Are you speaking of a house only, or a new town?

sushipup1, Thank you for the quick response.

We plan to stay in the same great Phoenix area.

We are thinking about getting a stand alone small house since we have never owned a condo or townhouse.

But if there are advantages for younger, physically fit senior citizens in getting a multi-housing unit, we would like to hear that.

Thank you in advance for the inputs.

I'd look for a one level, that has wide doors and hallways in case a walker or wheel chair is ever needed. Make sure the bathrooms has plenty of room to use the same. A walk-in curb-less shower would be a plus. A shower seat could be useful too, but you can always buy a chair to put in the shower if large enough. Kitchen and laundry with space to move around for the same reasons. Few steps if any. Small step only from garage into house. A step is required, but some will have higher than others. Shallower is better when in a wheelchair or using a walker.

Condo/townhouse is great-if the HOA is great and actually takes care of things. Roof, gutters, exterior painting, annual checking for issues like mold or mildew or termites..plumbing leaks repair..they take care of that if you're in the right community. Right, less privacy plus fees..but less headache too. The pool, the landscaping-they do it.

Don't go for one where you just pay the fees and they clean the street..not worth it that much then.

Even though I'm sure some of these can be very well planned and beautiful.

Depends how much maintenance you can keep up with/want to keep up with

If going for a single family home-the less steps you have the better. Single level even better. Wider openings and passages obviously better than narrow ones.

Look at the potential. What it can be redone into if needed. How easy it will be to do? Smallest tweak, or remodel? But better opportunity of some remodel than no options to change things at all.

Also see what neighborhood you'd like to be part of. Some people want life buzzing around them at any age. Some need more privacy, less noise.

Most do want at least some things within their reach..shopping, errands, doctors

Public transportation if not walkable. Or opportunity to call a cab. Something. Not being totally car dependent(even though I know many do that and enjoy that for the longest time). But something to take into account.

Say we have here beautiful places further in the mountains a bit, cheaper too, nature around, just beautiful..but as much as I'd like to live there that wouldn't work in our family's case.

I think others have identified the main things I would consider. One story with few steps to get inside. Wide hallways and doorways to accommodate walkers and the like. Our last ho she was supposed to be our long term, into retirement home, but our plans changed and we moved to a different state. Anyway, when we remodeled the hall bathroom we put in a curbless shower and other things to facilitate continued access even if one of us ended up needing help in the shower. So I'd look for those kinds of features or the ability to remodel and get them (for example, tiny bathrooms that can't be expanded are not great for aging in place).

My parents recently moved to live closer to my brother and they ended up in a condo association. The unit is attached by the garage to another unit, but otherwise looks and feels like a single family home. The advantage is that when they had hail damage, they didn't have to find a roofer to fix it. And the yard is taken care of. And so on. If they didn't have the condo association they would have to hire all this out themselves and it would be hard for them to properly supervise this kind of work now given their health.

We sold our house and moved into a townhome community a couple years ago with same idea you have. We wanted this to be our last move until we need to go to assisted living type arrangement or we kick the bucket. We were 58 at the time we were looking for a new place.

I looked at a few completely single level homes and found those communities just weren't right for us at this stage of our life. The age demographic from what I observed seemed to be 25-30 years older than us and people seemed to be more hunkered down and less physically active.

I found the communities with homes that had everything you needed on the main level plus some kind of additional space up or down had people more my age and activity level. So we ended up buying a detached townhome on a golf course - some people call it a villa. We don't share any walls with another home which is a huge plus in my opinion. We didn't downsize but we got all the things we need on the main level plus "optional" living space and bedrooms in the walkout lower level. It's pretty much a single family home but the HOA takes care of the yard, snow removal and the exterior of the home. We had a big hail storm this year so it's a real test of the HOA board and management company. I'm happy to have them dealing with contractors, insurance company, etc.

