To downsize…or not

By Marci Shatzman

Most people we know have already downsized.

Once they raised their kids, they didn’t need all that house space. So, they moved to a condo or apartment with less upkeep. The few who needed room for their regular out-of-town family stayed put.

We have steps, so we considered a move.

I looked at a few remodeled one-story villas. But the ‘50s-style lighting and old-fashioned amenities means the association wasn’t keeping up with the times for resales. Or didn’t want to assess members or hike up their monthly maintenance fees.

I stopped looking.

One developer built the only new villas for sale in west Boca. But they were expensive, even a few years ago. And who wants to get into more debt at this stage of the game. Maybe Rupert Murdoch.  

We moved into our large townhouse, 2,100+ square feet, 23 years ago in November. It was built around 1980, so it requires some upkeep. To me, it’s a tradeoff: We use all the rooms.

The third bedroom has always been an office. We converted the “guest room” into an alternative TV room after it went empty. My husband likes to watch sports and car shows, so he gets exiled. I’m glad we still have enough space to do that.

Even though we now live in a new housing construction zone. Our view of a scruffy former golf course and a street has been replaced by the rear of new townhouses.

I’ll check back when they’re occupied to see if not downsizing was the right thing to do.

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