The DownsizeToday tagline says it all: “Enjoy a simpler life for a change.” That’s the short answer to the question, "Why are people downsizing?" The longer answer has to do with the expected decline in demand for large-ish single family homes; the uncertainty of where interest rates will be in a year or two; the increasing popularity of walkable live-work neighborhoods near cultural and recreational areas; and other research-based trends and forecasts. Stay tuned for more answers when the full site launches in August 2017.
Downsizer of the Month: Audi Lundy
My sister-in-law Audi Lundy had a gorgeous (large!) house and loved waking up to the view from the back deck. She enjoyed the easy access to hiking and mountain biking trails. She also loved entertaining family and friends in the spacious kitchen and great room.
But as a Coldwell Banker Realtor®, Audi knew it was a good time to turn the house over to new owners. She had been thinking about moving for a few years, but one thing after another kept her from doing so. In addition to being busy with clients, she needed to tackle the typical chores associated with putting a house on the market: refinish the floors, find the right new refrigerator, update the landscaping, put a fresh coat of paint on the bedrooms and bathrooms.
Complicating matters was the fact that she didn't know where to go. Unprecedented demand for homes in Denver and the continued low interest rates convinced her to get moving! "It's a sellers market, and because Denver is increasingly popular among families with school-age children, I just knew it was time," said Audi.
She found a home that was about a third the size of her existing home, entered into a bidding war to get the house under contract, and started getting the big house (7,300 square feet) ready for sale. She worked from dawn until ten p.m. most days. Not only was she working with her clients, she was cleaning, decluttering and staging her existing house and moving whatever she could to the new house.
Now, with the big house on the market, she's focused on getting organized in the new place. We'll post an update once she's settled, along with photos of the gorgeous old-growth trees, shrubs and perennials in her new back yard. She's excited that a new family will soon enjoy the stunning views of the house she loved for so long.
"Turning 60 was a wake-up call for me," she said. "The huge demands of a huge house were just driving me crazy, not to mention the expense of maintaining it. The endless snow removal and lawn mowing, the worry when I traveled about what was going on back home. My son Alexander had his own schedule and I couldn't burden him with all that stuff. It's just such a huge relief to have a smaller, simpler house. It's like a heavy load off my back. I'm so excited about the new place and the new 'me' that's about to be introduced to the world!"
It's a little hard to see the respective sizes of Audi's existing house (on the left) and the new one. Check out our gallery of "before and after downsizing" photos for more inspiration. Visit again for more "Downsizer of the Month" stories -- and if you have a story of your own about the process of downsizing or the wonderful feeling of relief you experienced afterward, please share!
