BoomerGirl Diary

Baby boomers, unlike their parents, are looking to downsize at an earlier age.

An increasing number of boomers are moving into lofts, townhouses or villas, and even more are considering such a move. The reasons vary: maintenance-free living, one-floor housing or warmer climates.

About 6 percent of Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 move each year, according to the Over-50 Council of the National Association of Home Builders.

Among them are Jim and Carol Roberts of Lawrence, Kan.

Jim Roberts, vice provost for research at Kansas University, and his wife moved to a loft about 15 months ago. They cut the size of their home in half and haven’t looked back.

The Robertses first moved to a rural house on 10 acres of land when their children already left home. They grew elaborate gardens that consumed Carol’s time — so much so that it was practically a full-time job, Jim said. When they read about the opening of the lofts, they decided they were ready for a change, and the low-maintenance lifestyle appealed to them, he said.

The Robertses got rid of a floor’s worth of furniture and other items by having an auction, donating to charity and filling a few Dumpsters.

“It was therapeutic,” Jim Roberts said. “It was a great experience to clean out a lot of that stuff. It was tough for me in the beginning, but once I got into it, I really got going.”

Developer Scot Hoffman, who has nearly completed a development similar to the one the Robertses chose, said the simpler life is a driving factor for many baby boomers who choose to move.

“Downsize, downsize, downsize,” he said. They “want to simplify. They want to travel, free themselves up a little bit.”

Hoffman started working on the project six years ago and now has only two units available, he said.

In that time, he said, he’s never had anyone regret the decision to move into one of his villas, which sell for about $450,000 to $500,000.

“Once they’ve decided to do this, I’ve found, there’s nothing that’s going to stop them,” he said.

Lawrence resident Sue Morgan and her husband, Jeff, moved into Hoffman's development about two years ago.

Downsizing wasn’t as big of an issue for the Morgans, but finding a home that was just one level and didn’t require extensive yardwork and exterior maintenance played a big part, Sue Morgan said.

“We now live in a place where the homeowners association takes care of that,” she said.

Mark Buhler, supervising broker for Stephens Real Estate, said he hasn’t seen a particularly large increase in the number of baby boomers and empty nesters seeking to move out of their existing homes, but he has heard people — even some of his own friends — talking about it.

Buhler said he thought people were taking a deliberate approach to deciding when is the right time to move out of the family home and into somewhere more suited to a couple without children or approaching retirement.

That may include deciding on whether and where to build a second residence, which Lawrence developer Jes Santaularia said comprises a large portion of his target market.

Santaularia is developing a project targeted at adults older than 50.

“What we have today is a population that is significantly more mobile. It’s not uncommon for a couple 50-plus to have more than one residence,” Santaularia said.

The developer said he’s found most of his new residents are interested in a low-maintenance environment, having freedom and independence to come and go as they please and a sense of neighborhood and community.

The Robertses are certainly enjoying their new community.

“We were sitting around with our neighbors the other day, giggling about how much fun we’re having. In some ways, it’s almost like living in a college dorm,” Jim Roberts said.