FIRST, MAKE A LIST
So, you have imagined your ideal new home for enjoying the next stage of your life—your relaxing, leisurely golden years—but what you hope your new home will look like and what features it will have will become much clearer if you actually take the time to put pen to paper (or type out a document on a computer if that’s an option for you) to make a complete checklist of both your needs and your wants. When making a list, it’s generally a good idea to be organized. I recommend starting from the “outside in,” meaning you should consider location first. Location can be need or want. If your motivation to move and downsize is to be closer to your family (whether that’s siblings or adult children with your grandchildren), then location is more of a need than a want. If you already live in the same city as family, then location is usually more of a want. Another way that location is applicable is neighborhood. If your dream house, townhouse, or condo is in a less-than-ideal neighborhood, or on a busy or unfinished road, then you might eventually regret your decision to move there. A lot of homeowners in the process of downsizing and entering their senior years really value quiet neighborhoods, and as people age, this becomes more of a need than a want. Once you’ve got the location (city, area, neighborhood, street, etc.) nailed down, then you can move on to the specific features of the home itself.
FIGURE OUT YOUR NEEDS UR NEEDS
Make a list of your needs before you make a list of your wants. Needs are the non-negotiables—the essentials, the features you must have in order to comfortably enjoy the next chapter of your life and live out your golden years. Your needs are the items that
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