WHAT HOMEBUYERS WITH DISABILITIES NEED BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR

AS THE POPULATION AGES, BARRIER-FREE LIVING AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES ARE BECOMING KEY DRIVERS OF VALUE IN REAL ESTATE

Simple tools to better serve the growing market for Aging in Place and People with Disabilities:

Are there dedicated bike lanes?

Are delivery trucks and other vehicles ticketed and towed when they illegally block bike lanes?

Many senior citizens can bike to shops and services.

It provides healthy exercise and an alternate means of mobility if driving is no longer an option because of deteriorating physical, visual or cognitive ability.

There are three-wheeled and handcycle bikes that can accommodate people with many physical disabilities.

WHAT HOMEBUYERS WITH DISABILITIES NEED BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR

AS THE POPULATION AGES, BARRIER-FREE LIVING AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES ARE BECOMING KEY DRIVERS OF VALUE IN REAL ESTATE

Simple tools to better serve the growing market for Aging in Place and People with Disabilities:

Does the community have wide sidewalks on both sides of the street?

Are they well-maintained (tree root buckling repaired, landscaping trimmed back) and unobstructed (no speed limit signs in the center of the sidewalk, no dockless scooters allowed to be discarded and blocking safe passage)?

Are crosswalks safe (center median safe harbor to pause halfway when there are four or more lanes)?

Are curbramps consistent or missing?

Without them, a wheelchair user is forced into dangerous traffic.

MIAMI BOOK FAIR

PLEASE HAVE INCLUSIVE SEATING THIS YEAR

Last year’s book fair had an outdoor food court produced by Smorgasboard Miami.

It had 24 picnic tables and another 12 metal tables.

Not one had a space for wheelchair users.

We reported this 10 minutes into the opening day of the street fair.

Nothing was done.

This kind of ableism and exclusion cannot be repeated.

WHAT HOMEBUYERS WITH DISABILITIES NEED BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR

AS THE POPULATION AGES, BARRIER-FREE LIVING AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES ARE BECOMING KEY DRIVERS OF VALUE IN REAL ESTATE

Millions of Florida residential real estate clients are aging and are likely to experience some loss of mobility.

Many just plain enjoy a barrier-free home in a community that doesn’t demand that they drive a car – past the age they can do so safely – to meet their daily needs.

Others are downsizing and want to live close to arts, culture, urban vibrancy and healthcare options.

WHAT HOMEBUYERS WITH DISABILITIES NEED BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR

AS THE POPULATION AGES, BARRIER-FREE LIVING AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES ARE BECOMING KEY DRIVERS OF VALUE IN REAL ESTATE

Relevant stats regarding the market for Universal Design in single family homes:

The CDC reports that one in four adults in the United States has a disability that impacts major life activities.

The World Economic Forum has calculated the spending power of the disability community, along with friends and family, is $13 trillion.

The U.S. census tracks that by 2034, for the first time ever, there will be more Americans age 65-plus than under 18. 

The U.S. Department of Labor has calculated the large and growing market of people with disabilities has $175 billion in spending power.

WHAT HOMEBUYERS WITH DISABILITIES NEED BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR

AS THE POPULATION AGES, BARRIER-FREE LIVING AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES ARE BECOMING KEY DRIVERS OF VALUE IN REAL ESTATE

Ryan Gebauer, leader of the Ryan Realty Group Brokerage in Coral Springs, noted that most major medical facilities and hospitals are in more dense, central areas – not in rural or exurban settings – so if person is maintaining a health issue, they may want to secure housing closer to an urban core or town center.

WHAT HOMEBUYERS WITH DISABILITIES NEED BEYOND THE FRONT DOOR

AS THE POPULATION AGES, BARRIER-FREE LIVING AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES ARE BECOMING KEY DRIVERS OF VALUE IN REAL ESTATE

“If you have a wheelchair accessible van, you might want to live near a company that does repairs. You don’t have the option to just hop into an Uber sedan, so proximity to a competent repair place for your van and wheelchair can be a location factor,” said Ryan Gebauer, leader of the Ryan Realty Group Brokerage in Coral Springs.