What people do when they retire.

What do people do when they retire? "Many of them go back to work," says Don Smith, co-founder of QualityLife Communities (QLC), "and many move into a QualityLife Community, and not necessarily in that order."

Dr. Van Oliphant, retired Vice President and Professor at the Fogelman College of Business & Economics at the University of Memphis, works with Smith, retired CEO of Pickering Architects/Engineers, to build condominium homes for active adults 55 and older. Oliphant and Smith have been friends for many years and did their first building together when they helped their church, Second Baptist in Memphis, build a Habitat Home in 1990. In 2006, these friends will help Second Baptist build their tenth home. However, Smith and Oliphant are only a few of several retired people working for QualityLife Communities, and there is at least one person (many in retirement centers) working in 90.0 percent of the homes in QLC.

Don Smith and Harriet Burton, also formerly with Picketing, founded QualityLife Communities in 2000, and they have learned a lot about what people want in their "dream home," the home for easy living just for them after going through years of raising a family. QualityLife is making significant strides toward responding to those needs.

The QualityLife Communities concept and approach has proven to be responsive to what people 55 and over are looking for: a simplified lifestyle in an upscale home and neighborhood, convenient to services and amenities. QualityLife's first home at Dexter Way was completed just two years ago. In the first five months of 2006, 10 homes were sold, and currently there are 20 homes under construction in three locations.

In May of 2004, QualityLife had three employees. Today, there are six employees in QualityLife plus six in VCM, an affiliate company that is the builder for QLC. Half of the QLC employees either live or soon will live in a QualityLife Community. On any given day, there may be two or three dozen employees of sub-contractors working on QualityLife projects in Memphis and Southaven.

The top five reasons given by residents and potential residents for considering QualityLife Communities are:

1. To get away from yard work and exterior home maintenance.

2. Want a new, upscale home designed appropriately to meet their current lifestyle.

3. Location close to family, services, and amenities and the image of the neighborhood.

4. Safety, security, and restrictive covenants that enhance livability and help maintain value.

5. Neighborhood social opportunities and programs that make aging in place viable.

QualityLife Communities Projects and Phases

Dexter Grove

Dexter Grove is a new courtyard condominium community on Appling Road at Dexter Grove and around the corner from Dexter Way, QualityLife Communities' first development in Cordova. The project is the prototype of a new concept developed by QualityLife Communities that features an internal courtyard similar to those found in many older residential areas, influenced by European urban designs.

Dexter Grove will have 10 homes, including one- and two-bedroom homes with one- and two-car garages. Eight of the homes will be one-story, and two of the homes will feature a loft with a studio and bedroom upstairs. The prices will range from $145,000 to $188,000. Dr. Oliphant serves as the Director of Condominium Development. One of the programs Oliphant has developed is the building of courtyard condominiums in affiliation with churches and colleges.

Dexter Way in Cordova

Phase I of Dexter Way in Cordova is well on the way to being completed. With only seven homes remaining, Phase I is projected to be completed before the end of 2006. Construction is projected to start on Phase II on the north side of Dexter Road in the coming months with 15 additional homes.

The average price of the single-story, detached homes at Dexter Way is $230,000. The architectural style of the homes is French Colonial, with high-pitched roofs. Although the homes have second-floor space, most of the area is for storage. Only 20.0 percent of the homes have finished space upstairs.

Of those who have purchased homes in Dexter Way, 25.0 percent have moved to Memphis from other areas of the country, 25.0 percent are from other Memphis-area communities, including Bartlett and DeSoto County, and the remaining 50.0 percent have relocated from other Memphis locations. Ninety percent of the households have at least one person still working.

The neighbors get together on a regular basis to socialize and enjoy a meal together, either in the neighborhood's Gathering House or they go out to eat. The residents recently selected two from their fold to serve on the neighborhood's Association Board of Directors.

QualityLife at Snowden Grove

QualityLife at Snowden Grove is a new 88-home development located in Southaven, DeSoto County, Mississippi, near Getwell and Nail Road just across the street from Snowden Park and Community Center. The project has just started, with the first six homes of the project under construction.

Interest in this neighborhood has been significant, with the first two homes being sold before they were even started. The development is projected to be completed in three years. Town Square at Snowden Grove is just a few blocks from this QualityLife Community, and residents can stroll down the street for dinner in one of the three restaurants opening there in the next couple of months.

QualityLife Communities Profile

1. QualityLife was founded by Don Smith and Harriet Burton to provide quality living options for adults 55 years old and older.

2. QualityLife is the only company in the Memphis area that is building multiple 55+ communities with single-family homes and condominiums for sale.

3. The program and service packages provided by QualityLife are unique.

4. QualityLife's first project, Dexter Way, located on Dexter Road east of Appling Road in Memphis (Cordova), has 25 homes (23 single-family detached and 2 townhomes).

5. Besides enjoying success inside the city limits of Memphis, QualityLife Communities are being well received in Shelby County outside Memphis and in Southaven, Mississippi.

6. Dexter Way, like all QualityLife Communities, is gated, and the homes are wired for security.

7. Covenants and restrictions do not allow outside storage and require that all vehicles, except for visitors' cars, be parked in the garage.

8. Exterior maintenance, including lawns and the exterior of the houses, is covered by a monthly fee and is provided by the homeowners' association.

9. QualityLife homes are upscale, "not so big" homes with amenities generally found in more expensive homes.

10. All single-family homes have nine-foot smooth ceilings, double sinks, tub and shower in the master bath, screened in back porches, and fireplaces.

11. Homes are designed for easy mobility with wider doorways and hallways, better access in kitchens and bathrooms, no step into the home from the carport, and lever-type hardware.

12. The architectural style of the homes is French Colonial, with high-pitched roofs. Although the homes have second-floor space, most of the area is for storage. Only 20.0 percent of the homes have finished space upstairs.

13. The average price of the single-story, detached homes at Dexter Way is $230,000.

14. The first home was completed in Dexter Way in Cordova in May 2004; 8 homes were sold in the first year and a half, and 11 homes where sold in the first seven months of 2006.

15. Five homes are currently under construction, and three of those have already been sold. The remaining homes in Dexter Way Phase I are projected to be completed soon, along with Phase II which started in 2006.

16. Of those who have purchased homes in Dexter Way, 25.0 percent have moved to Memphis from other areas of the country, 25.0 percent are from other Memphis-area communities, including Bartlett and DeSoto County, and the remaining 50.0 percent have relocated from other Memphis locations.

17. One-half of the homes are occupied by a single person (60.0 percent women and 40.0 percent men), and almost half have had a fairly recent change in their life situation.

18. QualityLife has 10 unique courtyard condominiums in Dexter Grove, located on Appling Road at Dexter Grove, adjacent to QLC Dexter Way, that were scheduled for completion in June 2006.

19. Dexter Grove condos are one- and two-bedroom homes with one- and two-car garages and are priced from $144,000 to $189,000.

20. QualityLife at Snowden Grove in Southaven is the third QualityLife Communities project. Homes in the development are under construction, and most were scheduled for completion in August 2006.

21. In May 2004, QualityLife Communities had three employees. By 2006, QLC had six employees, plus six in VCM, an affiliate company that is the builder for QualityLife Communities. On any given day, there may be two or three dozen employees of subcontractors working on QLC projects in Memphis and Southaven.

22. Two-thirds of the QualityLife staff retired from previous careers prior to joining QLC, and three-fourths of those live or will live in QualityLife Communities.

by Don Smith, Co-Founder, QualityLife Communities