This past week my focus has been on working with a lovely woman who is looking for a home in Laguna Woods Village. It's a 55+ community in South Orange County, California. We've had the opportunity to look at many homes together. Some have had no improvements since the time they were built in the late 1970's. But, a few of the ones we looked at had been renovated. The homes we set our sites on were all single level with ground level entry. So, it would stand to reason that these homes would be great for seniors who had difficulty with steps or walking. One might even assume that prospective buyers could be in wheelchairs or need the use of a motorized scooter for mobility.
It was interesting to see that some of the "improvements" that had been made to the properties we looked at actually detracted from their livability. Instead of making the homes more comfortable, some of the improvements actually created hazards for seniors.
We saw one home that had just installed lovely ceramic tile in the entry, hallways and bathrooms and a very thick shag carpet with heavy padding in the living areas. Thick carpets can cause tripping hazards, are not walker friendly, and can make moving furniture around nearly impossible. The ceramic tile walkways in this home were a lovely pattern, however, the pattern of small six inch tiles could prove more difficult to move across than a floor with larger tiles or perhaps wood flooring.
Another improvement was new cabinets in kitchens and bathrooms. While aesthetically pleasing, cabinets and drawers that have no handles can be difficult for arthritic hands to open and close. The hardware needs to be chosen with care to allow the hands to slide in and out of the pulls easily. Generally, pulls work better than knobs as knobs can be more difficult for seniors to grip as they may lose strength in their hands.
One of the homes we saw had a lovely new stall shower. While it was very pretty, it wasn't as practical as it might have been... READ MORE>
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Marlene Bridges, REALTOR® 800 777-1775
South Orange County Real Estate Website
Orange County Seniors Lifestyles Blog
SRES - Seniors Real Estate Specialist®
CRS-Certified Residential Specialist®
President - Laguna Hills/Laguna Woods Chamber of Commerce
Marlene is a highly experienced South Orange County CA REALTOR® specializing in residential Real Estate and the sale of Homes and Condos in South Orange County, California and Saddleback Valley cities of: Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo.
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