Our HOA has thirty of these homes and I really like it. People range from a bit younger than us to age 91. Probably 1/3 of the people are still working and about 2/3rds are retired. Maybe 1/3 go south in the winter and 2/3rds don't. People are very friendly and socialize with each other and it's a fun place to live. A lot of people play golf which has been a nice way for DH to make some friends in the new neighborhood.

Some other people moved in the same time we did and they seem very unhappy. I think if you are a perfectionist and used to having things just the way you think they should be when you think they should be you might have a hard time adjusting to an HOA. We like things nice and our place is well taken care of but it's not perfect and I can live with that. Our dues are relatively low which was appealing to us when we purchased but with lower dues you don't have someone carefully looking at every yard, plant, shrub, etc. and perfectly manicuring everything every week. And if you want to paint your front door red, purple, orange, etc. you can't. Someone recently painted their front step a non-concrete color and they've been informed they have to undo that. All that kind of thing is fine with me.

When we moved DH was not really in favor of the change but we both love our new home and new neighborhood now. And I'm thinking we should be able to age in place here based on the longevity of our neighbors who have the exact same home we do.

Much of this has been mentioned but I'll repeat:

Wide hallways at least 42" wide

Wide doorways 32" is minimum, 36" wide is better.

Few changes of floor surfaces. You're better with wood or LVT or even tile floors vs carpeting. Although if you have hip or knee issues, I wouldn't want tile floors.

One level living or the ability to put in an elevator.

Curbless master shower or the ability to put one in.

Wide enough aisles in the kitchen. If not a kitchen with an island you want at a minimum a 60" wide turning radius in case of a wheelchair.

Same thing for the bathroom. You want one bathroom to be wheelchair accessible.

The ability to put grab bars in the showers and near the toilets.

Comfort height toilets.

The ability to put in a hand held shower bar.

Door levers instead of door knobs.

Lots of lighting both indoors and out.

I'd make sure the master bedroom has a door to the outside if possible.

Buy something that you can resell in a normal amount of time. Not something unusual that will take more than a year to sell because it appeals to very few buyers in that area.

Many thanks to all of your inputs, they are very appreciated.

Sadly, our current home meets 90% of the requirements in your suggestions: one story, easy access, plenty lighting both indoor and outdoor, wide hallway & door way, wide space in the kitchen, all 3 bathrooms designed for aging...etc. We love our neighborhood. It seems we do not have sufficient reasons to move if it is not because the house and yard are too large for us.

Am I over thinking to rule out multi-housing unit? As we intend to hold the next home for long term( 20-30 years), and sell it if we need extra fund for assistant living. It seems Multi-housing unit's value has too much dependency on other factors, such as HOAs, other owners and tenants...etc.

May I ask for inputs on neighborhood selection? We always pick homes in the best school district and best possible neighborhoods to raise family, are these necessary now?

Should we purchase a place that is popular with retirees?

We are physically fit and live same lifestyle as always. It is difficult to envision the "Must Have", "Nice to Have" criteria for retirees.

Would it not be an option to stay where you are and hire some help for house and yard maintenance? That's essentially what you're doing with an HOA.

yes..I'm thinking what I'd do..and in your case-I'd try and see whether whatever 3katz4me suggests is possible ...but of course it's probably more expensive, just having bigger house, to maintain...to heat it, to cool it, to- all -the- rest ...

in my case-I'd be out (as much as I love our house, and it's single level and all)and in HOA, downsizing much. And I'd make sure it's a very good HOA. since I've been spoiled by living with very good HOA (comes with its minuses of course, but pluses overweight). I'd rather a place be very small but very good. And well taken care of.

so hard to say without knowing exactly your family and needs and all

you can try and find exactly(or almost exactly) same house as yours.. just smaller. Of course a pity. Is it possible where you live?

As for schools..I'd be always inclined to still stay in areas with good schools. Maybe not excellent but good. Resale value and all. Usually also reflects on neighborhood. It's sort of a circle..good schools attract people who are interested in good schools and so on and so forth. Rarely that circle breaks irreparably

Exclusions to that rule that I'd made for myself-nature, rural areas, these places you approach them differently (they might have good schools by the way too)). But you're probably not looking there anyway

As for retirees..some people do. We even have a city around here, that's exclusively for retirees. Whole city:) You can't get in until certain age. Comes with its perks..for example they have their own bus..:)

(the situation with public transportation is bad here, so having free shuttles, buses etc-matters a lot.)

