You get comfort from the things you are used to, and it’s hard to imagine leaving. You love your house, your neighbours, and your community however it is a big house. It requires a lot of upkeep and it’s worth a fortune. The kids are grown and long gone. There are rooms in the house you have not been to in months. The streets are full of babies, bikes and new faces. And a lot of your neighbours have already moved on to start their next new adventure.
For most of us though, change is not easy. The most effective way to manage change is to plan and take proactive steps. Planning will allow you to stay in control of the decisions and avoid making decisions in a crisis.
The challenges may not be as big as you think.
- You want to start thinking about where you may want to go.
- How much space do you need? Like most of us, you are probably storing a lot of stuff you never actually use. You may also have a spare bedroom that is truly spare. If you are hanging on to your home just to store stuff, that’s a very expensive storage locker. The significant equity in your home could be put to much better use and enjoyment.
- What about maintenance? People underestimate how much cost and effort a house takes each year. Items such as cleaning the gutters, maintaining the furnace, getting the windows cleaned, mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, fixing peeling paint; not to mention the surprises of bigger repairs all add up. Many homeowners are wary of paying condo fees, however the truth is it is often more reasonable to pay condo fees than to maintain a house. And even better, someone else does the worrying.
- Most commonly we hear, “I have too much stuff to move”. And pretty much everyone does after living in a home for many years. We have various resources to help you with this process of decluttering and deciding what you take to your new home. Once you start it is a lot easier than you ever thought. It is also very liberating to move on.
- This is the opportunity to enjoy a new beginning and a new lifestyle. The focus can be on you and your needs rather than on your home and its needs. You will want to think about the communities that best serve your needs. Do you want to be able to walk out to café’s, theatres, local shops and parks or would you rather be in a recreational gated type of community?
It is time to relax and enjoy life once you have decided to enter the realm of living smaller, or some call it rightsizing, as you are simplifying your life by surrounding yourself with only those things that are most important to you.
What we do …
- We are specialists in helping clients navigate through this unfamiliar downsizing process. Change can feel like such a challenge; however we have a reliable and trusted network of resources to assist with all your needs.
- One’s housing needs change at every stage of life. Ironically, at the time when it would be most helpful to have a simple, easy to understand game plan—after retirement—the options become the most complex and confusing. We keep up with the trends and characteristics of the age 50+ housing market along with having a thorough knowledge of the different types of housing available.
- We listen carefully to your dreams and fears, answer your questions and help you determine you best choices in finding you your next perfect home. We will provide useful resources and information through the buying/selling process and be familiar with local community resources. Where appropriate we will also work with your family members. And we will act as a facilitator to manage the entire move.
- Downsizing is a big decision and we have helped many clients manage this transition. Together we’ll find the right options for you now…and establish a clear plan for the future.