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Moving is a big life change for anyone. For seniors, it can be even more intimidating — not only because of the sheer amount of work that has to be done, but also because it means saying goodbye to a big part of your life. How does one leave a home that they’ve lived in for long? The good news is that moving can be the best decision of your life, especially if you’re downsizing to a smaller place that has less upkeep and lower costs.
First, you’ll need to consider where you want to live and what type of home you want to live in. As you think about moving during your golden years, research online for prices of homes in your preferred size and location. Keep in mind that homes in Los Angeles have sold on average of $700,000 in the last month. After deciding on a location and type of home, you’ll want to consider hiring help for your move. Read on to learn more.
TYPES OF HOMES
You can live almost anywhere you want other than a college dorm. Here are some common living situations.
Single-family home – These homes are standalone, detached homes that you own, along with the property around it. This might be what you were already living in before, but instead of a multi-bedroom house, you might only need one room. You’ll save a lot on your mortgage by downsizing into a smaller home for one or two people. Maybe you can even trade homes with your children if they have a large family to raise and not enough space.
Townhouse – Rather than living in a detached house, you can own a townhouse that’s attached to other units. The cost is less, and you’ll be sharing walls, but the home is yours.
Condominium – Condos are individually owned apartments with the upsides and downsides of shared building life… if you’re up for living in a multi-family building.
Apartment – Perhaps you’re done with home ownership and now you just want to be a renter. As a senior, do you really need another 30-year mortgage?
Tiny Home – A new trend among seniors is moving into tiny homes to save money and reduce size.
Motorhome – If you didn’t get to travel enough in your youth, you can make up for it during retirement. Take your home on the road and live out your wanderlust fantasies with retirement travel.
Houseboat – Why not sail away into your retirement? Or at least leave it docked most of the time and take it out on the water during the weekends.
Retirement Community – Those who cannot live independently might want to consider a retirement community or assisted living, even while still active and independent. Retirement communities have the benefit of medical care, socialization with peers, maintenance and car rides and recreational activities suited for seniors. Assisted living is a more comprehensive living situation for seniors who are unable to take care of daily tasks such as bathing and cooking.
MOVING SERVICES FOR A SMOOTHER MOVE
Packers – It might be easier to pack if you have an objective third party who’s not attached to your things. You don’t need to keep everything, especially your children’s things that you stored away after they moved. Have your children help go through everything so they can choose what they want to take. Let the professional organizers and packers (you should be able to hire packers for $35 – $40 per hour) put anything that your family doesn’t feel an attachment to in the discard pile. Sell those items in a yard sale and donate whatever didn’t get sold to charity.
Movers – The best time to hire labor is for the big move. It’s not worth wrenching your back or trying to find a way to squeeze your couch through the door frame. Let a moving company handle the work so you can rest.
Cleaners – Like with moving, money will be well spent to have professionals deep clean your home after you vacate it. Years of dust and grime can be troublesome to remove on your own.
While this process might seem stressful, if you treat it like an exciting journey, it’ll go smoother. Moving is a fresh start, change of scenery, and rebirth. It doesn’t have to be a sad ending to a good life. It could be the start of a great retirement.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Author: Michael Longsdon