Buying your first home is very exciting. In fact, it’s really huge! But I believe that the decision to downsize, sell the family home, and live in something much, much smaller, is equally as exciting, if not more so. The freedom to travel, indulge in your passions (like mine for golf) and heck, just to get out of these Canadian winters, these things and more can be very seductive.
Let me share why.
I loved our family home, with the granite countertops in the kitchen, the huge oak staircase, the glassed-in shower in the master bath, and of course my beautiful spa jet tub!
This was my dream home and for a time that was enough.Our home boasted an enormous family room, and second floor laundry, a 600 square foot deck off the kitchen, and a full basement, ready and waiting to be developed into more bedrooms, or a home theatre!
But life changes, and we go through different stages of our lives. My dream home ten years ago was perfect for us then, or for a growing family.
Living in suburbia, in the Greater Toronto Area afforded us a lovely home, at a reasonable price, but with a lengthy commute. Both my husband and I worked in downtown Toronto. Thinking about retirement, we knew we wanted something much smaller to live in, and we were pretty sure we didn’t want to own bricks and mortar any time soon.
With retirement about 5 years away, we started a plan. After extensive travels in our RV, we knew we could happily live in a much smaller space and give up the large two-storey, four bedroom home that we had become accustomed to. Once we made up our minds, that we should jump into a very hot real estate market, and sell the family home, we knew the agents we wanted to work with.
They lived in our neighbourhood, and we had talked to them before. We really liked their approach to selling homes. In other words, their engagement with us resulted in a trust, which I think you will agree is a key component to a successful relationship.
What sealed the deal for us were the services that our realtors provided at no cost to us, prior to closing.
- Initial interview and advice – what needed to be fixed/painted etc. what didn’t
- Realistic pricing
- Professional Staging
- House cleaning
- Discounts on a number of services including garbage removal
The sale of the house was painless, I think only two people viewed it before it was sold! How did we survive downsizing from a 2500 square foot home to an RV? By getting rid of a lot of stuff. Decluttering and organizing your home, has become mainstream, with folks watching hours and hours of Marie Kondo!
Fast forward to today, and we currently split our time between a small apartment in midtown Toronto, and our brand new park model trailer in Lindsay, Ontario.
Ten months to go until I am fully retired and we will spend our time between Florida and Lindsay, with lots of travel in between.
The same year we sold our home, I established myself as a lifestyle blogger. Until now this has been my side hustle, and once I’m retired, I will be able to devote more time to it, and of course my other passion – golfing with my sweetheart. We have a plan, and are living our dream. It doesn't get much better than this!
Judy Kahansky
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