I keep hearing that the demand for the lifestyle associated with Downtown living is high and growing. But when I talk with Boomers who live in big houses in the suburbs, there is a real reluctance to make the shift . . . and it’s mainly about the challenges of downsizing!
My wife and I are empty nesters, and made the leap from a large single family home to apartment/condo type living over 10 years ago, and we’re very happy we did. I know many of you Boomers out there are thinking about it too . . . so I wanted to share my own perspective and thoughts about it.
First, are the many benefits of an urban lifestyle. I attended a lecture last week on ‘Transit in the Triangle’, which reported that the public demand for “walkable urbanism” or Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is growing in the Triangle and across the country, and is projected to represent at least 1/3 of the U.S. Housing Market by 2030. Like those surveyed, my wife and I see walkable communities as providing a better quality of life and healthier lifestyle. We want the choice of not taking the car to do routine errands.
There are overwhelming environmental and economic benefits to steering development away from living patterns that gobble up green space and add to our increasing transport cost and time spent on over crowded roads. But moving to a higher density area usually means downsizing to a much smaller space. And that can be a major obstacle and a real challenge for many people. Boomers typically trade-up in house size several times as the family grows and the kids get older. But when the kids leave, you may find ourselves like us, asking your selves . . . Do I really need all this space?
When the kids leave . . . Do I really need all this space?
So what does it mean to downsize? It means getting rid of all the extraneous things and noise in your life that are not contributing to your happiness. My wife’s philosophy comes back to an Asian aesthetic about art and design. She says “you aim for one focal point in each room and clear out the rest.. Get rid of the clutter, and everything around you becomes the things you love.”
I put it a little differently. If your house has become merely a large storage container, go through all your treasures and enjoy the trip down memory lane . . . then sell the “crap”.
Happy downsizing!
[Article reposted from February 2010]
Yes, there’s the trade off of square footage, but I think it’s worth it..I think people need to ask themselves “how many rooms do I really need?” See what’s being used for storage and what’s actually being used..at least once per week.
Many people now living in the ‘burbs (including residential areas of Raleigh) are empty nesters. But keep in mind that when the kids grow up, get married, and leave home, the parents then turn the kids rooms into guest rooms and try to get the kids, kids spouses, and particularly grand kids back for frequent visits. So they still need extra rooms, although they may be empty most nights.
Also, as people retire they have more time for working in their garden.
Many people go from a 5 bedroom 1/2 acre lot to a 3br 1/4 acre lot. That is downsizing.
After several decades of working in real estate (retired in 2008)I know something about downsizing. Some people do want to downsize to a very small condo or apartment and live downtown. However, there are reasons why there is no rush to move downtown and why the suburbs and residential areas of Raleigh are outperforming downtown.
1) For many people, soon after the kids leave home for good the grand children arrive. And there is nothing a grandparent wants more than frequent visits by their grandchildren. Hence, a need for an extra bedroom or two. And, when not in use by guests, that room can be used as an office or for extra space. They also want a yard, perhaps smaller, for the kids to play and for a bird feeder to attract songbirds.
2) Most people still have years between the kids leaving and retirement. And most people, particularly those in the suburbs, do not work downtown. For those, they still need cars and driveways. They still need to get to their offices in the suburbs.
So, while many empty nesters downsize, many of these still want a more suburban type of living. That helps explain the popularity of small houses and townhouses in suburban/residential areas.
I’ve been thinking about these comments, remembering my own fondness for going home to my parents’ suburban home with my own children. Yet somewhere along the line, my choices diverted from theirs. Living overseas in small spaces that often accommodated guests on blow up mattresses or in nearby hotels, I discovered that I liked the flexibility afforded by limited space. Actually having house guests that arrived after breakfast was a plus! And we enjoyed having family reunions where we met in a third space, with no one playing host. On Glenwood South, we now have the perfect set up with the Hampton Inn right across from our condo at 510.
This is part of a larger shift in our thinking that tends to embrace the idea that we’ll meet our needs through leasing tools/service/space as needed. It has actually leant our life a sense of fun and possibility that we have grown to embrace and appreciate.
Downsizing is not the only obstacle to living downtown.
I lived in an apartment downtown for about 10 years until I had kids and moved to North Raleigh. When my kids left home my husband and I decided to downsize. We moved to a 3 bedroom townhouse in Cary (from a 4 BR large lot). We are near my work in North Cary (more people work in just that part of Cary than downtown Raleigh). I have guest rooms for my kids and still young grandkids. I like to have my kids and grandkids for breakfast. I like that my daughter can put the grandkids to bed and then visit with us, sometimes until late at night. My grand children are too young, but my neighbor has a couple of bikes in her garage for her grand children to use on their visits. I also like having a small garden that I can work in now that I have more time. I like the fact that we are in a very walkable area, with sidewalks and trails. I like the variety of songbirds at my feeder. All the neighbors know each other because of the amount of walking and working in gardens.
I realize that some people prefer downtown living, but it is no surprise that more people prefer a more suburban life.
The downsizing is easy to get used to if you felt like you were getting good value for your dollar. But to move to something smaller AND still have to pay more for it, it does make you wonder. I love downtown but I don’t get the price gouging there! The landlords and developers are uber-greedy and charge astronomical rents/prices. It’s like they are trying to make downtown for people who have six-figure salaries, Only.
Given all that, downsizing is the LEAST of my worries as I try to find a way to live downtown!