The house is big, and the stairs are steep; getting around is tougher now. The care of the home is daunting, you maybe can’t garden the way you used to. Your kids are busy working full time and raising their children, probably running around assisting them with all their obligations, both school and social. Life for them is busy to say the least. They are worried about you and constantly encouraging you to make your life easier – yes for yourselves but also for them so they won’t worry so much about you. They want you to continue your independent living in a stress-free environment.
Well, the good news is there are lots of very nice condos to consider. Yes, you have been putting this off for years, but the pressure is self perceived, and the message delivered by your kids…it’s time!
Toronto is full of great condos so the chances of you being able to buy in your existing community or not very far away is quite high. Maybe one of your kids wants you to move closer to them. It’s no holiday commuting in our fine city. Traffic is at capacity and getting around is frustrating and very time consuming. If you have an appointment and want to be on time, you need to budget at least an hour to reach your destination, just in case of traffic slowdowns. Well, these busy kids of yours simply don’t have that extra time.
A good realtor who knows the condos within the city of Toronto and the GTA is a crucially important element of your downsizing team.
There are many different considerations when you are moving to a condo. For some it is location first, close to family; maybe it’s close to rapid transit for easy travelling around the city; maybe it’s more important that the size of the unit is large enough to accommodate all the furniture you’re not ready to part with. Maybe you want a smaller boutique condo community to live in, or wish for a dynamite downtown city view, or want that view of the water.
In Toronto, if you are a homeowner, you know that moving to a condo will in most situations bring you some additional cash that can be used for activities of living; maybe you want to give some gifts of money to children while you are still alive knowing they would really appreciate that gift now rather than when you are gone.
Consulting with a realtor at this stage makes perfect sense. Time to get out there and check out the options and plan from there. And don’t forget while doing so continue to walk through all those rooms at home and dispose of your excess stuff! You will need to do it anyway, so now is a good time to start at least thinking about it.