This past week I visited Querencia, a beautiful retirement community situated in the Barton Creek area of Austin. The purpose of my visit was to say hello to Megan Bass, a member of the sales team there at the community and to drop off one of our newly revised versions of Downsizing Made Easy.
As I made my grand entrance into the lobby area, I was pleasantly surprised that there was a birthday party going on and there were some 30-40 people enjoying wine, beer, champagne and sodas while being entertained by a lively pianist. This gathering was quite festive and I noted a number of nametags sporting "It's My Birthday." People were laughing and talking and visiting... it was cocktail hour at 4:00pm on a Monday afternoon!
Megan introduced me to a few of the Querencia residents and shared with them my offer to help seniors with their downsizing process as a part of my real estate services. As we talked, the birthday girl offered me a glass of wine and I graciously passed stating that I needed to drive home to Lakeway and a glass of wine would require me to hang out for much longer than I was able. She laughed and said, "That is one of the things that is so great about living here. We can have drinks and not worry about driving home... it's just a short walk to our apartment!" I must say that at that moment, I definitely saw the light!
This process of simplifying one's life is sometimes long overdue. Fortunately for these seniors, they have made choices to downsize and simplify while they can still enjoy all of the many perks of retirement community living at Querencia. Most of the seniors that I ask will say that they wish they had made the move long before they did. I have had several tell me that it is the most freeing experience to be able to leave all the hassle of home ownership behind and just have fun with friends and family, focus on their hobbies, travel, or volunteer around town.
Of course there are always those that say they hated to give up some of the things they had accumulated throughout their life, but ultimately it was worth it to be enjoying year around resort style living.
As for the most prevailing reason that most give when asked why they made the move, well, it is to insure their future healthcare needs will be taken care of should they or their spouse require more care down the road. This sense of security and peace of mind no doubt makes it much easier to enjoy their current independence and life's pleasures afforded by their decision to simplify today and move into a retirement community.
For more information about Austin area Retirement Communities or to get your copy of Downsizing Made Easy by The Buckelew Group's Mature Moves Division, email nikki@managingmaturemoves.com or call 512-276-8876.
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