Senior Tsunami Reaches Southern NH

New Hampshire is now officially part of the "senior tsunami," says the Hartford Courant. The term, coined by rock star demographer Bill Frey, is shorthand for growth of pre-senior -- read, boomer -- populations "in economically dynamic Sun Belt" plus scenic and culturally attractive coastal and rural areas. Writer Rinker Buck says in New Hampshire it means increase in liberal Democrats -- but whatever their party they've got to live somewhere, such as in cities like Portsmouth. Real estate agent Joe Leddy tells me this modern 2-story waterfront Cape in nearby Dover -- under $400,000-- is typical of Boomer appeal in Southern NH.

AARP Sez: Market to Boomers With Kids, Teens

What you probably do NOT know about baby boomers:

Boomers with kids under 18 living at home make up "one of the most lucrative segments" of the 50+ market for travel, real estate and other services and goods. So says latest AARP quarterly research report issued earlier this month.

Other findings on boomer families: 72% like to return to familiar places for their vacations;More than one-third look forward to vacation as a time to just eat, drink and relax;More than half are going on road trips rather than long distance vacations;Overall, they steer clear of organized trips.

Conclusion: don't zero in only on empty nesters in your second-home marketing efforts.

Study was done by Focalyst, a joint venture of AARP Services, Inc. and The Kantar Group.

Spa + Celeb Fitness MD= "Wellness Homes"

How's this for a hot idea catering to boomers: own a vacation home not on a golf course but at a "wellness" center. Who's doing it? Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the man who made "aerobics" a watchword. His Texas outfit has put its name on a a $2 billion residential wellness community called Cooper Life at Craig Ranch, north of Dallas, the NY Times reports. "The first 800 private homes, town houses, brownstones and midrise condominiums are priced from $400,000 to $2 million..." more are planned. Amenities: "athletic training center named for the Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson. The community will also include a hospital and research institute, parks, gardens, three schools, shops, offices, restaurants and a hotel."

Your Best Market Cohort is 78 Million Strong

Brokers please note: In case you didn't know this before, boomers are house-crazy.

The latest Harris Interactive survey shows that 25 percent of boomers own one or more other kinds of real estate in addition to a primary residence: 13 percent own land; 8 percent own rental property; 7 percent, a vacation home or seasonally occupied property; 2 percent, commercial real estate; and 3 percent, some other kind of real estate.

Boomers Bullish on Age-Limited Havens

Over half of all "homeowners aged 45 to 54, and nearly 60 percent of homeowners aged 55 to 64, rated themselves either 'likely' or 'very likely' to buy a vacation, investment or new primary home sometime in the coming 60 months," columnist Ken Harney reports.

"Roughly 49 percent of owners 55 years and older say they are likely to move into some form of 'active adult' community. One out of five boomer households say they are thinking about moving to an age-restricted adult community - a figure more than double what a similar study found five years ago." Source: ProMatura Group LLC, an Oxford, Miss.-based consulting group.