Award-Winning Active Adult Lifestyle Communities:

Lifestyle Blended With Healthy Living and a Natural Environment

By Warren Grant. Previously published in the 2016 Fall issue.

Much like the Farmer’s Insurance tagline, you could say of Scottsdale-based homebuilder AV Homes, “they know a thing or two because they’ve seen a thing or two.”

Founded in 1970, a time of avocado-hued appliances, shag carpet and Marcia Brady, AV Homes has remained at the vanguard of the homebuilding evolution across five decades, expressing an uncommon depth of understanding for the preferences of a homeowner, both within the home and the broader community in which they live and recreate.

A publicly held company (AVHI), AV Homes was recently honored by National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Builder Magazine as “the fastest growing publicly traded homebuilder in the country.” In recent years AV Homes and its communities have won countless awards for planning and homebuilding accomplishments, including NAHB’s esteemed “Best Community” award.

One of the hallmarks of the AV Homes growing portfolio is five active adult communities (55+) located in Phoenix (2), Kissimmee and Port St. Lucie, FL, and Durham, NC. While each community offers a different range of amenities, they are all distinguished through award-winning new home designs emphasizing the principles of healthy living and community involvement.

According to Matt Orosz, Central Florida Division Co-President for AV Homes, “Each of AV’s active adult communities has a unique approach to catering to the lifestyle that blends with its natural environment and regional heritage.”

What Homeowners Want
So, what are homeowners looking for in an active adult community in 2016? AV Homes has identified three foundational elements to a rewarding home purchase: an affordable and creative floor plan complemented by compelling architecture and premium finishes; resort-quality amenities and social programming; and ease of access to quality health care.

Naturally, the affordability component comes full in to play for active adults considering a move. Orosz describes that several of AV’s 55+ communities offer homes starting in the mid- to high- $100,000s, which is attractive to a broad demographic. “Our new homebuyers are getting many of the high-end finishes they appreciated in their previous home, while retaining much of the home equity they gained after its sale.”

And AV Homes certainly knows a thing or two about modern, open floor plans, highlighted by sun-washed kitchens, spacious main-floor master suites, inviting outdoor living spaces, and versatile flex rooms and studies.

Some of their new design features include a bonus space called a “snore and more” room for couples who, well, desire separate sleeping quarters … a widely growing preference. The space can also be used as a home office or guest bedroom. In the master bath, soaking tubs are being traded for an oversized shower affectionately referred to as the “car wash,” featuring rain shower heads, massaging jets, and a bench for relaxing. A bathtub, however, can be custom added to the master, and bathtubs are always included in the home’s secondary bathroom.

Requests for other custom features such as gourmet kitchen appliances or generously appointed outdoor kitchens are ably handled by an onsite Design Center at each community that walks the homebuyer through any options they can imagine.

Active Adult Communities
Luxurious resort amenities and comprehensive activity programming are at the heart of any AV Homes active adult community. Here are some of the highlights:

AV’s Solivita community in Kissimmee is one of the most award-winning in the country, and offers two championship golf courses and 150,000 sq. ft. of club recreation, dining, and gathering space.

Vitalia in Port St. Lucie boasts a brand new 24,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse and the largest synthetic turf putting green in the country.

CantaMia at Estrella, just west of Phoenix, offers a Nicklaus Design golf course and more than 500 acres of parks and open space, plus over 20 miles of paths and hiking trails. Just east of Phoenix is Encore at Eastmark, whose centerpiece is the idyllic Encore Club, featuring a resort-style swimming pool and spa, 15,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse, all framed by tennis, bocce, and pickleball courts.

Creekside at Bethpage in Durham is a brand new community where residents enjoy a fully equipped recreation center with a hobby and game room, pool, racquet sport courts, billiards, community garden, aerobics studio, and more.

Health Care
Regarding the third tenant of homeowner preferences—full-cycle health care—Orosz emphasizes, “It is vital that our homeowners are afforded convenient access to a full continuum of health care throughout their lives and the lives of their aging parents. As an example, our Solivita community has an assisted living and memory care facility, plus a brand new hospital, both of which are literally across the street. And Creekside at Bethpage in Durham is just minutes from the world-class facilities at Duke University Medical Center.”

Discovery Travel
Prospective homebuyers can experience all that AV Homes active adult communities have to offer by living like a resident for three days and two nights through their Discovery Days program. Visitors stay in a fully-furnished guest home and have all-access privileges to the community’s recreational facilities.

For more information or to schedule a visit to an AV Homes active adult community, call 1-877-AVHOMES or visit online at www.avhomesinc.com.