IRVINE, CA-Despite all the buzz about Millennials being the next wave of homebuyers, Baby Boomers are holding a significant stake in this market. “Thanks to increasing longevity and the aging of the Baby Boomers, the 50+ market is rapidly emerging as America's most-significant consumer demographic,” said Manny Gonzalez, a principal with locally based architecture and planning firm KTGY Group Inc., in a prepared statement. “Already, over half of all homeowners are 50+, and with empty nests, assets to burn and aspirations to fulfill, they're among the most active post-recession homebuyers.”

Many Boomers are rejecting “age-qualified” communities, but not all, Gonzalez said. “Demand is off the charts for some 'age-qualified' developments, especially those that are challenging convention and developing new and innovative models. And, while most 50-plusers prefer to 'age in place' in traditional neighborhoods, it will take a lot to keep houses compelling—including 'age-friendly' home remodeling and design, smart-home technologies and neighborhood-based amenities that promote aging well.”

There's been no dearth of data about Baby Boomers in this country—some 10,000 a day turning 65 and people living as much as four years longer than they did just 20 years ago, said Gonzalez. Celebrities in this age bracket include Steven Spielberg, Howard Stern and Madonna, and they are the “people we are designing age-qualified housing for today; a different type of home than we designed certainly 20 years ago, but even six or seven years ago during the last housing boom.”

The need to design homes that integrate Universal Design principles and make life easier for the homeowner is strong, Gonzalez maintained. “Why would an empty-nester want to haul laundry from their bedroom across the house and through the kitchen to the spot where the laundry room has traditionally been located? Why not just locate it near the master suite, and it can even feature a direct-access option from the master closet?”

He pointed out that that today's buyers are into entertaining, but not by hosting the formal dinners of the past. “Tomorrow's plans need to feature great rooms, where a large 'entertainment' kitchen is at the hub of things. And while great rooms are wonderful for entertaining, a more intimate living space like the hearth room is a welcome feature when you just want to read a paper over a cup of coffee.”

The 50+ generation is not going to get a single-story home on a golf course and fade away, Joel Shine, CEO and chairman of Woodside Homes, tells GlobeSt.com. “The problem with generalizations is they're generally wrong. Broad characterization is silly. This is a very individualistic group. I'm in this group, and the idea of living with a bunch of 70-year-olds on a golf course sounds horrifying to me.”

Shine says this group of Baby-Boomers will want housing units in the area where they currently live. “The aging in place phenomenon is real.” He adds that there's a “huge desire for indoor/outdoor living, but a golf course is not necessarily the answer. It's amazing how few of the people who buy on a golf course actually play golf.”

Shine maintains that what most people who buy homes on a golf course really want is “green, open space and a view. We as an industry need to find other ways to provide that for them without the golf course.”

The 60-year-old is the 40-year-old of a few years ago, and they want a more contemporary house, Shine says. “They want indoor/outdoor living, but they want to be near things to do; they don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere. There's no easy answer for that one. The challenge is to build enough types of product to satisfy all of that. The programmatic stuff only goes so far.”