People are living longer and healthier lives, which will impact what kind of housing options they want later in life, suggests the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council in its annual senior Senior Home Seller Survey "Moving Forward: 50 & Beyond."

Using research gleaned from The National Council on Aging, Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, and The National Association of Home Builders, the survey supposes that among the principal challenges in housing seniors is creating modifications and more choice. More choices would encourage more moves, which could further stimulate the real estate industry. Seniors are already surprising analysts by moving more frequently after the age of 60.

Like younger homebuyers, seniors (age 50 and older, according to the AARP benchmark) expect their homes to perform as a key asset and resource. Many baby boomers, the first of whom turned 60 in 2005, are "counting on the sale of their home to finance their retirement."

Among the findings:

• Nearly half of all seniors use the Internet as part of the home selling process

• Most senior home sellers relocate less than 50 miles away from their primary residence

• 42 percent of seniors used the Internet to:

  1. research comparables (92%)

  2. get neighborhood sales information (91%)

  3. track the current housing market (69%)

  4. find a real estate agent (61%)

  5. use an online appraisal (24%)

  6. learn about neighborhoods to move to (20%)

• One out of two visited AARP for real estate information, while the majority visited Realtor.com, Housevalues.com, and real estate company websites

• Ninety percent of seniors used a real estate agent

• average senior seller income is $76,363

• senior sellers have lived in the home they are selling for about 9.4 years

Most seniors gave their reasons for selling their homes and moving, yet there were stark differences in the preferences of younger seniors, 50-64, or preretirement age and older seniors, 65 or over. Among the findings:

• Young seniors want to be in a better neighborhood (38%) or shorten their commutes; older seniors, 65 and over, were more concerned with the quality of community services (59%.)

• Affordability was a concern for 53 percent of older seniors and zero concern for younger seniors

• Younger seniors want a larger home (16%) while older seniors don't (2%)

Where do they move? The survey said most senior homebuyers stay within their home state (82 percent), 72 percent of seniors selling their primary residence move less than 100 miles from their previous home. Younger seniors tended to move farther away from their previous residences than did older seniors. Of those senior homebuyers who did move to a new state (18 percent), the most popular choices were: Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, and New Mexico.

Complete reports are available from the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council.

Published: May 23, 2006

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.