When you’re looking for a new home, it’s important to look for features, amenities, and design that match your new lifestyle. If you’re moving, it’s because you’re looking for something different, whether it’s a new community or a home that’s a better fit.
If you’re an empty nester or retired, the things you’re looking for in a new home will be different than when you were looking for a home to raise a family. These are some of the features you should look for.
#1 Maintenance-Free Living
Do you love to travel? Are you a snowbird who spends most of the winter in the warmest location you can find, soaking up the sun and trying not to brag too much about the weather to your family? Travelling at any time of the year can mean neglect on your property, whether it’s shovelling the sidewalk or mowing the lawn.
One of the advantages of living in one of our adult lifestyle communities in a bungalow townhome is that you don’t have to worry about exterior maintenance. It also means you don’t have to worry about the state of your neighbours’ yards. The condominium corporations that take care of exterior maintenance are an ideal set-up for adult lifestyle communities designed for people who are going to spend more time travelling or who just don’t want to worry about the chores that come with outdoor space.
There are other pragmatic reasons for wanting to find a home that will be low maintenance. If you find yourself struggling to keep up yard work and outdoor maintenance, tackling tasks like clearing out the gutters or even shovelling out after a blizzard can prove dangerous as you get older. Having a condominium corporation take care of all that means a worry-free retirement.
#2 More Space, Lower Cost
One of the best things about moving to a community outside the city is that you get a lot more home for your money.
Many people are looking for more space for entertaining and enjoying themselves at home, whether it’s with a room dedicated to their favourite hobby, like a craft room or a writing room, or a sunroom where they can relax with a cup of coffee and a paper in the morning.
When you retire, you’re going to be spending more time at home. You should have a house that you want to spend time in. For some, that means more space.
#3 Outdoor Space
When you’re choosing your dream home, think about outdoor space you can use for entertaining or just enjoying those long summer afternoons. A covered patio is a great addition that lets you enjoy a sunset while you sit in the shade, while a garden area is perfect for hosting barbecues. There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re evaluating outdoor space:
- How is the home geographically situated? That will determine what times of day you get sunlight in your backyard.
- How is the privacy? A fence, privacy hedges, and tactful placement of trees can help you feel like you have the space all to yourself, even in a townhome.
- Are there sunrooms adjacent to the outdoor space that you can use to open up your home when you’re hosting?
#4 Location
You’re retired or retiring, and that means your commute no longer limits where you can choose to live. You’re free to go anywhere you want, so choose a community where you can live life to its fullest. With the whole world open to you, it can help to identify what you want in a community to narrow down your search.
Here are a few important questions to ask yourself if you’re not sure where you want to live:
What do you want to do in your retirement? You should live in a place where you can pursue your hobbies, learn a new skill, and enjoy your time.
Are you close enough to your family? While you may be untethered from the geographic constraints of your career, you will still want to be close enough to the grandkids that you can do holidays together or the odd weekend.
Where are you going to get an ice cream cone? That can seem like a bit of a silly question, but there’s actually sound reasoning behind it. The director of MIT’s AgeLab, Joseph Coughlin, wrote a book about aging, encouraging seniors to look at the small moments of life, the time in-between holidays and vacations. His point is that your quality of life depends on day-to-day pleasures, like grabbing a coffee, reading the newspaper, or treating yourself to an ice cream cone.
Perhaps the most important thing is to find a community that has people of similar age and interests. Your social life will be a huge part of your successful retirement.
The Niagara Region is a great location to retire in Ontario. It has a great culture, amenities, healthcare, weather, and community. We’re Niagara home builders because we think this is a great place to live.
#5 A Home You Love
Finally, there’s finding a home that you’re actually in love with, from the exterior to the design. At Blythwood Homes, we believe that a great community starts with quality construction and good, well-made homes. If you know exactly what you’re looking for, you can customize your detached home or townhome bungalow to fit your personal taste. Customize flooring, windows and doors, cabinetry, and more, so your new home really does make your dreams come true.
Your home should fit the retirement lifestyle you’ve imagined for yourself. You’re free to live where you want and in the home you’ve always wanted. Talk to Blythwood about making sure that your new home is exactly what you want to be.