From Dreaming To Doing – Baby Boomers Preparing For Change

Now that baby boomers have reached twice the age that we used to think of as old (remember how you felt about being thirty when in your teens?), our life vision is altering. The dream of someday having a family with two kids and a home with a picket fence isn’t relevant now that the children are grown, the neighborhood isn’t the same, and our bodies are starting to creak and groan. When we as seniors  think about our future it’s time to think about whether where we live is the right place for the next stage of our lives.

This means considering a major change, which is very hard for many seniors. We are usually most comfortable with what we know. Changing something as big as the real estate we live in can be a bit terrifying.

Yet change is happening whether we like it or not. Our bodies are getting older, and most baby boomers are dealing with some new ache or pain or limitation that wasn’t there a short time ago. Why not embrace the inevitability of how these changes will need to be addressed now, taking control by identifying a new dream and managing it now ourselves?  

   

Like any effort at preparedness (you are preparing for change), you begin with educating yourself. Let’s look at some of the questions you can ask, and some data you can gather:

Evaluate your neighborhood and community.

• ·      Do you still know your neighbors?  
• ·      How close are senior resources? This includes recreation, medical, and even transportation (i.e. if driving becomes difficult in your later years). 

Assess your home.

• ·         What are the maintenance needs inside and out?
• ·         What challenges could you face if your mobility should become limited?
• ·         What is happening to the real estate value of your home?
• ·         What is important to you about your home, and what is not?

What ARE your other dreams?

• ·         Do you hope to retire?
• ·         Is being with other people important?
• ·         Do you want to travel?

Talk with a Senior Real Estate Specialist

• ·         Learn about housing options for seniors
• ·         Learn about the process of selling or downsizing
• ·         Receive referrals to senior financial advisors, elder lawyers,  and other     senior specialists to discuss remodeling, moving, de-cluttering, and the   like

Seniors have all been through many changes, and there will be more.  For many seniors it is just a little harder when the change we are considering has to do with our home.  Once we have educated ourselves about what we have and we want, taking the next steps will become clearer. 

The Senior Real Estate Specialists at Property Focus in Sydney take special pleasure in helping baby boomers figure out their next best steps when it comes to their living situations. We meet seniors every day who struggle with wrapping their brains around what a new dream means for their past, present and future.  The advice we love to give is the same: there is no time like the present to prepare for change, discover what your new dream is, and go for it.