Rightsizing, the best decision you’ll ever make

Rightsizing, AKA downsizing, happens when you move to a more manageable space to improve your life. It may involve moving into a smaller but better home and/or moving to somewhere special, where you can make lots of new friends, like The Bluffs. In this post, we talk about the possibilities that rightsizing creates to improve your life.

Rightsizing benefits

Few strategic moves can make a bigger impact on you than rightsizing. Rightsizing can lower your total cost of ownership while unlocking a new way of life. You can let go of the excess items, costs, and hassles of your old life and start a new chapter. And you can live somewhere wonderful. The homeowners at The Bluffs all rightsized. Today they live in beautiful new bungalows and spend their days having fun together on Lake Huron.

Let’s face it. Few of us welcome change. But almost all of us benefit from it. Give yourself the freedom to really consider your future. How do you want to spend your semi-retirement/retirement years?

Rightsizing can feel wrong (at first)

The idea of selling your current home to purchase a new and better way of life may feel scary or wrong at first. After all, you worked so hard to purchase and maintain your current home. You take pride in your house and love your friends in the neighbourhood. But how well does that old house really serve your purposes today? And what if you could live in a new home, surrounded by 60 to 80 new friends, spending your days having fun?

The truth about old houses

Old houses cost a ton. As the structure ages, the problems grow. From leaky roofs and flooded basements to cracked walls and squeaky floors, the repairs feel endless. Traditionally, the annual cost of maintenance is estimated as 1 percent of its list price. In January 2025, the average home price in Ontario was $834,050, according to CREA. That means the average homeowner spends $8,340 a year or $695 every month, just in repairs. What do you pay?

Modern bungalows are safer and smarter. Most of us in our 50’s and 60’s know better than to underestimate the danger of that old basement staircase. Or just how heavy a vacuum can feel when you carry it up stairs.

High energy costs

And then come the energy bills. Those old drafty windows and under-insulated walls cost you dearly in the winter and in the summer, if you have AC at all. In a province where the average house is 40 years old, most homes simply don’t have AC. Similarly, most of the homes simply do not comply with today’s rigorous efficiency standards, including levels of insulation. The Ontario Building Code has come a long way in the past 40 years.

Staying in your current home and undertaking renovations instead may seem like a good plan. But who has tens of thousands of dollars to spend remodelling your kitchen or a bathroom?

Prohibitive renovation costs

Of course, you can always renovate or remodel your current house to better serve your needs. However, to professionally and safely renovate any home requires a budget of at least $100,000. If you stay in the home while the work continues, you suffer with the noise. The dust. And the potential for delays and overages. And even after all of that, you may not love the results you get. Your satisfaction is not necessarily guaranteed.

Rightsizing saves the day

Fortunately, rightsizing enables you to sidestep all those costs and hassles, if you make the right move. Since 2016, hundreds of truly happy homeowners at The Bluffs have decided that they wanted:

• To put their social lives first by joining a community of mature adults enjoying life together
• To own a bright, beautiful new two-bedroom bungalow without the burden of owning the land
• To benefit from an all-new, energy-efficient furnace, AC, in-floor heating, and low/no maintenance
• To live in a safe and spectacular resort-like community located in gorgeous Goderich, Ontario
• To gain exclusive homeowner access to the community Clubhouse overlooking Lake Huron
• To focus on having fun, meeting new people, and going on adventures year-round
• Do it all starting in the $400s, with enough money left over to enjoy your retirement

Don’t wait to improve your life. Use the equity in your current home to purchase a brand-new home of your own, covered by warranty, in a community designed specifically for mature and active singles and adults.