The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reports that builders of single-family housing for the mature home buyer market reported an increase in traffic of prospective buyers during the first quarter of this year.

This is welcome to news to many markets. "A strong and growing number of retirees and empty-nest households are interested in either downsizing or moving to a more user-friendly home – especially if it's near their existing community," said David Crowe, NAHB's chief economist. "But the current market still presents significant obstacles to homeowners who need to sell an existing home before buying a more appropriate one. That situation is holding many mature consumers back from moving."