SILVER TSUNAMI

When it comes to the allure of active-adult communities in Central Florida, there certainly are plenty of amenities and housing options to make an overwhelming case for their popularity. Yet, demographics across the region and, in fact, the entire nation pretty much say it all.  

Consider this: More than 22 million people live in Florida, and one in five is age 65 or older. Nationwide, there are roughly 73 million baby boomers, with an estimated 10,000 of them turning 65 every day. And all of those boomers — born between 1946 and 1964 — will reach 65 by 2030, when they’ll make up about one-fifth of the U.S. population. 

As a result, what once was a group that stirred social unrest and shaped pop culture in the 1960s and ’70s is still a force today. Collectively, they’re increasingly known as the “silver tsunami.”  

According to the National Association of Realtors, in June 2022 boomers became the largest share of homebuyers for the first time since 2012, purchasing 39 percent of all homes sold during that time. 

Another telling statistic: Boomers own more than double the amount of real estate held by millennials and about four times more than Gen Xers. And although they may have once vowed never to trust anyone over age 30, they’re now gravitating to active-adult communities where you have to be at least age 55 to buy there.

Typically, 55-plus communities are found in vibrant locations and feature amenities that are geared toward recreation and social lifestyles — precisely what today’s boomers are seeking, says the National Association of Home Builders. 

In the NAHB’s words: “Many desire the sense of community that comes with living in a place made for residents who are looking to remain engaged and independent.”

Most often, residents in active-adult communities enjoy such communal amenities as pools, recreation centers, social events, hiking trails, tennis courts and nearby restaurants and shopping. All the better in Central Florida, where the temperature during the coldest month (January) rarely drops below the 50s.

Then there are the real estate realities that are tied to real-world life circumstances. Among the most notable is downsizing — empty-nester boomers want smaller homes that require minimal maintenance and feature ample design versatility.

Not coincidentally, more than 2,000 active-adult communities are spread across the United States. And many more are both planned and under construction. So, where are the gems in our region? Here’s a sampling. 

At Tohoqua Reserve in Kissimmee, part of the 730-acre community of Tohoqua, Pulte Homes offers a new collection of single-family and villa homes, with prices starting at $307,990 for floorplans sized from 1,579 to 2,870 square feet. Among the amenities are a resort-style pool, a clubhouse with meeting/social rooms, a fitness center, walking trails and sports courts. It’s the only gated section of Tohoqua. 

In addition, Tohoqua Reserve sits adjacent to 370-acre Twin Oak Park, which features trails along Lake Tohopekaliga. In addition, there are more than five miles of community trails that link to the Florida National Scenic Trail. 

Notably, residents have access to the non-age-restricted amenities of the entire Tohoqua community — ideal for when grandchildren and other family members visit. Also, the medical facilities of Lake Nona are approximately a 15-minute drive away, as are shopping centers in this fast-growing area of Osceola County. 

Likewise boasting a scenic natural setting in Kissimmee, along with resort-style amenities, is K. Hovnanian’s Four Seasons Orlando. There, behind its guarded gates, single-family homes are offered priced from the low $500s. 

For example, the one-story Saint Lucia model, priced starting at $527,990, measures 1,969 square feet with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage. The floorplan has an impressive kitchen with a large center island, a spacious dining area overlooking a lanai, and an owner’s suite with a walk-in shower and an oversized closet. 

Amenities include sports courts, walking and biking paths, multiple pools, and a 12,000-square-foot clubhouse that houses a fitness and movement studio, a grand ballroom, an arts and crafts room, a catering kitchen and a full-time activities director. Golfers can play at the nearby Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club. 

Likewise in Kissimmee, Taylor Morrison Homes has Solivita, with Tuscan-inspired one-story homes that range in size from 1,364 to 1,723 square feet. The homes, which have two to three bedrooms and two bathrooms with 2.5-car garages, are priced from $282,000. The open-concept floorplans feature designer kitchens and spacious primary suites.  

Solivita has earned more than 70 awards for design, community planning and environmental sustainability. There are more than 150,000 square feet of premium amenities, such as the Palms Amenity Complex, which includes a complete fitness center with a full-time fitness staff, an outdoor heated pool, whirlpools, an expansive deck and an outdoor fireplace. 

