The Benefits of Rightsizing

Living life to the fullest has a different meaning for everyone. To some, it involves a lovely home or a large family; to others, it’s an exciting lifestyle full of travel and new experiences. For almost all of us, the meaning changes at some point in our lives.

Our situations, preferences, and needs especially change as we age. And the home we needed in our early years is often not the same home we need today, or tomorrow. It’s a question many individuals and couples face, especially when approaching retirement. Whatever the reason you find yourself needing an adjustment in your space, rightsizing can help you make the best of your home, or find one more suitable. Finding the right option for you can lead you down the path to a better quality of life both now and in your future years.

Determining the Need for Rightsizing

When considering whether rightsizing is right for you, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is there stagnant space within your home, such as unused rooms or large spaces used for storing items you no longer need?
• Are some of your rooms used only as passageways to others?
• Do you have a guest room? If so, how often is it used?
• Do parts of your home seem cumbersome or inefficient? For example, do you find yourself walking up and down stairs unnecessarily to reach one specific room, or having to maintain areas of the home that are no longer functional?
• Will you have family members who may move in, or those that are moving out shortly?

As the years go by, functions of the home often change in nature. An office may shift to a sewing room. A dining room or foyer may simply become an empty pass-through to the kitchen or living room. Or maybe the opposite problem exists. Have you picked up new hobbies that require extra garage or yard space? Consider what demands you place on your home, and how it meets or exceeds those needs.

Benefits of Rightsizing

It’s healthy to take a moment and assess what’s important in your life. Rightsizing can help you take a second look at your surroundings, and upgrade your environment to better suit your priorities.

Fitting Your Home to Your Lifestyle

If you prefer to be close to the action, it might be time to sell that house in the suburbs and move into something smaller near town; with easy access to shops, restaurants, and other facilities. If you’re looking for a closer-knit neighborhood network, and you’re ready to settle in and work on that vegetable garden, it might be time to consider a larger home further away from the hustle and bustle. This can provide you with more room for hobbies – and offer a more natural setting for those afternoon naps out in the yard.

In either case, rightsizing can move you out of an area you’re not getting the most out of, and into one that better suits your lifestyle.

Fitting Your Social Network to Your Needs

As time goes on, you may find yourself growing out of your neighborhood, or your neighbors. Rightsizing can provide you with the opportunity to re-select your immediate community and find one that is perfect for you. Perhaps you want to live on a close-knit neighborhood block where everyone knows each other. Maybe you’d prefer to be closer to particular friends or family that are currently a good distance away from your current home.

Maybe you are outdoorsy and a home close to parks or hiking trails is right for you. Or culture is an important part of your life, and you’d like to be nearer to theaters and museums.

Or perhaps you considering selling those commuting vehicles you used to use for work. Public transportation lines may quickly become an essential part of your immediate surroundings.

Making Living Easier

Rightsizing is an important part of making everyday activities easier as we age. If parking near your home is a nightmare, or there are three flights of stairs you have to tackle every time you return home with groceries, it may be time to think about choosing a home that is friendlier to your needs. An expansive two-story home on an embankment can be replaced by a smaller house that is easier to get around in and takes much less maintenance. Or, you can swap that downtown apartment for a larger home with a yard and extra rooms for work or guests.

Rightsizing offers you the opportunity to assess your current surroundings, anticipate your future situation, and adjust your environment to perfectly suit your lifestyle. Take a look around and ask yourself if the home you see today will suit your lifestyle tomorrow. If not, consider the benefits of adjusting your world to fit your ideal future moving forward.