I am having a nice visit with Mom yesterday and she drops the bomb. " I want to look at some homes", she says.
Now you have to know that we have gone down this road before. She falls in love. Dad doesn't want to move.
So sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of tea... I say, "Mom, I love you, but I am not going to show you houses unless Dad is on board!" "Oh, he will be", she says.
Hmmmm, I have been here before too.
But is this time different? They own a 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath home with a nice lot in a very nice neighborhood. They are paying a ton of taxes and have more house then they need.
Why shouldn't they buy a new "Active Adult lifestyle" home?
You know what? They should. And, I should be the advocate for them doing so! So, tomorrow, we will start looking at these homes. Mom will fall in love and Dad. Well, Dad loves Mom.... so we will be putting their home on the market... I think.
And so should many others.
Many of my friends folks are living in large single family homes. Many by themselves. Many worry about the yard or the roof or shoveling snow or raking leaves and don't have anyone to do it for them.
Why do they stay in these homes? Maybe the task of moving is to much to think about or they don't know the value of their home in today's market or what is available to them should they choose to make the move to a maintenance free lifestyle. Maybe they just don't know where to start! After all it's been years and things have changed drastically even in the last 6 months for crying out loud!
Possibly they are concerned about condo fees in a new home. They might not want to leave their memories behind. But more than that, it might just be the task of packing up and cleaning out. After all most have accumulated years of stuff. Hey in my parents case, they are storing their kids things. Isn't that silly!
All of these folks should be out enjoying themselves and not a slave by their homes and the up keep.
If your parents have too much home, talk to them about making a trade in lifestyle.
They deserve it!
Carol-Ann Palmieri
Al and Cal Realty Group
508-494-9061
This sounds like a really hard decision. I think for me it would be the many memories that have taken place in our home. On the other hand, it's overwhelming to take care of a home that it might be fun to be in a place where you just need to worry about the inside not the out!
ReplyDeleteBy the way - I think I'm guilty of leaving some items behind!
Haha! You are probably not the only one guilty of that. It's always a hard decision to make a move when you have a lovely home with great neighbors. Having been in a nice, convenient safe location for so long is also comforting and makes the decision even harder. I am sure they will make the right choice. Thanks for stopping by and reading Nancy. I appreciate your doing that and commenting!
ReplyDelete