Right Through The Cracks

A few years ago, some developers wanted to take 5 acres of cemetery property and build senior apartments there. I told the mayor that they were sending us a subtle message. I haven't heard any more about the senior apartments here. Here's an aerial view of the area (outlined in red).
 

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I am a 67 year old single woman and am tired of the upkeep and maintenance for my huge house (2500 sq ft Victorian on 1/4 acre lot - see photo). Two summers ago, I spent looking a senior housing in my area. What I found out that these facilities fall into two categories:
1) subsidized housing which are basically a 300 sq ft rooms with bed and bath and the residents cannot have over a $40K yearly income per person, no pets and
2) nice places, with one and two bedroom units with many amenities (most of which I likely wouldn't use) but are out of my affordability range ($5000 and up a month).
Back to square one.

debodun, it you live in an area where these are the ONLY two options - absolutely nothing in between - it's time to look at re-locating.
 
There is no way that I would own a house again. We are in a 55+ condo which we bought for cash with what we received from selling our last place. Our maintenance is $320 a month which includes water, sewer, all exterior maintenance and access to the rec centers. We pay cable/internet and electric bill. plus real estate taxes to the county Important, we have no stairs to climb.
 

Deb, I found nice places near you I would like for myself! Ballston Spa in your own County.

The Springs
$1,450 - $1,450 | 1 Bed | 1 Bath | 990 - 990 Sq. Ft.

Maximum of 2 pets per home. Additional rent for pets is $25 per month per pet. The one-time pet fee is $250. Call for full details.Maximum of 2 pets per home. Additional rent for pets is $25 per month per pet. The one-time pet fee is $250. Call for full details.

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Here are more places- https://www.after55.com/ny/ballston-spa
 
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Thank you for the link, RR. I did actually look at some of them. That Falccon Trace was a dump. You could tell just walking in. There was a man in a wheelchair in the lobby when I went in and he told me a lot of bad things about it. It was right next to a car dealership, too. They make it looks nice in the photos, but you have to live there to know the ups and downs. There was another in Malta that didn't get good reviews online.
 
I live in a beautiful, well-maintained building, a hi-rise in my very active seniors community. Not assisted living, just a community where you have to be 55 or older. Lot of activities and social support, easy to make friends. The homes vary in price from very modest to luxury-level, though still costing a lot less than the same house would as a standalone in one of the millionaire communities around here. Our homes are everything from small "studio" apartments to large, 2-story, 4-bedroom houses, and everything in between.

There are lots of independent-living senior communities like ours, and many more new ones being developed. It's really not necessary to go to the poorhouse to live decently. Do some research, Deb, you may be surprised!
 
>>What I didn't care for was the senior housing. All that social stuff doesn't interest me. Seems to me everybody wants to know your business. >>

At the better senior living places we've investigated (some being visited multiple times), I've never gotten the impression that residents feel "pressured" into joining activities.

My MIL loved social contact but liked to keep it superficial and casual. She never appeared to have any problems limiting her time.

What she DID have, and appreciated, was the feeling of safety - a secure campus facility with 24/7 staff and help at the press of a button. She liked knowing that if she missed two meals in a row, someone would immediately check or call to be sure she was okay. No more worries about housekeeping, laundry, or falling in the bathtub. 5 acres with lovely gardens and walking paths - and this was in the heart of a big city!

As Starsong says, there is a BIG difference between Independent, Assisted, and Skilled Care (e.g., nursing). To lump together such disparate types is like saying that all the seniors here, right now, live in the same kind of housing and have the same identical issues. It's simply not accurate.

My DH and I are currently researching senior living facilities and will be downsizing in the next 1-2 yrs. We have wonderful neighbors, but everybody is away at work during the day. We're having to limit our travel because we don't like leaving the house empty for weeks on end.

It's better to move sooner rather than later - less hassle and more freedom. I will be happy to be rid of taking care of a SFH and large garden.
 
out of my affordability range ($5000 and up a month).
Back to square one.
Don't know where your located but I live in a place called Lakeside Manor Apartments the small apartment I am living in is over 600 sq feet and rent is $750. You must be 65 or over and not have a lot of money but its a very nice apartment. Of course there is the Texas heat to deal with considering I moved here from Alaska.
 
>>It's better to move sooner rather than later - less hassle and more freedom. I will be happy to be rid of taking care of a SFH and large garden.
You're so right, Lethe. And don't forget the downsizing challenge.

The very act of having to make a decision about every one of your possessions (do I keep it, donate it, trash it, or try to give away to a loved one?) is physically and emotionally exhausting. Over the past five years my husband and I dramatically decreased (or entirely liquidated) the possessions of our parents plus a neighbor when they went to AL or died.

I'm here to tell you that even when it's not your stuff this is not a task for the faint of heart. And the older we get the harder it becomes. Trust me.

DH and I are endlessly purging and donating our stuff, but it still seems to breed when we're not looking.
 
One of my problems is downsizing. I've been having estate sales since my mom passed, but today's market doesn't favor what my mom collected. People have told me not to knock myself out having sales and to donate it to thrift stores or charitiy shops, but they don't want it either. They aren't selling and don't want to take on more merchandise.
 
One of my problems is downsizing. I've been having estate sales since my mom passed, but today's market doesn't favor what my mom collected. People have told me not to knock myself out having sales and to donate it to thrift stores or charitiy shops, but they don't want it either. They aren't selling and don't want to take on more merchandise.
Hire an auctioneer!