My parents are in a retirement community (in MD) that has various housing types -- high rise condos, garden condos, townhouses, patio homes, etc. The community has two club houses, various programs and activities but it is 100% independent living -- no personal support services are provided.

My parents have a condo in a high rise building that is as big as some people's retirement houses -- nearly 1500 sq ft, 3BD, 3BA, eat in kitchen, separate dining room, enclosed glass balcony (sunroom, really). The prices aren't all that high; way less than a patio home or townhouse. But their condo fee is nearly $700 a month.

If your house suits you, try to correct what doesn't, like getting help with exterior work, etc. We moved cross country to be with family when my husband retired, and I had a list of 'musts', too. But we got little of those things, but the neighborhood absolutely won out over everything else. You can change things in the house, but not the location.

I guess we were lucky, but when we looked at the house and parked in front to wait for the open house to start, we saw a number of neighbors walking their dogs and stopping to talk. It was just an impression, and it has proven true.

Sometimes moving is taking a real pig-in-a-poke, no matter how perfect the actual building is. The more intangible things are worth the gold.

Thank you all again for all the helpful suggestions.

We always have yard crew taking care of landscape. occasionally getting help for interior work. We could fill in the pool, but it is difficult to shrink the house by 1000 sqft, and yard to at least half of the current size.

We plan to follow your suggestions to find a smaller house in a good neighborhood and best school district. It seems we also need to enlist a real estate agent's help.

May I ask for inputs on neighborhood selection? We always pick homes in
the best school district and best possible neighborhoods to raise
family, are these necessary now?

What is a good neighborhood to a family is NOT what is good for older people.

One of the first level of decision is urban versus suburban. Urban does not mean large cities. It just means near the business core of a particular city. I love urban environments where you can walk to most of your needs; stores, dry cleaning, coffee etc. Many smaller cities have a nice urban core with walking neighborhoods that are NOT that expensive.

I have no idea what smaller towns around Phoenix is like.

Many older adults do not want to drive nor are capable of driving well as they age. Neighborhoods that have easy access to public transportation and walking distance to stores or amenities can be a huge asset to living in place versus being forced to move into an assisted home. (ask yourself, how would I manage if I or my spouse could not drive in this neighborhood?)

Medical care facilities. As we age, we many need medical treatments that are 'more regular' than we would like. Again, being able to get there quickly versus a long time in a car (heavy traffic). Imagine being diagnosed with breast cancer and having to drive to your radiation treatment everyday which maybe an hour away.....

Easy access to things that you enjoy: theater, arts, boating, hiking, bowling alleys etc. Again, each town has its draws. You will have more time (and hopefully health) to do these things.

I don't care how old you are, except for Senior Housing schools are always very important as it affects value.

An older couple, must confront the reality that one of them will die before the other and the survivor may not be able to remain in the housing. Resale will come into play.

If after both have passed, some descendants are going to have to sell the property, and again resale.

While you can't predict everything Mother Nature might bring your way, it would be really important to consider elements. For example, pick a high elevation in case of floods

simple landscaping in case if winds

Have backup electricity

easy exit in case of evacuation

not too close to woods, in case of fires

again, you can't plan for all risks but whatever you can do to extend the time you must fend for yourself while help arrives should be high priority.

have insurance people assess the condition and "competence" of your house every few years, as a way to keep up with the times. Not for fashion but for functionality. I find ins. People pretty sensible with respect to what constitutes a safe, technically and mechanically competent dwelling.

"Sadly, our current home meets 90% of the requirements in your suggestions: one story, easy access, plenty lighting both indoor and outdoor, wide hallway & door way, wide space in the kitchen, all 3 bathrooms designed for aging...etc. We love our neighborhood. It seems we do not have sufficient reasons to move if it is not because the house and yard are too large for us."

