New neighborhood aims to lure empty nesters to the North Shore

“Summer Hill’’ in Manchester-by-the-Sea is an upscale, custom-built suburban subdivision overlooking the Atlantic off Cape Ann for couples whose children have flown the coop for college or work.

The Summer Hills community is made up of 12 homes. J. Barrett & Company

August 11, 2015

2 minutes to read

Developers have made millions selling posh downtown Boston condos to empty nesters looking for a new life after years in the suburbs.

Now a North Shore developer is rolling out a new option for empty nesters looking to either stay in the suburbs or move to them after selling more isolated rural estates.

Windover Construction is offering up an upscale, custom-built suburban subdivision overlooking the Atlantic off Cape Ann for couples whose children have flown the coop for college or work.

The Beverly-based Windover recently completed the build-out of 12 homes in a new neighborhood dubbed “Summer Hill’’ in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Five of the homes have been sold, with the remaining seven still on the market, with prices ranging from just under $1.4 million to $1.7 million.

Story continues after gallery.

See some of the homes in the Summer Hills community:

Summer Hills Photos

“There will be people who want to live downtown and there will be people who always want to live in the center of whatever city they are in, but there are also people who want to live in an individual home with a little bit of land around it,’’ said Sandy Carpentier, a vice president with J Barrett & Co., which is selling the homes.

Buyers so far have been mainly from the North Shore, with some leaving behind larger and relatively isolated estates for the neighborhood feel of the new development.

“They have downsized from five-bedroom and five-bath homes, or even larger,’’ Carpentier said.

Still, while the three- and four-bedroom homes, which range from 3,480 to 4,125 square feet, may represent downsizing for some buyers, they are considerably larger than the typical empty nester condo in downtown Boston, where 1,500 square feet is considered spacious.

The homes face each other around a cul-de-sac, with the development surrounded by 14 acres of park land and with a path leading down to an ocean beach.

The shops and restaurants of downtown Manchester are also not far away, either.

“Some of these people are coming off large estates and they don’t want to be so isolated anymore,’’ Carpentier said.

However, the homes also come with features tailor made for empty nesters, with Windover drawing on experience gained in two previous North Shore developments aimed at older buyers.

The homes are spread over two floors, with a basement available for storage. They all include master suites on the first floor, with second floor bedrooms designed for guests or for young families and grandchildren.

Each of the homes also comes with a screened, three-season porch and a fire place.

“We are at the higher end of that empty nester market,’’ Carpentier said. “They (the homes) are not running off the market, but we are selling them at a pretty good rate.’’