As a baby boomer, I knew I was supposed to save the world, but I never expected that we would also be responsible for saving the housing market.

Last year, most analysts were expecting a bummer of a housing market, with the exception of the boomer market. "Active adult communities," as builders like to call them, were going to be the one bright spot this year.

Conventional wisdom had home builders anticipating a wave of early-retiring boomers jumping from their family homes to active adult communities, leaving lawn mowing behind as they spent their pre-golden years golfing and taking cooking classes.

So far, the wave has yet to build. Sales of homes in active adult communities are growing, but by baby steps, not leaps and bounds. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the percentage of 55-plus home buyers who opt for active adult living has grown from 2.2 percent in 2001 to 3 percent today. That means 97 percent of them currently are not moving to adult communities.

Here's how things were supposed to go: Early retirement boomers would have paid off their big, 4-bedroom family homes and large, high-maintenance yards. They would have great gobs of equity to plunk down on their new easy lifestyle home in a community full of other active seniors who love to dance, golf, yoga and party into the wee hours of 8 or 9 p.m. (I know about this because I have seen videos and TV shows about the swinging seniors at certain very active adult communities in Florida.)

Reality check: They may have paid off the family homestead, but they can't sell it any faster than anyone else would be able to in today's market. Their move is probably optional, and they will just wait until things turn around.

That may explain why the NAHB says currently there is more interest in active adult housing than there are sales. In fact, those active adults are actively tire-kicking, with the average buyer looking at 12 other homes before making a decision.

"One thing active adults have in common with our traditional buyers is the need to sell their existing home," says Chris Naatz, vice president of sales and marketing for Del Webb in Illinois. "However, we've found that the desire to start living the 'lifestyle' will entice them to get aggressive on selling their existing home."

Del Webb also has a program that allows buyers to contract to have a home built and lock in a guaranteed loan rate while they sell their home.

Another reason boomers have slowed their move to active adult communities may be because they are not retiring as fast as predicted years ago. Kevin Coyne, a professor at Emory University, is one of numerous analysts who say boomers aren't following the usual rules about retiring at 65.

"For baby boomers, that perception [of retiring at 65 or before] is changing," he told Knowledge@Emory. "We're finding a small portion of people retiring early, but others wanting to work well into their 70s and beyond. This is a long-run trend, not just a temporary delay."

Naatz said Del Webb communities have always had working adults. "While our communities are age restricted [55+], our buyers generally do not think of them as retirement communities. Their sense is that when they come home from work they live in a resort-like community."

Many younger seniors want to keep working at least part-time, not just for the income, but for the mental or social stimulation. And of course, their nest eggs have cracked big time in the recent downturn, so the money is nice. Boomers are healthier than previous generations and likely to live longer. Generally speaking, they have no intention of spending 30 years in a rocking chair.

For that reason, builders like Del Webb that target active adults are building communities closer to places of employment than in previous years, according to Naatz. Traditionally, Del Webb has built adult communities that were very large and located on the outskirts of suburbia.

"I think you will see more of these communities integrated into existing towns," said Mark Steman, senior vice president of active adult for K. Hovnanian's Landover Group, "rather than as destination communities far away."

Other trends Steman mentioned at a symposium last week for home builders include:

••Younger "active adults." Those who are around 55 years old are increasingly interested in "lifestyle" communities. Previously the average entry age was 63.

••Home sizes in flux. The data still shows active adults buying homes slightly larger than they did in previous years, but Steman believes they are about to shift towards smaller home sizes.

••Granny going green. "The green trend saves energy costs, and for people on a fixed income that can be more comfortable," he said. Typically the home they live in before they move is not energy efficient, and they immediately notice energy savings in the new house.

Kay Severinsen is editor of SearchChicago-Homes.