Have you lived in your home for what seems a lifetime and really don’t want to think of moving, but maybe it is time to consider the options?
If you or your parents fall into the “senior” category, the home you’ve loved for decades may just be too big now or just too much to handle. The thought of leaving the place where you’ve raised a family may raise emotions that make you unsure if it is time to downsize.
Safety is the primary consideration and the inability to live alone or navigate stairs, mean it’s time to think about a move … but there are other indicators as well:
Your family is geographically distant. As families grow, they sometimes relocate further away than you’d like. You miss grandchildren’s activities and may feel isolated.
The yard and garden work are just too much. Outdoor maintenance may have once been a hobby, but when it becomes too much (or too expensive to hire someone to do it), it’s time to discuss having less upkeep.
You no longer use all the rooms in your home. If you have rooms you rarely or never use, it is a sign that downsizing is in order. Maintaining a large house with unused bedrooms is a hint that you might be more comfortable in a smaller home. You’ll save money, too, on utility bills.
You avoid the stairs. If you find yourself using the garage entrance, rather than going up the stairs to the front door entrance … or if you avoid having to make more trips than necessary upstairs to the bedroom, your body may be telling you that it would prefer a home without stairs to climb.
Your bathroom isn’t “senior-friendly.” Even if you don’t have trouble now, if your bathroom doesn’t have a walk-in shower or raised toilet or grab bars, you may need them in the future. A new residence built with these considerations are a boon to safety and comfort.
You have too much stuff. Downsizing is the perfect reason to go through the items in your closets, cabinets, attic, garage, and basement … one space at a time … to determine what is truly important to you.
These guidelines can help anyone, especially seniors, to the first steps to downsize. Done with thoughtfulness and compassion, going through and purging items that you are no longer attached to, can be freeing and open the way to alternative residential options. If you have questions about downsizing, contact Marie LeBlanc by email or call 617-513-0433.