Harnessing real estate marketing strategies to bring visions to fruition

Over a decade ago, the vision for Sonders Fort Collins was born. The brainchild of Bill Swalling, principal and founder of Actual Communities Inc, Sonders was first named Water’s Edge and was known to be the next sustainably-focused, active adult community coming to Fort Collins. It used its major amenity as its selling point – along the water’s edge of Richard’s Lake. But the vision became so much bigger than that.

Working hand-in-hand with Actual Communities Inc, we had the honor of taking its original vision and expanding it in new ways under the reimagined brand persona of Sonders Fort Collins. The true fruits of our labor, however, go beyond the brand development and real estate marketing strategies and tactics. Our pride point is helping the vision come to fruition of being recognized as a community that takes the future seriously.

By 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 years or older. And by 2034, people 65 years and older will outnumber our kids ages 17 and younger. Our population is aging, yet our homes and communities are not equipped to welcome the needs of this audience. At Sonders, that’s where the rubber meets the road. 

Our partnership with the development team has grown to include Sonders’ friends at Colorado State University’s Institute for the Built Environment (IBE). Colleagues and students have worked with Actual Communities and the development team at Sonders to craft a community design that offers the right mix of lifestyle components to meet the needs of our aging population. And we’ve worked with IBE to brand their Lifelong Communities and Lifelong Homes Certifications – the first of their kind for community development and home building.

With the vision of building a sustainable, resilient community that fosters a healthy culture of aging, Sonders Fort Collins has set the stage for what community development looks like for our multi-generational future.

Through these accomplishments, Sonders Fort Collins is awarded as the nation’s first Pre-Certified Lifelong Community. Its attributes meet the criteria set out by CSU’s IBE, and Sonders looks forward to receiving its full Certification status once installation of the parks and trails are complete.

This is an honor and recognition for the Sonders team, its visionaries, and A+B1, because big things don’t come from thin air. They’re born from passion, collaboration, and expertise. We’re elated to be a part of this story.

You can see our work for Sonders Fort Collins in our portfolio, and learn more about what Lifelong Communities means at Sonders on its website. 

And see how this initiative by CSU’s IBE goes beyond Sonders and dives deeper into the home building industry in CSU Source’s article, World’s first ‘lifelong communities precertication standard launched by CSU institute takes shape in new housing.

We look forward to connecting with you about your vision, goals, and future-changing aspirations.