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Now that the kids have left the nest, and you have a huge house that you want to downsize from, do you think you would have been better served cramming the family into a smaller house, maybe the same way you lived when you were with your parents? Then there would be no need to downsize.
If I knew then, that the bottom would drop out of the housing prices, I know I would have opted for the cramming, no matter how much my kids complained.
I wish, when the kids were growing up, that we lived in our current house. It's a wonderful location, huge yard, and a comfy old house that invites a lot of activity. We lived in smaller houses then. Now that we live here with no one but us and the two dogs (and it's not that huge, really), we're getting used to the space and love it. But...it is probably not the house for advanced age...
In the 1950's our family of four (father, mother, and two kids) lived in a two-bedroom, one-bath, one-car-garage house. It did have a basement too. When you think about how little extra one more bath and one more bedroom would cost (once one is already building a house), it doesn't make sense to have to pinch pennies to that degree. We accepted lining up for the bathroom because that's just the way it was, but once one is used to better, lining up for the bathroom is simply not acceptable. If one cannot afford more than one bathroom, one cannot really afford to have children either. That's the freedom which modern birth control (which has been around since the late 1960's) gives us.
i've lived in a lot of houses over the years, and all, with the exception of one in inner harbor baltimore, were at least 1900 sq. feet and some were quite a bit larger. we were renovators-my husband doing the work, with me assisting- and we loved older homes. we didn't have children so that was not a consideration in purchasing the homes we had. quite honestly, i'm used to having a fair amount of space.
i truly loved all of the houses i lived in and the different neighborhoods as well. i live alone in a 1900 sq ft. house now and the size, the maintenance, the economics, etc. seem o.k. to me. when i look at ccrc apartments and other alternatives for senior living, many seem small. i think it would be a big adjustment for me to scale down to 1000 sq. feet or less. i have a fair number of antiques and other just plain solid comfortable furniture pieces that are old, but feel good to me. i am a person of place, i know, and where i live and how is important to me. (for astrology fans- truly cancerian personality) . it does and always has defined me to some extent. although i've never been attracted to the posh, the most stylish, the trendiest, finding a place, in a ccrc or elsewhere, that feels comfortable and resonates in the ways that are important to me, is the prime consideration for me. i would say that requirement has become as important , if not more, than something smaller and perhaps more practical.
so, i don't really feel overwhelmed where i am , at least in the here and now, but it's very possible that i may feel differently in years to come. i have done a lot of investigating possibilities ( one of my favorite words) so i have some idea of where and what if/when i make a change.
Well, we did buy a smaller house and we only stayed in it for 2 years. It was fine for just us two but it was no good at all for having guests stay over. Since we have 8 grown kids and 14 grandchildren we sold it and bought ourselves a much bigger house with 3 extra bedrooms and a huge lot for kidddies to play.
In the 1950's our family of four (father, mother, and two kids) lived in a two-bedroom, one-bath, one-car-garage house. It did have a basement too. When you think about how little extra one more bath and one more bedroom would cost (once one is already building a house), it doesn't make sense to have to pinch pennies to that degree. We accepted lining up for the bathroom because that's just the way it was, but once one is used to better, lining up for the bathroom is simply not acceptable. If one cannot afford more than one bathroom, one cannot really afford to have children either. That's the freedom which modern birth control (which has been around since the late 1960's) gives us.
Growing up like you five people and one bath room and a milk jar in the basement. Never ever again. Primary house has 3 1/2 baths and beach two and that few scares me when we have company there with us. Never again a milk jar in my own home.
I grew up in the 50s in an old house with 1.5 baths and there were three kids--it worked fine. In adulthood I lived in Capes with 1 bath for just the two of us and it was fine.
My parents always had houses with an extra bath and when they retired they bought a small ranch with one bath. Yes, lots of company when we all came to visit but with two extra bedrooms and kids who thought sleeping in sleeping bags on the LR rug was an adventure, it was fine. I like a small but not cramped home and kids can adjust.
Since we have 8 grown kids and 14 grandchildren we sold it and bought ourselves a much bigger house with 3 extra bedrooms and a huge lot for kidddies to play.
I grow up in a big house but we were a lot and sharing that one bathroom and sharing the bedroom with my sister was a nightmare. I didn't realize it till I bought my first house that was 2 bd/2.5 baths just for me.. then I bought a bigger one and then a bigger one.. I feel lost in my 2900 sq ft house now but I like it.. I get bored of one bedroom I move to the other :-) yes it's a lot to clean and keep tidy but I like space and enjoy it. I might downsize later in life but for now, I am enjoying the space.
The irony of the situation is that the young who have a houseful of kids, generally can't afford the large 5-bedroom/3-4 bath home; And the older folks who can afford them, don't really need them.
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