Lighted pickleball courts and Har-Tru tennis courts are also popular attractions. The two-story Waterfront Galleries holds games, arts and crafts studios and a library. In addition, Freedom Park, a large outdoor recreation complex, offers horseshoe pits, a baseball field, Bocce and pickleball courts, outdoor pavilions and a dog park with a fenced area and water fountains. The Stonegate Golf Club at Solivita is semiprivate.  

Not far away, Jones Homes has Twin Lakes in St. Cloud. As the name implies, this 1,000-acre gated community rests on the shores of Live Oak Lake. 

Prices for villas and single-family homes top out in the $600s. The villas, with four floorplans from which to choose, offer up to 1,450 square feet of living area, while the single-family floorplans, one- and two-story, boast up to 3,150 square feet with large open living rooms, formal dining rooms and master suites. You can select from eight single-family floorplans. 

Residents enjoy fishing, boating, kayaking and canoeing. There are also sports courts, a gym, a pool, an aerobics studio, a dog park and a community kitchen. There’s even a Poker Room with card tables. Typical of 55-plus communities, Twin Lakes is close to several healthcare providers including Osceola Regional Medical Center and Orlando Health.  

Del Webb is certainly a name to keep in mind, with four 55-plus communities across the region. In Orange County’s fast-growing Winter Garden, located just two miles from Walt Disney World Resort, there’s Del Webb Oasis, where prices range from $421,990 to $738,090. 

Typically, the models at Del Webb Oasis feature spacious master suites and mini suites with adjoining laundry rooms, plenty of convenient storage and open floorplans that have numerous versatile spaces. Recreational amenities in the community include sports courts, a fishing dock, community gardens and walking paths. 

Del Webb Viera in coastal Brevard County is located on more than 500 acres, with plans for approximately 1,300 homes. The single-family homes, similar to those available in other Del Webb communities, are priced from the high $300s. Amenities include a 30,000-square-foot clubhouse, a sports court, a fitness center and an onsite tavern and grill restaurant. 

 At Del Webb Minneola in Lake County, residents enjoy some of the region’s highest elevations (and views) along with the other typical Del Webb community assets. Single-family homes are priced starting at $405,990 for three model collections, which range in size from 1,405 to 3,453 square feet.  

 One example is the Hallmark model, which measures 1,655 square feet (with options for more space) and is priced starting at $425,990. The Hallmark contains an owner’s suite with a large walk-in closet, cohesive gathering areas and a covered lanai, among other elements.

Villa and single-family homes at gated Del Webb Sunbridge in Osceola County’s St. Cloud range in price from $383,990 to $697,890 and are sized from 1,405 to 3,453 square feet. There are four home collections from which to choose. 

For example, the Villa Series contains the Ellenwood model, priced from $383,990, which contains two or three bedrooms and two bathrooms and is sized at 1,579 square feet. 

The Distinctive Series includes the Prestige model, priced at $524,990 for 2,080 (or more) square feet. It encompasses two or three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a two-car garage. A luxurious owner’s suite includes a spacious owner’s bath, a walk-in closet and a laundry room. 

Amenities? Of course. The lengthy list at Del Webb Sunbridge is led by a large clubhouse, a zero-entry pool with lap lanes, tennis courts and an on-site tavern and grille restaurant.

Also in Lake County, Medallion Homes has The Lakes of Mount Dora with homes priced starting at $449,100 and ranging  in size from 1,525 to 2,862 square feet with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and three-car garages. 

The community is planned for more than 1,000 single-family homes. Most homesites are waterfront or offer water views. The Bermuda model, the most expensive model at $714,950, offers four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a two-car garage. It boasts 2,322 square feet of open-concept living space.  

Among the amenities are an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse, a fitness studio, a library, a pool and lap pool, sports courts, walking trails, RV/boat storage and numerous clubs. 

Heritage Hills by Lennar is a gated, Mediterranean-inspired active adult community in the fast-growing Lake County community of Clermont. Home choices — priced from the low $300s to the mid-$500s — include attached villas and single-family homes with well-designed floorplans and low-maintenance exteriors. 

