Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer AARC Newsletter. And, like a dog, this year feels like seven to me…
In these unique times, we are experiencing both understandably conservative spending on Marketing and heightened consumer demand for housing away from the big cities of the northeast and midwest. Communities investing in Marketing have seen results from their efforts – and while walk-in traffic in sales offices is generally weaker, the folks walking in are seemingly more motivated to buy.
In particular, the pre-retirees who normally start looking for their “dream destination home” after the kids have departed for college are now pulling the trigger faster – and increasingly, they are looking for home office options. A recent report by the Naples, Florida-based Golf Life Navigators organization stated that more than 2/3 of folks actively looking for destination community real estate have increased their focus on home office options due to COVID-19. Are you seeing this trend – and if so, what are you doing to Market to it?
In late July, the talented team at KC Creative held a successful webinar for AARC members and invitees on marketing strategies and tactics – many of which are in line with the “understandably conservative spending on Marketing” point from earlier in this note. If you’d like to get some of the insights from that presentation, please click HERE.
Enjoy your summer, and “woof.”
Bill Houghton
Chair, The AARC
New Home Sales Reach Highest Level Since Great Recession
National Association of Home Builders | July 24, 2020
In a sign that the housing market is leading the economy during the coronavirus outbreak, sales of newly built, single-family homes rose to their highest level since the Great Recession, up 13.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 776,000 units in June, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The June rate is 6.9% higher than the June 2019 pace.
AARC Member and Seal of Approval Community Recognized by Southern Living Magazine
Oxford, Mississippi: Quintessential College Town That Retirees Love, Too
The home of Hotty Toddy is the toast of Southern letters.
Logan Ward , Southern Living | July, 2020
Tucked into the hills of North Mississippi, this town was named after Oxford, England, in hopes of attracting the state university. It worked: The University of Mississippi opened its doors in 1848, and today Oxford is the region’s quintessential college town, celebrated as a literary wellspring and an SEC sports powerhouse.
“Ole Miss is a huge partner for our community,” says Rosie Vassallo, director of retiree attraction with the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation. “The university opens its calendars to welcome all residents. And when you’re surrounded by young people, you feel young yourself.”