I recently downsized from a larger home in a New Jersey suburb to smaller quarters closer to Manhattan. Anecdotally, I noticed many times in my former neighborhood that on the same day families would post “Congrats to the Graduate!” yard signs, “For Sale” signs would often appear right next to them. My wife and I had been thinking about downsizing for years to eliminate the burden of property maintenance and simplify our living situation, but the task itself was a bit daunting.
When married couple Mara, age 67 and Lou, age 70, started thinking about the next phase of their lives they knew change was in their future. After raising three children and taking care of a large home for many years, they were ready to move to a community where the property would be maintained for them. They realized that living independently for the rest of their lives, while appealing in theory, might not be realistic.