Construction of Heritage Hills started in 2006, and at completion the community will encompass 1,154 homes. There are two models in the Villas Collection (which range in size from 1,400 to 1,517 square feet). Single-family models are spread across three collections (which range in size from 1,582 to 2,935 square feet) with private master suites, eat-in kitchens and covered lanais. 

A 19,000-square-foot, Mediterranean-inspired clubhouse takes center stage at Heritage Hills, along with sports courts and a heated outdoor pool. Plus, there are plenty of walking and biking trails with parks and natural spaces as well as a dog park, a picnic area and a gazebo. 

Finally in Lake County is Trilogy Orlando — a quintessential 55-plus resort-style community actually located in Groveland, not Orlando. 

Talk about amenities. Trilogy Orlando has a 57,000-square-foot clubhouse called the Magnolia House that contains an athletic club with state-of-the-art treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes and weight-training machines. 

Residents also have access to fitness trainers, an aerobics studio, exercise classes, circuit training and an indoor pool. In addition, there’s Explorations Connection Lounge, an internet café, a full restaurant and bar, a sports lounge and an art studio. Other amenities include a pool and whirlpool surrounded by a patio with chaise lounges and shaded areas. Of course, pickleball and bocce ball courts are available, too. 

Trilogy Orlando began development in 2005. In 2010, Shea Homes acquired the community and is advancing toward a total of 1,500 homes, which currently encompass eight home collections and almost 40 floorplans priced from the high $200s to the low $500s. 

In East Orange County you’ll find The Gatherings at Lake Nona by Beazer Homes, which consists of condominiums in clusters of four-story buildings. The units are priced from the $400s for up to three bedrooms and two bathrooms encompassed within 1,805 square feet. 

Six single-floor condo models are available. The buildings are access-controlled and have private garages. Internet and cable television are included in the units, which are certified by Energy Star. Amenities include lake views, a resort-style pool with ample lounging areas, tennis courts and a fenced dog park. 

In Volusia County, a big award winner is Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach, inspired by the lifestyle and music of the late Jimmy Buffet. It’s been named “Best 55+ Community of the Year” by the NAHB. At approximately 3,000 homes when complete, Latitude Margaritaville will be one of the largest master-planned communities ever built in the Volusia-Flagler County area. 

The project — developed by a separate division of Minto Communities­ — has 13 furnished models with 19 floorplans, ranging in size from 1,204 to 2,568 square feet and priced from the $300s. The floorplans are divided into four collections: the Conch Cottages, the Caribbean Collection (villas), the Beach Collection (single-family homes) and the Island Collection (also single-family homes). 

One example within the Beach Collection is the 1,684-square-foot Coconut model with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a den. There’s also a covered lanai and a two-car garage. The model is priced at $408,990. 

Expect themed amenities, such as the Latitude Town Square (with a bandshell that hosts live music), Last Mango Theater, Barkaritaville Pet Spa, Latitude Bar & Chill Restaurant, Changes in Attitude Bar, and Paradise Pool with beach entry, cabanas and tiki huts. Also, there’s a fully outfitted gym with a Spin Room, indoor whirlpool spa and lap pool. 

Also in Volusia County, Cresswind DeLand by Kolter Homes is a gated community that boasts the builder’s award-winning  “Set Yourself FREE” lifestyle program. The program is based on the cornerstones of fitness, relationships, education and entertainment. 

As one example, the resident-only clubhouse, which overlooks Lake Winnemissett, offers 55-plus neighbors a place to gather and participate in social activities facilitated by a full-time lifestyle director. Outdoor amenities include pickleball and tennis courts, walking trails, a resort-style pool and spa, a resistance pool, a dog park, and event and entertainment areas. 

As for the new homes, they range from two to five bedrooms, and are sized up to 2,776 square feet. Prices range from 375,990 to $583,990, and there are 13 floorplans from which to choose. (That top price is for the two-story Sarah model, with three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and an optional second floor.)  

Through the years, the community has endured and, in fact, continues to boom today — much like the many other communities which, reflective of their buyers, are active indeed.