takes a holistic approach to health – seeking enrichment for mind, body, and soul. Buyers are looking at wellness as a way of life and demand a range of experiences that make it easy to stay on track and meet personal fitness and wellness goals. Wellness now includes yoga, sound healing, “food as medicine” nutrition classes, healthy options at all restaurants, plus dance, strength training, kickboxing, aqua fitness, bocce, and yes – the ever-popular pickleball! In addition to seeking top of the line fitness equipment, there is a focus on the recovery element to working out. At Trilogy communities, we are investing in innovative recovery tools like hot and cold handheld devices, foam rollers, red light therapy, and cold plunges and elevating our lifestyle to more fully enhance whole-person wellness for all our homeowners.
2. Social connectivity
The post-Covid loneliness epidemic has brought a renewed focus on the correlation of social connections and living a full healthy life. At Trilogy, we are supporting this through community design. In our new Trilogy Boutique communities, we have reinvented the club experience to create a multi-functional hub at new communities — a space with a smaller footprint where everything happens. Inspired by some of the best European boutique hotels, our new clubs offer open flexible spaces with tons of seating in a beautiful, upscale, lobby-like space where members can nosh, sip, meet, and play — anytime, anywhere, all day and night. These innovative club designs make it easy for members to get together for card and table games or meet with neighbors and club groups, all while enjoying a casual, curated menu and locally-focused bar program with flexible indoor and outdoor seating. Our goal is to amplify the energy and enjoyment and bring different kinds of social activities and experiences together in a really exciting space.
3. Resort style experience
After a lifetime of hard work, we’re seeing a strong desire among our customers for amenities that deliver the resort experience on a daily basis. Homebuyers are seeking resort-style pools, fun, casual, food and drink experiences, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation. Essentially, they’re looking for an experience where every day feels like vacation at a top resort. At our Trilogy communities, homebuyers enjoy a true resort experience with membership in private clubs — not HOA-run clubs, as is the case with many other 55+ communities.
4. Homeowner-led clubs
A rising trend is the increase of homeowner-led clubs. These groups truly make it easy to find your people. Examples of these interest-based groups include motorcycle riding, kayaking, antiquing, wine tasting, chess, spirits and cigars, gardening, history buffs and bunco. Think of any interest, and there’s probably a club for it. And if there isn’t, homeowners at Trilogy communities are free to create it!
5. Lifestyle Experiences
Lifestyle experiences have become a must-have component of 55+ communities. This includes everything from excursions to local museums and wineries to onsite art and mixology classes. Karaoke, bocce, sushi and sake classes, flower-arranging, clay pot making, and outdoor movie nights are just a few examples. Exciting and unique programming has become a critical element of the most popular communities – providing a variety of opportunities to enhance life through skill-building, education, and most of all, fun! At Trilogy communities, we partner with Blue Star Resort & Golf, a hospitality management company composed of professionals with experience at top resorts, who curate a wide range of unique events, excursions, and fitness experiences for members.
Author: Jeff McQueen is co-founder and president of Trilogy by Shea Homes, developer of 55+ and resort lifestyle communities in Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington. Trilogy has been attracting discerning homebuyers across the country since 1999. Trilogy’s newest Arizona community, Ridgecrest, a Trilogy Boutique Community, is now open for pre-sales. Visit the Ridgecrest sales office at 12026 W. Lone Mountain Parkway, Peoria, AZ, 85383.
