Since opening last year, more than half of the homes have sold in The Village at Aversboro, a Garner community that caters to the 55 and older crowd. In Clayton, developers have revamped plans for a new subdivision to attract a more mature crowd.

Even in a recession, the older population has money to spend, some real-estate agents say. Often, they have equity from their current homes they can use to buy new ones. And those in retirement don’t have to worry about layoffs.

Stan and Edith Conyers moved into their home in The Village at Aversboro in Garner last year. Communities that cater to the 55 and older population are cropping up in Garner and Clayton.
- PHOTOS BY SARAH NAGEM

As they get older, some people are drawn to retirement communities’ promises of lawn care, activities and fellowship.

"This is a real growth segment of the market," said Clayton Planning Director Skip Browder.

Edith and Stan Conyers lived in a house off of Buffaloe Road in Garner for more than 20 years. Although the couple is active, the large property required a lot of yard work, and 78-year-old Edith decided "it was time to move on."

The Conyers were one of the first families to move into The Village last year. Their house - just under 2,000 square feet - is the perfect setup for them, they say.

"It just feels so good to hear someone out there cutting the grass," Edith said.

While the Conyers are thrilled with their home, the transition wasn’t seamless. They moved to The Village in April 2008, before they sold their old house. Although they no longer had mortgage payments on the other house, Stan was unhappy about paying taxes and insurance for two homes.

"I didn’t think we were going to be able to sell it, ‘cause we didn’t have many prospects," Stan said. "I was sweating it out."

The Conyers did sell the house, two months after they moved to The Village. But it’s a hurdle for some folks who want to move to a retirement community, said Carol Sims, an agent with Fonville Morisey. Sims sells homes at The Village.

"The main thing is not being able to sell their homes to get here," she said.

In The Village, about three-fourths of the 38 homes sold so far belong to local folks. Newcomers from out of state bought the rest, said Paul Capps, a real-estate agent. Former New Yorkers have bought six or seven of the homes, Sims added.

Judy and Monroe Bruch moved to North Carolina a couple of years ago, after they sold their home in the Albany, N.Y., area. They were lucky - the house stayed on the market only six weeks, Judy said.

They bought a home in The Village last year, although they weren’t looking for a retirement community.

"We said, ‘You know what, that sounds like a good idea,’" Judy said. "Your own space, your own yard."

Judy, a retired social worker, is active in The Village community. She goes to lunch once a month with other women in the neighborhood, and she and her husband, a retired college professor, have gone to movie night. They ride their bikes in their neighborhood.

Often, these kinds of communities strive to cater to active adults. Clayton touts itself as a great place for active families, said James Lipscomb, an agent with Hometown Realty. Eventually, those families get older, and they still want things to do, he said.

Lipscomb helped convince The Walthom Group, a development company in Clayton, to change its plans for a new subdivision near Glen Laurel to appeal to adults 55 and older.

Earlier this year, Clayton leaders approved plans for a housing development off Vinson Road. The homes were to be similar in size to those in Glen Laurel. But some real-estate agents called for something new, said Jim Lee, a partner in the Walthom Group. Last week, the town’s planning board backed 51 new homes in the area for adults 55 and older. The company also has plans for another senior-living community in Clayton, Lee said.

If they had stuck with the original plans, builders likely wouldn’t have broken ground on the housing project for a year or two, Lee said. If the Town Council approves the new plan, construction will likely get under way soon, he said.

Like the homes in The Village, the new houses in Clayton won’t be cheap. The average price would be $350,000 or so, Lee said. At The Village, home prices range from about $265,000 to $350,000.

Older folks might want to downsize, Lee said, but they don’t want to settle for cheap things. If the Clayton plans go through, the homes will have solid wooden doors, high-grade carpets and nice cabinets, he said. In Garner, bulldozers continue to push dirt at The Village. Eventually, the community will have 147 houses - mostly brick, with manicured lawns.

For Edith Conyers, who continues to work part time, it’s perfect. She walks around the neighborhood while her husband rides his stationary bike in the house and surfs the Internet. At Christmas, they host their large family in the community’s clubhouse - a better setup, they say, than the garage at their old house.

"It makes sense," Stan Conyers said of their new home.

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