Photo from Microsoft Office

Recently I held a listing of mine open that’s in my own neighborhood in Lake Oswego.  Lots of the neighbors came by to visit. Every one of them said they want to stay in their homes as they age.

“The only thing that comes to us without effort is old age”. – Gloria Pitzer

Unfortunately, all the houses are 2-story homes. No master bedrooms on the main floor and for the most part, no full bath on the main either. We all love our area, its location and driving proximity to amenities. Some of the neighbors have started remodeling their dining rooms to make master bedroom suites and eliminating living rooms entirely making the floor plan look more like a great room concept.

For years, I have been whining to home builders to build homes for us “baby boomers”. OK I admit it, I am a “boomer”! Boomers are the largest segment of the population – 70+ million of us, and builders have not accommodated our needs. In recent years, builders have built homes with master bedrooms on the main floor, but the sq. ft. of these homes is more house than seniors need or want.

This evening I read a report about Canadian baby boomers. Same problem. It said that Canadian cities aren’t ready to meet the “challenges” of their aging population either, that 25% of their citizens will be seniors by the year 2036, and the Canadian seniors prefer to “age in place” as well. The article also said our cities and towns need to become more “senior” friendly. I couldn’t agree more!

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