But if you ask a direct question about a property, the seller or the estate agent is obliged to give a truthful answer. Sellers - and their agents - are far less likely to point out the drawbacks It is down to the buyer to work out what these are. Estate agents will, naturally enough, champion the selling points of a property: its location, its period features, its flexible internal layout. And older people are older; of those aged 65-plus, the proportion living to 85 and over has risen from 7 per cent in 1971 to 12 per cent in 2004.. These developments do sell very well - the coast is still a favourite for retirement."The demographicsThe UK has an ageing population, making the creation of specialist retirement housing more important than ever.National Statistics says that the UK population has grown by 7 per cent in the past 30 years, increasing from 55.9 million people in 1971 to 59.8 million in mid-2004.But growth is not even across all age groups: the proportion of those under 16 has fallen from 25 to 19 per cent; the proportion of people aged 65 and up has risen from 13 to 16 per cent.

The average age of our purchasers is 74, so all of our homes must be within half a mile of a doctor, a chemist, a supermarket and the like," says Suzanne Revell."The trick is that if we can get all of those factors in a coastal location too, then we know that the development will be popular. This is excellent news for existing retirement property owners and represents a good investment opportunity for potential purchasers," says Martin James, of Retirement Homesearch.Certainly, the retirement sector is growing faster than any other in the housing market, despite the high costs of buying.Remember, too, that estate agents say any retirement property that enjoys a genuine sea view will have an additional premium - 40 to 50 per cent in the South-west and areas of southern England around Brighton, for example, and 20 to 25 per cent around less fashionable areas such as Scarborough and Colwyn Bay."We and all retirement developers will look at any plots, on the coast or inland, if they suit our list of needs for the demographics of our buyers. Now some volume builders are joining the retirement road to the coast.Firms such as Banner Homes, which usually builds flats and houses in the mainstream market, has The Terrace, in Southampton, where 25 apartments are designed exclusively for the over-55 age group (from