The reality is, as we move thru the different stages of life our housing needs change. I meet with many retirees who are struggling with coming to terms with making a change. They know it is inevitable, they will have to make a move but is always easier to deal with it when it is somewhere down the road”.
After living in a home for decades, raising the family there and still being very comfortable in their home, many are reluctant to move. They love their neighbors and the neighborhood.
Many of us have insurance plans and financial plans but how many have a housing plan? Do we let fate determine our next move or do we assess our surroundings so we can be proactive rather than reactive? Next factor in the family dynamic. If you have a spouse you both must be of the same mind. Men typically have more reluctance to move. Adult children have their own opinions. Some want to keep the home in the family because it is the home of their childhood. Others want their parents to move to more suitable accommodations.
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At the end of the day it is your decision, it’s your home. Only you know how you feel both mentally and physically. But in many cases we put our feelings aside and bargain with ourselves to avoid the inevitable decision.
If you are considering whether or not you should be making a move, use this opportunity to ask yourself the important questions.
– Are you physically and financially able to maintain the home?
– Do you feel safe living in the home?
– Do you feel somewhat isolated, especially in the Winter?
– Does your current home still meet your current needs?
– Are you relying more and more on outside help?
– Do you have challenges navigating stairs, cutting grass, shoveling snow and cleaning your home?
– Are finances strained in maintaining your home?
– What would happen if either you or your spouse were to become ill and or incapacitated?
– What would happen if your spouse would pass away? Could you continue to live in the house alone?
Take some time and sit down with a piece of paper and write down your thoughts on making a move. Seeing things on papers allows us to better process them. Talk to your spouse and your children. Talking with loved ones and having moments of honesty with yourself and be a freeing and healing experience. Putting off decisions of change will leave you in a state of uncertainty. No one wants to be a burden on their children, but unfortunately it happens frequently.
Looking at your current situation honestly and objectively will enable you to decide if now is the right time to make a move or not. If now isn’t the right time for you be realistic about when the right time will be. The one piece of advice I always offer to retirees is: Decide when is the right time for you move but please don’t wait until something changes and you are forced to make a move.
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Roy Thomas SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group Professional Realty. Since 1991, Roy specializes in helping retirees with their later in life real estate transactions. Call Roy at 902-497-3031 or contact Roy here
