Upgrade you say? Shouldn’t you be downsizing in retirement?
We did downsize several times over the last few years. Every time we move, we get rid of more stuff.
The townhome we used as our base was adequate except for having moved there without ever living in the area before, which resulted in a major unforeseen downside…
Road noise all day long. We tried to fight it by getting some window inserts, but there were too many windows and so it became impossible.
Life is too short to be unhappy, so we went on a journey of slight upgrading to a better place.
Spent over a year looking at the market
- Identifying areas we liked nearby
- Visiting open houses
Finally, it all clicked one day, and we decided on a new house in a new development that would also have access to commercial amenities like coffee shops etc.
So we went for it. The new house wouldn’t be ready for another 6 months, so our first task was to sell our current house.
Packed up over the course of a month
- Got rid of more stuff Moved to a storage unit nearby
Arranged a realtor to sell the place while we were out of the country and got a plane out of there to wait it out in Japan.
The house ended up selling in about 2 months, including the wait time for the buyer’s closing etc.
Returned home
- Lived with family and hotels for a few weeks
Now we are in the new house, and couldn’t be happier. It was a very good decision.
We made a huge upgrade, will have less maintenance, and the cost to upgrade ended up being approximately ~$50k. Even as an investment, it is a good decision, as the new place would rent or sell easily in the future.
The new place
- Surrounded by parks
- Sidewalks
- Pickleball courts
- A dog run
- Soon to be built commercial stores like a coffee shop etc.
So sometimes, you need to follow your gut and do what makes you happy even if it means spending money to get it done. Make a plan and go for it! Since we are retired and can travel, this is also a good way to sell and buy a new house without getting bridge loans or incurring interest etc.
