When you hear the word ‘adventure’, what immediately comes to mind? Skydiving? Swimming with sharks? Climbing Mt Everest? Or is it more general concepts like freedom, spontaneity and opportunity?
If your children have left home for university or travel, it’s likely you’ll be seeing much less of them over the next few years, and you definitely won’t need to be getting into grandparent mode any time soon. If they’ve moved on to start their own family, then they will no doubt be adding more and more things to their life, including a bigger house. Your family home is now looking less and less relevant isn’t it – with the two of you destined to be kicking around in that big old house like marbles in a jar.
The spirit of adventure can now become a real thing you consider. However, there are just a few things you need to take care of first, like selling the family home and downsizing to something infinitely more manageable. It is of course an emotional decision as well as a practical one, but taking a look at the numbers can often help resolve any nostalgic attachment you may have. Incidentally, the lure of a summer in Europe can make you completely forget the decades of your children’s heights scratched into the bathroom door.
Getting a good sale price for the family home could land you a sweet modern apartment nearby the beach, with an easy to care for terrace and minimal maintenance required in the immediate future. It also means if you decide, on a whim, to go away for a bit, you can lock it and leave it, without concern for all the things that need to be taken care of while you’re gone.
The other surprising benefit of downsizing is getting rid of all that stuff! All those years of collecting – boxes of ‘treasures’, odd socks, things you might need one day – are over. You can pass all the precious things down to your children now and free up your space for the new, minimalistic lifestyle you are about to adopt. Knowing ‘there’s no room for them in the new apartment’ is extremely empowering and motivating when it comes to spring-cleaning your life.
The hardest part really is the decision. Once that’s made and you’ve broken the news to your children, you can call your local real estate agent and get the ball rolling immediately. It won’t be long before you’ll be enjoying an Aperol spritz in the evenings, in your brand new apartment, free in the knowledge that you have absolutely nothing to do but enjoy your life, right now.
DISCLAIMER
The following advice is of a general nature only and intended as a broad guide. The advice should not be regarded as legal, financial or real estate advice. You should make your own inquiries and obtain independent professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making any legal, financial or real estate decisions. Click here for full Terms of Use.