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We moved from north to south and downsized (about 2600 sf 3-story to 1300 sf 1-story) when the kids were out of the house. Now that I'm retiring, we're moving again, cross-country (east to west this time), and building a new, slightly larger home (1700 sf 1-story), mostly for the much nicer floor plan that will be better for entertaining, plus lower maintenance.
We will have a nearly zero-maintenance yard, and extensive community amenities in a retirement community, surrounded by an environment far more to our liking.
Did you (or will you) downsize when you retired or when your children left home? If so,
A. What size house did you downsize from and to?
From a 4 bedroom, three bath, 2,850 square foot, two-story, library, formal dining room, three car garage "Executive Home" to a 3 bedroom, two bath, 1,680 square foot, two car extended garage "Retirement Home".
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Originally Posted by submart
B. What size yard did you downsize from and to?
Approximately 7,000 sq. ft. to about 5,000 sq. ft. Suburbia.
Quote:
Originally Posted by submart
C. What features were you looking for in a house when you downsized (i.e. single story, no yard, tub free home, wide doorways, no steps to enter home, close to family, in a retirement community, etc.?)
Only specific thing was a single story. None of the other items on your list were a consideration, even though I did get some of them.
Two years later, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with all the "stuff" still in boxes. In this whole process of retiring and moving to a smaller home, I discovered an unnamed scientific law. As most know, a scientific law has been proven to have no possible exceptions in the universe. You can take it to the bank.
What this law says is that, "In this life, you will be allocated a certain amount of space . . . and you will fill it!"
So I had this huge pre-retirement house and there I was by myself. I filled every room with "stuff". But it was good stuff, right? Then I retired and moved to a much smaller house. Still trying to figure out what to keep and what to toss/donate/sell.
After my husband died, I moved from a 3/2/2-car garage house with just under 2,000 square feet to a 1/1 condo with just under 1,000 square feet and garage parking but no extra storage space.
The downsizing of possessions took a lot of work -- the house was full of furniture and there was a ton of stuff stored in the garage. Even during the move I was taking stuff to Goodwill.
To say I'm happy in my new place would be a gross understatement. I love the condo, I love the building, the neighborhood, the building employees. I'm saving SO much money -- lower property taxes, insurance, utilities, etc.
I have to be always vigilant not to acquire stuff that requires storage; I just don't have the space for it. But that's a good thing -- I'm saving money by buying less stuff.
We upsized. We went from a 2,524 sq foot, 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house to a 3,417 5 bedroom, 3 bath house (which includes a 2-story, 2-bay garage/carriage house). Why? Why not? Actually, we were not in the market for house but just fell in love with it.
Did you (or will you) downsize when you retired or when your children left home? If so,
A. What size house did you downsize from and to?
B. What size yard did you downsize from and to?
C. What features were you looking for in a house when you downsized (i.e. single story, no yard, tub free home, wide doorways, no steps to enter home, close to family, in a retirement community, etc.?)
Went from a 2,300 s.f. two-levels-plus-basement home to a 1,600 s.f. single-level-no-basement home.
Went from a 6,000 typical suburban lot to a 1.5 acre wooded lot with no man-made landscaping, except for a small barbecue area.
We were looking for a single level home with no stairs in a rural and beautiful environment that was less than three miles to services.
After my husband died, I moved from a 3/2/2-car garage house with just under 2,000 square feet to a 1/1 condo with just under 1,000 square feet and garage parking but no extra storage space.
The downsizing of possessions took a lot of work -- the house was full of furniture and there was a ton of stuff stored in the garage. Even during the move I was taking stuff to Goodwill.
To say I'm happy in my new place would be a gross understatement. I love the condo, I love the building, the neighborhood, the building employees. I'm saving SO much money -- lower property taxes, insurance, utilities, etc.
I have to be always vigilant not to acquire stuff that requires storage; I just don't have the space for it. But that's a good thing -- I'm saving money by buying less stuff.
If I outlive my husband this ^^^ is my ultimate plan.
Did you (or will you) downsize when you retired or when your children left home? If so,
A. What size house did you downsize from and to?
B. What size yard did you downsize from and to?
C. What features were you looking for in a house when you downsized (i.e. single story, no yard, tub free home, wide doorways, no steps to enter home, close to family, in a retirement community, etc.?)
If not:
A. How are you making your current home work for you during retirement (i.e. see section C)?
After I retired, we up-sized our house.
We were living in a 3bdrm, 1500 sq ft home on 0.25 acre of land.
Now we live in a 2400 sq ft house [open floor plan], on 150-acres of forest with a quarter-mile fo river frontage.
We wanted to get away from high crime and high cost cities, now we live very rural.
Owned a 5 bedroom house for 20 years. It was getting more difficult to do repairs. I had a small backyard where I had been fighting a giant vine that traveled through the whole block. The hardest part was getting rid of the furniture and stuff.
Now I'm in a 9th floor 1 bedroom apartment. I don't miss the house at all. When anything breaks maintenance is a phone call away. I'm across from a park that the city maintains. It's nice not to worry about storm damage or what could break next. I feel it was the right move.
From a 4 bedroom, three bath, 2,850 square foot, two-story, library, formal dining room, three car garage "Executive Home" to a 3 bedroom, two bath, 1,680 square foot, two car extended garage "Retirement Home".
Approximately 7,000 sq. ft. to about 5,000 sq. ft. Suburbia.
Only specific thing was a single story. None of the other items on your list were a consideration, even though I did get some of them.
Two years later, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with all the "stuff" still in boxes. In this whole process of retiring and moving to a smaller home, I discovered an unnamed scientific law. As most know, a scientific law has been proven to have no possible exceptions in the universe. You can take it to the bank.
What this law says is that, "In this life, you will be allocated a certain amount of space . . . and you will fill it!"
So I had this huge pre-retirement house and there I was by myself. I filled every room with "stuff". But it was good stuff, right? Then I retired and moved to a much smaller house. Still trying to figure out what to keep and what to toss/donate/sell.
For myself as a single person who has always lived in a small ranch style house, I'm infatuated with what I've never had. The largest house I've lived in since my 20s has been 1100 sq ft. The thought of an old wooden staircase with a beautiful banister is very appealing to me as is wanting more space. The homes I've lived in have been boring, boring, boring. I want a basement and maybe an attic too, LOL. All the things I've never had.
That being said, I could easily be happy in an 800 sq ft home. It just depends on the house. I'm a home body anyway so a bigger house means more things for me to do at home, which is a good thing.
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