• Dallas Morning News, Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, February 16, 2010 8:29 AM

Builders across the country are targeting the 55-plus homebuyer, anticipating that buyers in this cohort will make almost 270,000 purchases by next year. More than 60% of 55-plus homeowners -- 85 million people strong -- say they want to stay put, but the rest are at least interested in alternatives, Steve Brown reports.

"We believe this segment of the market is going to lead the housing industry toward recovery as the market turns around," says Sharon Dworkin Bell, a senior staff vp of the National Association of Home Builders.

More than 75% of potential 55-plus buyers say they want a home in the suburbs, but they don't want it too big because they're worried about energy costs, says NAHB economist David Crowe. At least some of them don't. "The baby boomers are absolutely unpredictable," says Andy White, a South Carolina developer. "There is no model to say what we ought to build."

Meanwhile, Laura Lorber reports in the Wall Street Journal that Americans in the 55-to-64 age group have the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity of any age group, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Their primary target market is other boomers.

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