Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1354192
By Marilyn Kennedy Melia CTW FEATURES Retiring baby boomerswho arerelo- catingaredrawntothe SoutheastandSouth- west,wherethere's "desirableweatherand relativelyaffordable newhousing,"finds a surveyfrom Zonda,a housing researchfirm. Theinformationis notasurprise,except thatthepoll of 15,000 relocatingboomers shopping foranewly constructedhome found that25percent aren't primarilydrawn tothelocaleitself,as muchastheresidents livingthere,specifi- cally theirgrandchild. Dubbingthembaby chasers,Zondafirst beganinvestigating thisphenomenon four yearsagowhen "our boomerco-workers would sharethattheir friendsweremovingto thesametownastheir children,"explains AliWolf,Zondachief economist. Zondanotesthat lotsofbaby chasers are shoppinginmetro areas includingChar- lotte,N.C.;Austin, Texas;Phoenix;Or- lando;Raleigh,N.C.; andIndianapolis. Theseplaces offer acombinationofgood jobopportunitiesfor millennials as wellas "housingoptionsfrom low-endandhigh-end standard homesas well as low-endandhigh- endactiveadultcom- munities,"saysShaun McCutcheon,Zonda vicepresident. "Generally,ababy chaser prefers tobe within15to30 min- utesoftheirgrand- children,"McCutcheon adds. Butgrandparents needtolookat the long-termpicture,too. "Babychasersshould bewarythattheiradult childrencouldfol- lowjobopportunities toanotherlocation," saysCherylSherrard,a Charlotte,N.C.,certi- fiedfinancialplanner whoalsoholdsadegree ingerontology. "Iftheydidrelocate, wouldyoutrytofol- lowthem?Isthatfea- sibleforyou?"Sherrard asks."Theymayhave employerassistanceto makeacross-country move,butyouwouldbe fundingthatyourselves." She suggestscon- sultingwithafinancial planner to "consider allthe aspects of a longlifeinanewloca- tion. They shouldnot be choosing housing based solely on the proximitytotheirchil- dren, but rather con- siderthe availabilityof doctors, shoppingand transportationforthe years down the road." Despite potential issues, "parents and grandparents want to followtheirkidsand grandkids,"saysVaike O'Grady,regionaldi- rectorforZonda in Austin. Thenewretirementgoal? Beingwiththegrandbabies BayAreaNewsGroup'snextBeyondtheBay UPCOMING PUBLISHING DATES: Foradvertising infocontact Sandy Lek at (925) 847-2135 or slek@bayareanewsgroup.com For more info, visit www.NewHomeFinder.news 16 th Sunday BANG Readership 662,400* 662,400* *Source: 2020 R1 Scarborough Research DON'T MISSTHE NEXT May 23 & September 26 TheMercuryNews|EastBayTimes|MarinIndependentJournal May 21 & September 24 27 Community Weeklies AND H8 BAYAREANEWSGROUP 111 Homes | Advertising Section