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97 , my father still lives in the tract house he bought in 1954 . He would never think of moving . On the other hand , my sister and I , separately , have gone through several home moves — up and down the square foot spectrum — and most likely will move a few more times in our lifetimes . We are baby boomers , born between 1946 and 1964 . Dad , a member of the greatest generation , survived the great depression and World War II . He has a different take on things .
The topic of downsizing has led to a whole new area of business . Books are published on downsizing , and right-sizing and simplifying life . Some real estate professions specialize in downsizing and there are senior relocation services available in many areas .
Many members of the baby boomer generation are seriously looking at downsizing . Three factors head the list for reasons why :
Financial Big houses are expensive . They require a lot of interior as well as exterior maintenance that can cost a lot of money .
Travel If you travel a lot , there is less need for the big home base .
Family Formal life employment is done . Retirement is here or coming soon . And it feels good to be a grandparent or be back in the hometown with friends and relatives .
These three might lead the why list but there are as many other issues as there are people for the actual downsize move .
For Pat and Al Drake , the recent move to a new 1,800 square foot townhouse near downtown Morgan Hill was mainly motivated by two factors . One , they needed to be closer to medical facilities . Their six acres in the Sierra foothills east of Visalia were beautiful but twenty miles from the nearest store and forty miles or more from medical facilities and shopping centers . At their new home in Morgan Hill , these things are much closer and abundant . Two , they wanted to stay close to their son ’ s family and grandkids who live in Morgan Hill .
Pat & Al Drake
Pat and Al are a delightful couple in their 80 ’ s and have been married 54 years . In a perfect world , the new downsized home would have been to a one story home , but this resourceful couple has adapted to their two-story townhome by spending most of the morning upstairs . A coffee machine , microwave , computer , TV , and a sitting room upstairs make this work .
Pat and Al have history in the area . Al has 36 years of experience in the R & D labs of Silicon Valley and Pat has 20 years in the travel industry . They have owned homes in Saratoga and South San Jose . Now , Morgan Hill is home . They express that the move was stressful but “ now , it ’ s kinda fun ” and most importantly “ we ’ re relaxed .”
In September 2013 , they moved from a big house with several outbuildings to their current location . Storage was and is a priority . They have worked things out well inside , but Al ’ s woodworking tools are still in boxes in the garage and there is a packed storage locker at their son ’ s property in west Morgan Hill .
Al and Pat were surprised that it was not easy to get rid of things . Some things tugged at their hearts , making leaving them behind impossible . But , the most surprising thing was how hard it was to give away the not so treasured , perfectly
good household items . Their Sierra foothills home was situated a quarter mile from the road so a garage sale was out of the question . They donated and / or gave away what they could . But , for example , a perfectly good set of twin beds seemed especially difficult to give away ! They are still in storage !
Experts note that the downsizing of stuff can be especially difficult . They suggest , well before the big move , going through each room sorting everything into three boxes : Donate , Trash , and Keep . The donate and trash boxes ideally should be larger and of a higher quantity than the keep boxes .
Moving to another geographic location can have some less than obvious issues . The cost of moving a household can be pricey . Some estimates put it at 10 % of the new home purchase price ! Questions that should be addressed range from : “ Are there additional property taxes or does the new state tax pensions ?” and “ Is medical care readily available ?” to “ What is the weather really like ?” Deserts are known to be hot but they can also be really cold . Snow is pretty at first but then there is also slush , ice , closed roads and downed power lines . Finally , are you ready to reorganize your social life — leaving old friends , familiar shopping area and restaurants for new , unfamiliar ones ? Are there part-time employment and / or volunteering opportunities at the new location ? Life goes on even in a downsized lifestyle !
Dave and Maggie Hopkins took an interesting twist on the downsizing playbook over eight years ago . Their 3,800-square foot home near the old Machado School was just too big for this retired airline pilot , his wife and their travel plans . They were thinking about a nice little condo in San Francisco ; however , daughter , Christine had a different suggestion . Why not stay on the beautiful country property and build a second downsized unit ? Dave and Maggie liked this idea ! The property afforded them the comfort zone they needed . Plans for
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