What Type of Home Matches Your Vision of Retirement?

The Paseo Financial Group

Often, retirement is a time for significant life transitions. For example, does your current home match your future dreams? Many people use this time to upsize, downsize, or move to a new destination.

Focus on Family:

If family plays an extensive role in your life, you will need space to accommodate them. That might mean an extra bedroom or a play area for weekly grandchild visits. Or a multi-generational floor plan that carves out a living suite for an adult child’s family—or yourself.

Travel and Taking it Easy:

Home is where relaxation is the name of the game, and it is easy to travel because the property “takes care of itself.” In this case, look for a home that minimizes maintenance and landscaping chores, focusing on townhomes or condominiums with homeowners’ associations.

Social Butterfly:

If you thrive on social interactions, an age-restricted community may be an excellent fit. Often, they offer a full schedule of activities and events where residents can easily make new acquaintances and build relationships.

Staying Put:

Moving is challenging work! If you want to minimize moves, focus on finding a “forever” home that will continue serving your needs if your health and mobility falter. Many buyers ages 50 and older prioritize one-floor living and aging in-place amenities.

Eating and Entertaining:

If you love cooking or hosting gatherings, prioritize a home with adequate entertaining space indoors and outside. And if you view retirement as a time to let your culinary skills shine, make sure your next home also includes the kitchen of your dreams.

Still Working:

If you are not ready to relax into full retirement or need to continue working for financial reasons, make sure your next home can accommodate remote work (a dedicated office, quiet location, etc.) or is near appealing, in-person job opportunities.

Happy Hobbyist:

Will retirement provide more time to devote to a favorite hobby or to tackle new skills? Make sure your home includes space for your pursuits, such as a woodworking shop, a painting studio, or a crafts room. Outdoor enthusiasts may need room to store large equipment, like a fishing boat.

Melanie and I put in the effort for four to five years to do the research on where we wanted to “retire,” then traveled to those respective 55 and older active lifestyle communities in the western states region and did the two- to three-day stay overs so that we could get a good feel of the community and the people within it. We feel so fortunate that we picked SaddleBrooke Ranch, as it has been all that we envisioned it would be, and secondly that we chose the Tesoro model, as it has most certainly hit all the bullet points that I write about in this article.

Douglas Sedam is the owner/broker of SBRanchRealty.com and The Home Loan Pros of which Melanie Sedam is the loan consultant. They can be reached at 520-829-5219.