Spring is certainly in the air! We are seeing lots of home buyers driving through our neighborhood and touring our homes. I think Stillwaters Estates is never more beautiful than the spring and right now we have the sun coming out which inspires bulbs, birds and homebuyers.
As I am showing homes I hear quite often the contemplations of buyers about buying a smaller home or what is called “right-sizing” their home for retirement. Often I hear folks planning to “reduce their formal living and dining room space” or “only have one spare bedroom” for guests or squeeze their extensive “shop area” into their garage. These are common considerations for less space and are certainly worthy of consideration.
Making this shift in thinking not only affects the family moving in but also often the children or grandchildren who come to visit or spend time at their house. Having the right amount of space for comfort as well as to have family or friends feel welcome is item that is given a lot of thought.
I know I have personally learned a lot by living in a smaller place and making the most of every corner of my house. For me, well planned storage is essential – especially for those items I only use occasionally. The second learning was multipurpose rooms. No longer do we have just a guest bedroom for the occasional guest- we have an office that easily turns into an occasional guest bedroom. Among other things we have learned the habit of constantly evaluating what we really need, whether we use it or not and getting rid of what we don’t need. Luckily we have many good “green” avenues locally to dispose of items (consign or donate) to help us feel like we are not being wasteful.
Here are a couple recommendations from the experts:
http://www.frugal-retirement-living.com/living-in-small-spaces.html
This article gives some ideas for taking those first steps to “living smaller”, including evaluating what you use and don’t in your home. They recommend looking at things in 3 categories as the first step to living in small spaces
- Things you haven’t used in a year (Get rid of it)
- Things you seldom use (multipurpose it in your new home)
- Things you use every day. (Plan wisely)
The author believes that the 3rd category makes up only 10% of what you have in your home before downsizing.
http://www.hgtvremodels.com/interiors/6-tips-for-downsizing/index.html
This second article gives advice on how to plan for the right-sizing and how to rethink about what you need in your home. Their hope is that through having a plan, the right-sizing (they call downsizing) leads to less stress and anxiety. Something additional this article recommends is thinking about organizing technology differently. For example connecting printers and computers to Wi-Fi to cut down on extra cables and choosing a wall-mounted TV to eliminate the need for a media center. Lots of good ideas out there for living big in a small(er) place!
Quote of the week:
Home & Garden Show Set for SWW Fairgrounds. The 49th annual Home & Garden Show will be at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds Friday through Sunday, March 21-23. Featured speaker will be television personality Cisco Morris, who will be talking at 2 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, at noon and 1 p.m., will be magician Jeff Evans. Other presentations will be:
• 11 a.m. Friday — Karen Edwards, “Planting to Preserve”
• noon Friday — Gary Stelzner/Ken Yates, “Beginning Beekeeping”
• 3 p.m. Friday — Barbara Eastman, “Straw Bale Gardening”
• 10 a.m. Saturday — Don Enstrom, “Small Fruits for the Home Garden”
• 11 a.m. Sunday — Jim Byrd, “Spring Mushrooms”
Throughout the weekend, Master Gardeners and other experts will be giving tips on gardening and homecare.
Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children and $5 for families (up to five people). Free parking is available.
Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday
Thursday, March 27th: Potluck night at Stillwaters Estates. Bring your favorite potluck dish, your own plate and join the fun at 6 p.m. at the Gathering Place.
Weather:
Sun is forecast for the weekend! The weather should hold till Tuesday and then the forecast is for rain. Enjoy this spring treat while we have it.
