I keep hearing that the demand for the lifestyle associated with Downtown living is high and growing.  But when I talk with Boomers who live in big houses in the suburbs, there is a real reluctance to make the shift . . . and it’s mainly about the challenges of downsizing!  

My wife and I are empty nesters, and made the leap from a large single family home to apartment/condo type living over 10 years ago, and we’re very happy we did.  I know many of you Boomers out there are thinking about it too . . . so I wanted to share my own perspective and thoughts about it.

First, are the many benefits of an urban lifestyle.  I attended a lecture last week on ‘Transit in the Triangle’, which reported that the public demand for “walkable urbanism" or Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is growing in the Triangle and across the country, and is projected to represent at least 1/3  of the U.S. Housing Market by 2030.  Like those surveyed, my wife and I see walkable communities as providing a better quality of life and healthier lifestyle.  We want the choice of not taking the car to do routine errands.

There are overwhelming environmental and economic benefits to steering development away from living patterns that gobble up green space and add to our increasing transport cost and time spent on over crowded roads.  But moving to a higher density area usually means downsizing to a much smaller space.  And that can be a major obstacle and a real challenge for many people.  Boomers typically trade-up in house size several times as the family grows and the kids get older.  But when the kids leave, you may find ourselves like us, asking your selves . . . Do I really need all this space?

When the kids leave . . . Do I really need all this space?

So what does it mean to downsize?  It means getting rid of all the extraneous things and noise in your life that are not contributing to your happiness.   My wife’s philosophy comes back to an Asian aesthetic about art and design.  She says “you aim for one focal point in each room and clear out the rest..  Get rid of the clutter, and everything around you becomes the things you love.”  

I put it a little differently.  If your house has become merely a large storage container, go through all your treasures and enjoy the trip down memory lane . . . then sell the “crap”.

Happy downsizing!

Click here to download a copy of the ‘Transit in the Triangle’ presentation