The things will bring what the local market is willing to pay and at the end of the day, it will all be GONE.

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Hire an auctioneer!

The things will bring what the local market is willing to pay and at the end of the day, it will all be GONE.

I did get an auctioneer the spring after my mom passed. He only took the very best items, then somehow lost most of it. He gave me no receipt for what he took from the house, so I have no proof. After that, I decided to handle sales myself where I have some control.
 
Having too many material things and not wanting to part with them can be a big issue for many people. I had a large home, and yard/pool and garage and shed FULL of a lifetime of things a couple years ago. I needed to free myself from 90% of everything to move on... to have freedom and peace of mind to live the rest of my life.
It wasn't easy, but I did it with sheer determination. I miss some things that I gave away or sold, but it was definitely worth it. ALL stress is gone these days!
 
Selling a house that old with multiple problems might not be as easy as it sounds. In some places you cannot sell a house with certain defects or code violations until you bring it up to code. It can be a big catch-22.
It would probably have to be an as-is cash sale. Will probably lose some money but that's a lot of house a property that would bring a pretty penny even from cash buyers. Little or no money out of pocket. Or if money in hand perhaps a project or two a year to turn it into a traditional real estate sale. But again even with money once a problem is exposed ie walls and ceilings taken down in many areas any issues must be addressed even they aren't affecting anything. And old stuff isn't as easy to take apart and put back together unscathed either.
 
Deb, you frequently describe your efforts to sell items that you and others apparently don't want, but you nevertheless believe should fetch financial value (because either you or your mother bought, collected and probably treasured them). At some point, trying to wring a few dollars out of these pieces will effectively paralyze you by demanding your attention and keeping you in a home that you've claimed to no longer want or need.

Most of our worldly possessions fall under the accounting category as "sunk costs," meaning that the money is not an investment but rather an amount that has already been paid and cannot be recovered through resale.

If estate sale companies, resale stores, and charity shops (who would get this stuff as donations) don't want these pieces, it seems clear that there is no market for them. Perhaps it's time to put them out on your front lawn with a sign that says, "FREE" and move them along to new homes. Trash what doesn't get taken and move forward.

You may find that you relish the freedom that a dramatically lightened possession load brings to your life.
 
StarSong, I think you bring up an excellent point about the overload of items that many of us have. I'm paring down my things but am not yet where I want to be. My sister, on the other hand, has a home with a two car garage overflowing with things (literally) that may have had some value at one time but are no longer desirable or sellable. For example, she has a nice cabinet for china. Not my taste but it's nice. She has several other china cabinets and all are FILLED with plates, cups, saucers, serving pieces, cut glass bowls, vases and on and on and on. Anyway, about ten years ago someone offered to buy this one china cabinet from her for a good price. She said it was worth more than the buyer was offering so she turned it down. Guess what? Now it's worth almost nothing. No one wants it. She could have had $2500 in her pocket back then if she had sold the piece of furniture.

The market is flooded with all of the possessions that were once our parents and the things that are ours, too. Tastes have changed. Maybe in 20 years or so this stuff will be back in vogue but who knows?

For me, it's an ongoing project. I'm making progress slowly but I need to kick it up a notch. I like to read about others who are confronting similar issues which is why I enjoy this forum so much.
 
One of my problems is downsizing. I've been having estate sales since my mom passed, but today's market doesn't favor what my mom collected. People have told me not to knock myself out having sales and to donate it to thrift stores or charitiy shops, but they don't want it either. They aren't selling and don't want to take on more merchandise.

Then your only option may be to just pitch it, unless you are willing to continue living with a bunch of stuff you don't need, don't want, and nobody else wants either.
 
I just wonder what has changed in the last 30 years? It seemed back then everyone was collecting something and they'd pay anything even if it has a small defect. Depression glass and Asian pottery were hot collectibles. Nowadays, you can't give things away and the few people that do collect want things in perfect condition, but don't want to pay a fair market value.
 
I just wonder what has changed in the last 30 years? It seemed back then everyone was collecting something and they'd pay anything even if it has a small defect. Depression glass and Asian pottery were hot collectibles. Nowadays, you can't give things away and the few people that do collect want things in perfect condition, but don't want to pay a fair market value.
I think some things become too old for most younger people to have any frame of reference for them. We tend to collect things that we remember from our childhood, visits to our grandparents, etc... For most younger folks that is what they now call mid-century modern. I also see the younger folks looking for big pieces of advertising and steampunk industrial type things to put in their loft-style apartments.

I suppose it depends on what you consider the fair market value of an item. In my area, the fair market value of many items today is the dollar or two that they bring in the local thrift shops and not the book prices from old Kovel price guides.

If you enjoy being surrounded with these things from your past then make peace with your situation and enjoy them if you don't then get rid of them and don't waste the years you have left trying to figure out the changes in the market.

I've been making an effort to gradually get rid of things while I'm still in fairly good health because if my health fails it will become an even more difficult task.

Good luck!!!
 
People to whom I have discussed this theme, either in person or through social media, have been shocked when they tell their children that will be inheriting their possession only to be told their kids don't want it. I shudder to think every day how many valuable items are put in a dumpster because they are unwanted or the family just can't be bothered to find a buyer or collector.
 


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