To be honest, I didn’t know much about active-adult communities before we began this issue. Now that I’ve done my research and recently visited one, I’m ready to sign up. I might not fit in for a few more years, but the community that I received a tour of seemed like a lovely place to head to in the future.

For our cover shoot, we visited Del Webb’s Grand Dominion in Mundelein. As we set up for the shoot in the community’s club house, a group of ladies played bridge in one corner and the music from a Zumba class echoed through the halls. I don’t know what Zumba is, but after watching the ladies wiggle their hips to Ricky Martin I wanted to join the next class. Down the hall residents enjoyed a workout in the stocked fitness room as others took a dip in the indoor pool. From trips to downtown to see Mary Poppins to road trips to Nashville, Tenn., the residents of this community have no excuse to be bored.

What does this have to do with Realtors, you ask? The Baby Boomers are a huge facet of the population, and many of them are ready for a move and a change of pace. Whether they’re looking at an active-adult community or just a smaller empty-nest home, this is a huge client base that you should be tapping into. In our cover story, we’ve found some experts on Boomers to help you understand the needs of these clients so that maybe you can tap into this ever-growing niche.

So even if an active-adult community doesn’t sound enticing to you, that doesn’t mean it’s not the right place for one of your clients. Boomers are a large percentage of the Chicagoland population, so take the time to educate yourself on how to identify with these potential clients and create a new way to nab that next sale.