Do you want to move, or do you think you should move just because you're aging. If you love the neighborhood, love the house and it's designed for aging, there's really not a big argument in favor of moving. As someone above suggested, can always hire out the lawn work, and if you think the house is too big for you, just close off some rooms, leave them empty or use them for storage, that way you won't have to clean them, and you can shut off the vents to conserve air conditioning costs (heck, a lot of people do just that with a basement...). Not a big deal in my book. Filling in a pool would probably cost less money than paying a commission on the sale of your house combined with closing costs on a new house and the other associated costs with a new house (paint/decorating, minor repairs, etc).

DH and I did think about the ability to age in place when we purchased our current house, although not to the extent of the some of the suggestions above (which are great and definitely things to think about down the road - our house is adaptable to a lot of the above). I had a tri-level for a long time, and we were adamant about a ranch. Period. I didn't care about a basement, but DH wanted a basement - man-cave and all that. We did think about ability to access necessities (grocer, drugstore, etc) when we're older and driving becomes more difficult.

But, I wonder if that even matters -- in the next 10-15 years or so (if that) self-driving cars will be the norm, so if you're not at the point now where you can't see yourself driving in the next 10 or so years I wouldn't worry about transportation as a criteria for housing for seniors.

" in the next 10-15 years or so (if that) self-driving cars will be the norm"-from your mouth, to the Gates of Heaven..:)

amen sista!

We moved from NY to Florida, Gulf Coast. Big change from us.

We left a large house in NY near NYC to a smaller house here. Husband was 80 and I was 62. We've been here for five years.

We decided to buy a smaller house instead of a condo or townhouse. My husband loves music and piano and we knew it would be difficult to have neighbors right next door.

I love to garden and wanted a small back yard. We did not want a pool. We had a pool for 45 years and rarely used it after the kids left home. We also didn't want the expense of running one. Not having a pool in Florida is almost unheard of, but it was what we wanted.

We bought a house on one level about 2000 sq ft. It allows my husband to play his music and gives us a enough space to have our kids visit.

So far, it has worked well. We hire a gardener to take care of the lawn and weeds. So much less expensive than NY!

The neighborhood is mixed with retirees and families. Lots of dog walkers which we enjoy while we walk our dog.

We both drive, but we live near many stores and shopping centers. Not walkable but a 10 minute drive.

I like having our own house. The area has a HOA which is very inexpensive. Less than $100 a year. They really don't care what you do with your house unless you paint it a weird color. Otherwise you can pretty much do what you want.

I miss my kids, we do go back to NY occasionally, but the kids enjoy visiting during the winter when they can go to the beach and get away from the cold.

Azmom, since your name indicates that you are a mother, do you want to have room for your children to stay with you when they visit? Gone are the days when we just assume that (most of) our children will live around us.

My husband and I are moving up to a 3300 sq feet from 2500 sq feet. Our number one priority? Our children feel welcome and "comfortable" when they visit us. We have a large family, and thus far, three of the six children live out of state. Six kids, 3 sons-in-law, and 5 grandkids make for a very loud, very crowded house, and the family is still growing. :)

As for my situation, luckily, the extra space in the new house is all in the basement, so we don't have to maintain the whole house on a daily basis.

By the way, my own parents downsized to my mom's two bedroom dream cottage, and they regretted it greatly. :(

We bought our 3300 square feet, two story house 40 years ago and raised our kids here. Now we are in our mid 70s and stay here because we can accommodate our kids and their families. They love to come home to the town they know. We love having them come for a visit whenever they can and encourage them to drop in for a quick visit or overnight when they will be in the area or have a long weekend.

Jo and Shelia, Thank you for the suggestions. Like you, after kids moved out, a good friend remodeled and enlarged her house to accommodate children and grandchildren's visiting.

It is not our situation yet. We have small family with unmarried children. We spend our time together either visiting them or at different sightseeing spots. Nonetheless, your suggestions bring up a good point for us to ponder.