Bloggers Providing Deeper Insight Into a Retirement
                       Community's Lifestyle

POINCIANA, Fla., Oct. 11, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It's no secret. The
internet has changed the way people are searching for their next home.
Experts estimate that upwards of 90% of all potential home buyers now
begin their search online. As such, builders are investing heavily to
give their website visitors plenty of information about their homes and
in the case of 55+ active adult communities, their lifestyle.

Builder websites may be a great starting point for information, but as
with most marketing tools, they tend to focus on home designs,
community amenities and activities, and special offers to visit or
discounts on homes.

But now, social networking has brought another dimension to the search
process, especially as it applies to how the 55+ market evaluates a
particular community's lifestyle. Community bloggers. And if the idea
of someone 55 and older blogging seems unlikely, you're in for a big
surprise. Search the term "senior blogs" and you'll find page after
page of sites dedicated to 55+ readers on topics ranging from health
and dating, to finance and employment, to travel and yes, retirement
housing.

Recently, one builder actually recruited and included community
bloggers to its website. Avatar Holding, builders of the Solivita and
CantaMia active adult communities in Florida and Arizona helped its
community residents create the "Living Younger With Me" blog found at
www.solivita.com/younger-next-year. The blogs, posted by three
different residents, chronicle their participation in community events,
their relationships with new friends, community attributes, local
activities, a much more. Together they have collaborated on more than
300 posts.

Anyone following Gabby Thomas's blog can learn about one of her biggest
problems -- staying on a consistent exercise schedule. The retired
principal from Brooklyn, New York then goes on to discuss her
participation with the morning "Splash & Go" water exercise class. She
also touches on many of the things her family and grandchildren enjoy
when they visit Solivita, located near the Orlando theme parks.

John Robinson from Meriden, Connecticut also contributes vignettes
about many of the activities he and his family-members participate in
when they visit Solivita. But he also will share some stories about
this "pet-friendly" community or its hand chime choir. John is also a
veteran and he delivers a poignant story about a scholarship program
for ROTC graduates created by Veteran's Club of Solivita where he
serves as a Director.

If you happen to be a nature lover, you might find Ginger Allain's blog
educational. A retired librarian from El Dorado, Kansas, Ginger is an
outdoor enthusiast and she often blogs and posts pictures of the
abundant wildlife that also calls Solivita home. She also shares
frequent stories about her new neighbors and their involvement in the
community, including the 46 residents who joined the Solivita Travel
Club on its recent trip to Alaska.

This is just a sampling of blog topics that provide prospective
residents with a much deeper understanding of what goes on behind the
scenes at Solivita. And the posts are not just a monologue. Comments
abound. Gary and Eva responded to one post with the comment:

WOW...Gabby…now I can see what we are in store for. I hope our
building process goes as well as yours and Joe. We are on the corner of
Villa Park. Love your Pics.

Diahann responded to another with:

I am soooooo jealous of all the fun you guys are having down in
Solivita and can't wait to visit. What in the world is pickleball? Only
in Florida can you have so much fun!!!

Louise posted:

Enjoyed READING all of your BLOGS and it seems that U all have so much
fun down there.

Retirement expert Gene Warren of TW+A Research in Phoenix estimates
that as much as 20% of the Baby Boom population will move to another
state when they retire. That gives this new wave of active adult
community bloggers and audience of about 16 million people who are
looking to find out more about the community of their choice -- before
they relocate.

Just as the internet changed the way American's shop for a new home,
the explosion of social networking among the 55+ population is now
redefining the way they can find out more about the active adult
communities they are considering.

Research from the Internet & American Life Project of the Pew Research
Center shows the number of social networkers aged 50 and older came
close to doubling from April 2002 to May 2010, a surge that far
surpassed the growth rate of new younger users.

Blogging. It's not just for the young. It's for the young at heart too.







This information was brought to you by Cision
http://www.cisionwire.comhttp://www.cisionwire.com/master-planned-commu
nications/r/blogging-your-way-to-your-retirement-community,c9170489

The following pictures are available for download:


  [Image]   Gabby Blogging