I just do not agree that the number of people who want to or are able to come to The Villages is decreasing.
A record number of Americans are turning 65 in 2024. The most in history. Of the entire baby boom generation, this is the highest. 4.1 million Americans turn 65 this year, and every year through 2027, when the annual number will start to decrease.
Put another way, 11,233 people are turning 65 every single day in this country.
Additionally, in the first quarter of 2024, Fidelity had 485,000 401(k) millionaires. This number was up 15% from Q4 2023, and up 43% since Q1 2023.
I don't think the demand will be going down the least bit. There are some places in the country where it's not as fast or easy to sell your home as it was a year ago, largely due to mortgage interest rates. That could be slowing things down a bit.
I believe those homes in Richmond are going to sell in a frenzy as soon as they become available.
It is astonishing to me how much work is being done from horizon to horizon as far as the eye can see as soon as one goes over the Bexley Bridge. The Villages is going to be selling a lot of homes down there in the coming years. I do think the developers listen and I do think they care. I continue to marvel as how well built and maintained The Villages is. There are a myriad of examples of places that the Developer could have cheaped out or cut corners. They continue to preserve open space and maintain stunning beauty all over. The place is pristinely clean and the flowers are still changed out every quarter. Those homes are going to sell, after the pace of sales during the pandemic, it was bound to normalize somewhat. I have no data to back this up, but I also don't think the developer has to spend very much on advertising and marketing. I never see ads for The Villages....this place sells on word-of-mouth and reputation and YouTubers.
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