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After the children are gone...
...NOW what do you do...? It's time to finalize plans and begin the next exciting phase of your life! You want the kids to feel welcome when they come for a visit, but you absolutely do NOT need this many bedrooms and baths anymore. Why pay to heat rooms you dont use? Why clean bathrooms you never visit? Do you really want to have a finished basement AND a family room?
Look at the real estate market around you and talk to a professional (that's me!) about the optimum time to sell the old and buy the new, in whichever order makes the most sense in your situation. Hold on to the old homestead while you finish up those last few years at the workplace, but move forward with plans your very own shore cottage? Sell the old home now while prices are good and commute for those last few months? Buy a fixer-upper and take your time turning it into your retirement castle while you can still avoid the mess and confusion of making improvements while you live in the home?
Downsizing does not mean lessening! Plan to include the luxuries that are important to your quality of life in your future home. Low-E double pane windows add efficiency and lower heating/air conditioning bills. A bathroom equipped with a large open shower offers a modern feel. Add the 6-burner cooktop you've always wanted and a drawer that keeps food warm until the moment it is served. A wet bar in the family room may be just the ticket for a gracious host entertaining well-loved family and friends.
Consider one-level living to avoid the issue of stairs for those aching knees, lever-style door openers to replace knobs arthritic fingers can't handle, and a no-threshold shower for legs that can't lift. But you have none of the common aches, pains and problems associated with senior living? You're very lucky... but planning for a long and ease-filled retirement means planning for possible broken hips and changes in health many years in the future so you will not have the added worry of relocating if and when you or your spouse have a change of fortune in the years to come. I can recommend all sorts of easy improvements that will offer convenience for you, beauty for your new home, and added resale value for the future.
That's an advantage of living on an island... nothing is very far if you plan before you buy! We have both convenience and quality of life here!
Let's look at some condominiums. Oceanfront, even. I'll bring the mai-tais!
Perhaps a bayfront condo or single family house? Or a home near a marina?
How about a two-family property, where visitors have their own space and you have your privacy?
Again, a multi-family property offers peace of mind and helps you to avoid unruly tenants who won't want to stay where they have to behave.
Let's look for a garage or attic workshop and find a home convenient to your spouse's (or your own) hobbies.
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Congratulations! The children have graduated and are pretty much out on their own. Your desire to get them off to a good start in life has been realized and you have every right to be proud!
