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Age-qualified single-family homes tend to be concentrated in the band between 1,600 and 3,000 sq. ft. In 2009, very few of the agequalified single-family units captured in the SOC were smaller than 1,200 sq. ft., and none at all were larger than 4,000 sq ft.
Price Although single-family homes were not generally larger if built in age-qualified communities, the prices of the age-qualified homes tended to be somewhat higher. In 2009, the average price of new single-family homes sold in age-qualified communities was $299,000, compared to $247,000 for single-family homes built in communities that were not age-qualified. The average price difference is not related to features of the homes in an obvious way. Central air conditioning is somewhat more common in age-qualified single-family homes (present in 99% of the starts, compared to 89% for homes not built in age-qualified communities), but fireplaces are somewhat less common (34% of the age-qualified starts, versus 49% of non-age-qualified). In general, house price differences can be the result of geographic construction patterns, as prices are known to be higher in certain parts of the country. The divisional distribution of age-qualified and non-age-qualified starts doesnʼt provide a clear-cut explanation of the average price difference, however. Age-qualified starts had below-average shares in both the relatively low-cost West South Central and the relatively high-cost Pacific divisions. Locational premiums also are possible within census divisions, of course. Lot prices may be higher in areas near a coast, for example. The SOC doesnʼt provide that level of geographic detail, but it does show that builders paid more for single-family lots in age-qualified communities in 2009 (median $50,000 vs. $40,000 in non-age-qualified communities) even though the lots tended to be smaller (median of about 7,000 sq. ft. versus more than 10,000 sq. ft.). House prices also may be related to community amenities. A previous study undertaken by NAHB has shown that some form of community recreational facility is extremely common in age-qualified communities. Results from a statistical model developed by NAHB show that, controlling for a large number of other factors, the presence of that type of recreational amenity increases the value of a standard home from $212,100 to $221,600. Effects like this are outside the scope of the SOC, which doesnʼt collect information on community amenities. NAHB and the Census Bureau discussed the possibility of collecting that data during the last SOC redesign, but rejected it on the grounds that a builder of a particular housing unit wouldnʼt able to predict accurately, at the time the unit is started, the community amenities that would be present when an the entire subdivision is completed. Although the SOC data now identify housing starts in age-qualified communities, they donʼt identify starts in communities with amenities that attract primarily 55+ households, even though these communities are not age-qualified. In some cases, these may be close substitutes for the age-qualified product and have a significant impact on local 55+ housing markets. The data used in the http://www.nahbenews.com/nahb50mag/textonly/printallPF.php?id=nahb50mag20100625
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