You love your house, you are proud of it, you like the neighborhood you live in but the idea of moving to a care-free smaller home, condo or apartment is becoming more and more appealing. You know you will want to move or have to move from the house at some point. The question is do you make that move now or later?
There are a number of reasons why now might just be the best time. As surely as the seasons change, you will be changing too. None of us are getting any younger. What is difficult today may be impossible to handle tomorrow. Think of your friends who may be five or ten years older than you. How difficult would it be for them to undertake a search for just the right environment to move to? Finding the right place to move is a lengthy process involving checking out multiple neighborhoods and communities and comparing costs. Would they be able to go through years of possessions and furniture, selling some; deciding what to give away and what to keep?
Often, people make the decision to move only when they have to. When a sudden accident, injury or operation renders them unable to live in a home that is not handicapped accessible. At that vulnerable time in their life, they are least able to handle a search for the right place and manage a move the way they would like to.
Depending on your mortgage payments, real estate taxes, and the cost of upkeep for your house, you might also find that relocating sooner might provide you with more cash each month than staying in your current situation. Sit down with a pencil and paper and list your costs of home ownership compared to a monthly rental fee. You may be surprised. Many retirement communities, like Brandermill Woods, include all utilities, (cable TV and internet but not phone) in their monthly charges. You would also save on gym, neighborhood recreation center and country club memberships by utilizing the free recreational activities that often go along with retirement communities. For example, Brandermill Woods, includes in its monthly membership fee, an onsite fitness center, swimming pool, golf and full membership to the Brandermill Country Club.
At this point in time, you have many choices and probably the energy and ability to check them out yourself. You can still navigate, compare and make a good, thorough choice as opposed to having to move in a hurry due to a change in your physical abilities.
Making the move now gives you the time to develop new relationships that can be lifelong. Many senior communities provide an enhanced social atmosphere with opportunities to build new relationships. Brandermill Woods provides social activities ranging from trips to the theatre and music events, bridge and other clubs, and a wide variety of classes in art, woodworking, aerobics, etc. You will instantly free up time from house maintenance and have more time for new (and old) friends and doing the things you like best. Less work, more fun!
Retirement communities are in big demand. The newest fill up quickly. If you wait, prices will inevitably go up. By the year 2050, according to the US Census, the nation’s senior population is expected to almost double.[i] And, many of the best residential senior communities have waiting lists. If it’s a newer community, it may be quickly sold out, leaving you with poorer choices.
It is also possible to choose a setting that would allow you to have increased amounts of support as in moving into an independent living setting first, then graduating later to assisted living but in the same environment so you are not moving into an entirely foreign setting with new people when you are older. You would be, in essence, reducing two separate future moves to just one. Making major life changes when you are not in a hurry can give you great peace of mind later. Take control of your future while you are still in a position to structure it the way you want it. Call Brandermill Woods today to take a closer look at the many ways moving now rather than later can open up a whole new lifestyle for you.
