by Ben Keal on February 15, 2025
Many fifty-five-and-older communities in the United States now offer homes with lavish features and amenities that cater to the lifestyles of their target residents. Offering luxury features is a significant shift in the concept of senior communities. Previously, senior housing primarily focused on delivering basic, low-maintenance homes.
Common Luxury Features in Retirement Homes
As active adults become more particular about what they want from retirement, housing becomes more luxurious. If you want a peek at the future of fifty-five-and-older housing projects, here’s what you can expect:
Fashionable Amenities
Property developers of active adult neighborhoods pay close attention to details like quality, comfort, visual appeal, and finesse. Typically, upgrades include innovative architectural details and interior designs.
Gourmet restaurants and classy salons with spas and massage parlors may also be onsite in larger communities, as well as luxury gyms and sprawling golf courses.
Advanced Technologies
Many retirement homes now have high-tech features, including smart access control systems, surveillance systems, smart lighting, and smart thermostats.
Affluent Neighborhoods
Modern retirees are still active, engaged, and stylish. They want to settle where they can access high-end shopping malls, restaurants, resorts, movie theaters, and entertainment spots.
It’s also not surprising to find fifty-five-and-older communities in urban areas, waterfront neighborhoods, historic areas, and other highly desirable locations.
Personalized Wellness Care
There’s no better sign of luxury and affluence than a health and wellness program tailored to individual needs. Such programs have become commonplace in many private, age-restricted communities with residents who demand luxury living.
Some communities will provide a personal health and fitness trainer who can work with you to develop a program that suits your fitness goals and needs. A nutritionist might also be on staff to help you adopt a healthier diet.
Why Senior Communities Are Offering Luxury Features
The growing demand for luxury features in active adult communities has pushed developers to add features that cater to the needs of their residents. Here’s why that demand is so high:
Active Adults Want to Feel Pampered
Many fifty-five-and-older communities now offer luxury homes with expensive details to provide a high-end senior experience. Affluent residents want to feel special and spoiled.
Active Adults Want New Experiences
As they enter the next phase of their lives, many retirees want new experiences. Active adult community developers choose locations with stunning scenery and build homes with cutting-edge designs and features that make retirement feel like an extended vacation.
Final Thoughts
Providing luxury features in fifty-five-and-over communities gives seniors extra comfort and a boosted quality of life. If you need assistance finding luxury senior housing or want to learn more about the best timing strategies for retirement home purchases, try the Private Communities search tool today for the options in your desired location and price range!
About the Author
Since 2012, Ben Keal has led PCR solidifying PrivateCommunities.com as a top source in helping prospective buyers find their ideal lifestyle community. With decades of experience in both sales and real estate, he has built lasting relationships with the country's top developers, homebuilders, country clubs, and real estate agents. A licensed real estate broker, Ben also serves as the Managing Broker for Private Communities Realty, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Private Communities Registry, LLC)—further ensuring PCR's mission to uphold the company's reputation as a responsible and trusted broker for real estate shoppers interested in amenity-rich, master-planned lifestyle communities.
