2015 DEL WEBB BABY BOOMER SURVEY

Insights into the single female boomer:

Moving and Housing

Background

Building specifically for homebuyers ages 55 and older, Del Webb is America’s largest builder of active adult communities with more than 50 Del Webb communities in 21 states.

Of the 76 million Baby Boomers, recent U.S. Census data shows that as many as 28 million (or 37 percent) are single females. Del Webb has conducted more than ten Baby Boomer surveys since 1996. The 2015 Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey is the first time that the company has exclusively surveyed this unique demographic to take a closer look at who they are and what really matters to them.

Executive Summary: Moving & HousingThe single life does not adversely affect single, female Boomers’ ability to buy a home despite some financial qualms. These women are split in their decision about living in age-targeted communities and are unsure if they will move in the next few years.

– About one in five (19%) single, female Boomers live with their children ages 21 and over, but the majority (62%) live alone.

– About one in eight (13%) are at least somewhat likely to purchase a home in the next five years.

– Of those planning to move, nearly half (47%) are planning to move to better meet their housing needs and about one in three (36%) due to the cost of living.

– Among those planning to move, around one-third are looking to live in the same city (38%) or state (36%) in which they live now and around one-quarter would prefer to live in the suburbs (29%) or in a small town (24%).

– Half (50%) of those single Boomers looking to move prefer a single family home for their next home and around four in ten (41%) would rather have a home that is closer to family/friends.

Executive Summary: Moving & Housing

Single, female boomers are split in their housing community preference with nearly equal preference for age targeted communities (35%) and communities open to all ages (31%). A similar percentage of single, female boomers do not have a preference (34%).

Nearly three in ten anticipate their housing needs will change in the next 5 years (28%) and, of those that anticipate a change in housing needs, more than half (60%) feel they will need to downsize to smaller housing accommodations.

Among those planning to move, just over half (51%) feel being single does not affect their ability to buy a home yet half (50%) feel it is more difficult to buy a home on their own due to financial restrictions (90%).

Over half (55%) of single, female Boomers place importance on community amenities and nearly two-thirds (65%) go to a Realtor/Real Estate Agent for guidance in purchasing a new home.

About the Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey

The Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of PulteGroup from December 1-8, 2014 among 1,020 single, female U.S. adults ages 50-68, among whom 330 are currently working full-time. Findings for the total sample are projectable to the universe of 50-68-year-old U.S. females. Total data were weighted to represent 50-68-year-old U.S. females. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Since 1996, Del Webb has conducted more than ten Baby Boomer surveys to better understand this large, powerful demographic.