You know it's time to make a change. The home maintenance is overwhelming, the drive to your favorite shopping and restaurants is getting tougher, and the stairs may be causing unwanted pain. You love your home, but now the labor of love may be evolving into just a labor. I hear this so often, and it is a normal chain of events. As we age, our needs both physically and mentally evolve over time. Our long time neighbors move away, and our children re-locate. It is normal for us to have ambivalent feelings about our home. The good news is that the memories go with us to our new home, and so do the people we love and care about.

 

You've had many thought experiments about what your new home would look like. You've considered many options as to location and services offered in your new home. It's time to write down your feelings, thoughts, and desires. When in written form, our goals and needs become real. They become tangible. One way to start is to organize your ideas into a real working game plan.

 

You can start by thinking about location. You've heard the phrase 'location, location, location' when talking about real estate sales and values. It is the same for you. Where you live is so vital to your happiness and comfort. So, visualize a new location you've been thinking about. How does it feel when you drive home, or walk out the front door? Are the doctors, restaurants, children, friends and shopping close to your new home? We can't have it all in many cases, but try to see how close you can come to finding a new venue including as many of the important people and places dear to your heart.

 

Now that you have a location in mind, check out the communities and apartments in this new location. By the way, a majority of moves are made within a few miles of one's long time home. Ask your friends, obtain senior relocation magazines, visit senior communities and talk with marketing directors. Marketing directors at senior communities are the best resource as to questions you'll need to ask and information important to match your needs. There are other valuable resources such as Senior Planners specifically designed to guide you through the maze of options.

 

Know that help is out there. Getting started is the first step. Visualize the perfect new home, write down your feelings, needs and desires, and use the resources available to guide you along the way. Procrastination can lead to crisis management which you want to avoid at all costs!