The moment you’ve been waiting for is almost here: retirement. You’ve been working and saving and dreaming, and now you’re ready to start making some decisions about what your long-term retirement living years will hold. You’ve made sacrifices and choices based on your job location, your kids, etc., it’s finally time to choose an active adult community that suits your needs. And while a major decision is where you will live…another important consideration is how? It may seem like a natural choice to downsize your retirement home from your current home, but there are a lot of things to consider first. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:
DOWNSIZING:
There are a few obvious advantages to downsizing your retirement home from your current home. First of all, a smaller home will typically cost less than a larger one, both in overall price and in utilities, which leaves more funds left over for other things you may have dreamed of doing like traveling and pursuing hobbies. A smaller home usually means less time and money you’ll spend upkeeping it—especially if you live in a low- or maintenance-free active adult Tribute Homes community, like The Cottages at Edgewater. When you’re not spending your days shoveling or mowing, your free time really adds up! It’s also prudent to think about ranch versus two-story floorplans: do you really feel like climbing a flight of stairs right before bed? Tribute homes offers many 55+ floorplans that are ranch homes or feature main floor master bedrooms—like the 2-bedroom Pratt II floorplan—that allow you to wake up and walk right out your front door, on to the activities and adventure that day is sure to hold.
UPSIZING:
While it’s natural to lean toward downsizing when looking for active adult floorplans, there are many reasons that upsizing in this time of your life makes sense, too. One of the major things to consider is family. Sure, your kids may have moved out, but having extra rooms for family to stay in when they visit you or ensuring you have plenty of space for grandchildren has convinced many retirees to purchase a home with extra bedrooms and living spaces. Do you, yourself, have aging parents? Or an adult child who many need to stay with you for an extended amount of time? These are also reasons it may be wise to have some additional rooms and space to accommodate them. The Tribute Homes Bayside floorplan is a perfect example of a just-right-sized home that offers additional bedrooms without a ton of square footage.
No matter which type of active adult floorplan you decide on—a larger one or a smaller one—Tribute Homes has a retirement home in a North or South Carolina community you’ll love. See for yourself.