Downsizing Doesn’t Have to Mean Downgrading
Thinking about downsizing? It’s not a bad idea, especially if your kids have moved out, the lawn and garden have become a chore to keep up, and your long-time neighbors have already moved away. Perhaps you want to travel more and need a place that you can just lock up and go. Sometimes, all the reasons we chose a particular home or neighborhood don’t exist any more, when you really think about it.
If this applies to you, a condominium, townhouse, or apartment can offer a great lifestyle, without the work that comes with a detached home. You can potentially live closer to shops and services, and enjoy on-site amenities that you didn’t have access to before. Best of all, those amenities are taken care of by somebody else!
You’ll likely have more leisure time, and even if travel is not on your agenda, the past year has taught us just how much home means to us, and how it can function as so much more than a place to hang our hats. If a more “right-sized” living appeals to you, we can help you get started in your search. There are more benefits in moving to smaller digs than you may have thought.
Security
If downsizing means selling your current home, it’s an excellent time to do so. The current market conditions have put many homeowners in an improved equity situation, and higher selling prices driven by low inventory can mean you’ll walk away with more cash to spend on your new lifestyle.
Condominium living means increased security since there’ll be systems and safeguards in place for all residents. There’s peace of mind knowing your unit is secure when you decide to go on a spur-of-the-moment vacation.
If a townhouse is more your style, having extra funds allows you to invest in things like video doorbells, motion-sensors, cameras, or alarm systems connected to monitoring services and/or police. You can now even self-monitor at any time with mobile apps.
Convenience
The ability to take off at the drop of a hat is a major advantage of “right-sized” living. What could be more convenient than just picking up your bags and locking the door? But in addition to security devices, smart home tech offers even more day-to-day convenience.
Devices like Alexa and Google nest allow you to run nearly everything in your home by remote control. Dim your lights, check the weather, even run your dishwasher or coffee maker with a voice command.
For seniors, the ability to play a favorite song or call a friend just by asking out loud can be a great help in warding off loneliness and avoiding confusion with operating “gadgets”.
A New Kind of Night In
Moving to a smaller home might enable you to eliminate a vehicle and its associated costs, saving you even more money. Better still, you won’t have to spend any of it on a night on the town unless you want to. These days, you don’t have to even leave home to be thoroughly entertained.
The world of media streaming has forever changed how we consume entertainment. Today, you can watch first-run movies, access exclusive programming via subscription channels, and even attend live concerts all from the comfort of home.
With the wide availability of surround-sound speakers, ultra-large screens, and brilliant projector systems, you can virtually “be” at a movie theater, performance stage, or concert hall. And as more of us move into this new stage of life, a bigger screen and better sound aren’t bad things to have.
You may have to invest in some acoustic buffering for the sake of your neighbors, but after that, pass the popcorn and cue the music to a downsized, but not downgraded, lifestyle.