The home you purchased 30 years ago is likely not the style of home that suits how you live today.
“As the baby boomers are aging and growing out of their large two storey home there’s a tendency to seek a different lifestyle,” suggests Ward Campbell, president of Starward Homes.
This trend is often called down-sizing but this seasoned home builder refers to the phenomenon as “right sizing”. He comments that the more mature home buyer may not necessarily be looking for a smaller house but a “different type of floor plan”.
They want a ground floor master bedroom suite, maybe even larger than in their child-centred home. An expanded area for entertaining suits this type of lifestyle. The model home in the adult community of Kitty Murray Woods features a “huge” 18-foot dining room with room for 12 people. While some areas are large enough for a family gathering, other rooms are cozy and sized right for a couple Campbell explains. Kitchens are a major focal point and the multi-tasking great room takes the place of the family room and formal living room combination.
While 10 years ago, this demographic would have been looking at a trailer park, a high rise condo or a place in Florida, today, adult lifestyle communities offer much greater variety. Starward Homes counts its two story homes in the “all luxury, very exclusive” condominium development of Kitty Murray Woods among that new variety.
“Every one of the homes looks like a traditional single family home; the big difference is that it’s a condominium.”
Campbell explains that the word “condominium” does not refer to the style of housing; it describes the form of ownership. In this community, the houses and the property are owned by the individual. It’s the cost of grass cutting, landscaping and snow removal that is shared.
“The beauty of it is that the place is all taken care of for you.”
If buying into a new condo Campbell advises that you find out what’s included for monthly fee. It could range from landscaping and snow removal to reserves for roof and building repairs. The home builder cautions that it’s important that these reserves exist in the event that major repairs and maintenance on the building are required.
For those looking for a condominium lifestyle but want to own their own detached home, Starward has two “spectacular’ model homes for viewing that are “top to bottom complete”, from the finished basement to the to the back deck, barbecue and fountain in the gardens. Kitty Murray Woods, located in Ancaster is one of several Starward Homes developments that can be checked out on the company’s website at www.starwardhomes.com.