Aging In Place with Style

A new report from PODS shows Wilmington tied with Myrtle Beach as the top relocation destination in the U.S. In the moving and storage company’s most recent assessment, it tracked its customers’ moving decisions from January 2024 through March 2025.  

In recent years, Wilmington has ranked among PODS’ customers as a popular place to settle, thanks to its “affordability, welcoming community, mild climate, laid-back lifestyle, and access to nature, appealing to retirees and families,” according to the report.  

Since many of these incomers are retired, or are on the runway toward retirement, some local builders and developers have tailored their offerings specifically to this demographic.  

“As a custom builder in this market, we gear our homes to empty-nesters and retirees, and also to clients with immediate ADA needs,” said Cress Bell, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act.  

Bell, owner of Bell Custom Homes in Wilmington, says his company builds homes that most of its clients call their forever home. 

 “The clients we serve, some think toward the future; they plan to be in their home indefinitely,” he added. “They plan for the unknown future, whether they are 65 or 75. It could be an in-law or parent coming to live with them, or (themselves) aging in place.” 

Bell designs and builds its single-family houses on its clients’ lots.  

Premier Homes, by contrast, acquires tracts of land, designs and then builds a whole community or neighborhood. Having almost completed The Home Place of Southport, a neighborhood of 42 patio homes and 10 townhomes, it’s starting work on Turtle Bay, located on Hwy. 211 about 2 miles from Southport.  

Plans call for 100 single-family homes in a gated community of nearly 55 acres. Like The Home Place of Southport, this development is designed with older adults in mind. Future residents choose and buy their lot, then meet with Premier Homes’ representatives to select their floor plan and options. 

Although Turtle Bay’s land/home packages start in the $600,000s, its target market is people who are looking for value, said Terry Ando, Premier Homes’ managing partner. They are also looking for features that will serve them well as they age. Full lawn maintenance is included in residents’ dues. 

“Our standard package includes things like comfort-height toilets, interior and exterior lever door handles,” Ando said. “The doors are wider, and our walk-in showers are wide.” 

All Turtle Bay homes have open floor plans, with nearly all daily living spaces on the main level. Several floor plans are one-level only. 

Ando said all the Turtle Bay homes will have brick exteriors for easy maintenance, with a range of brick-and-mortar colors to choose from. 

Turtle Bay plans wide sidewalks on one side of each street to accommodate walkers, bikers and even golf carts. A nature trail will wind around the property; there are also natural common areas, each with a gazebo and bench. 

What will Turtle Bay not offer? 

“There will be no pool, clubhouse, tennis courts or fitness center; that’s to keep (HOA) dues affordable,” Ando said. “In a subdivision with 100 lots, these amenities are not feasible for retirees. You need 250 lots minimum to support those things. People in Turtle Bay can have their own pool. This will be a gated community with private streets; we think that’s more important than having amenities. The town of Southport has parks, tennis and pickleball courts, and right downtown you have the waterway and close proximity to beaches.” 

Bell Custom Homes clients, 60-70% of whom are retirees, usually have purchased their lot when they meet with company designers to plan their new home. Regardless of the design, Cress Bell recommends incorporating aging-in-place features from the beginning rather than perhaps having to retrofit later.   

“We include wider doorways in all areas of the house,” Bell said. “There’s also a grandeur to the home with wider doors and wider hallways.” 

Like Premier Homes, Bell’s company focuses on accessible features for bathrooms: raised toilets, zero-entry showers and grab bars. Kitchen designs favor pull-out shelves or drawers in the base cabinets. 

Bell homes incorporate smart home technology to make controls easier. 

“You can use your phone to control items in the house: lights, thermostats and fans,” Bell said. “You can check remotely to see if you have closed the garage door. These are in our standard package for homes regardless of the (owner’s) age.” 

If a homebuyer has immediate accessibility issues, the home design can incorporate other accommodations, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. 

“We’ve done a lot of research; we can design a house for a full-size wheelchair. We can also build wheelchair ramps,” Bell said. “Usually, a developer building for an older demographic doesn’t require a raised foundation, so there are no entry steps. It also makes building a ramp easier.” 

Building a home with an eye toward possible future physical limitations doesn’t add much to the cost, according to Bell. 

“You can really upfit a house,” he said, “to be very efficient for ADA needs at minimal cost.”