Time flies, and it seems that it passes by ever faster, a mile a minute as we age. A home is not just a house; it’s where families share many precious memories, but it’s also a place where – eventually – your children may move away from for education, work, or to start a new family. Empty nesters are sometimes left with a home that feels quite large, perhaps with a bedroom or two now unused and many other rooms seeing far less use than they used to.
For empty nesters, whether young seniors or older (but still young at heart), a dual occupancy home might be one of the best investments for more tranquil golden years. Here are a few reasons why dual occupancy homes are great for empty nesters:
Downsize Your Lifestyle into a More Manageable Living Space
One of the most obvious things that empty nesters notice is that there’s an awful lot of free space when the kids move out. Their bedrooms, of course, may sit vacant or be turned into more storage space, but all the other rooms will be used less often.
Downsizing doesn’t need to mean moving out (although that is sometimes preferred); empty nesters in a dual occupancy home can enjoy the home all for themselves without the added burden of having to clean and maintain unused spaces.
More Freedom in Your Lifestyle
Perhaps you’re retired, perhaps you’re working towards it. In either case, there’s quite a bit more freedom when children move out. In a dual occupancy home, which is often quite a bit smaller than a full single-family detached dwelling, there’s a lot less to worry about. This gives you more time to enjoy your golden years and to relax, socialise, or perhaps even travel without having to worry about upkeep all the time.
Smaller dual occupancy homes also often have smaller gardens to maintain, less cleaning and seasonal yard work, all while giving you the comforts and features you want from a home – either alone or with your spouse.
Great Investment Potential
The “dual” in a dual occupancy home matters; you’ve got two separate properties to use as you desire. Assuming you live in one home, the other can be rented to tenants as an additional stream of income. This is great for seniors who want a relatively stable source of income to supplement their lifestyle, and it also gives good tenants a good home to live in.
Of course, you could choose to live elsewhere as you please and rent out both units for even more income. There are many possibilities with a dual occupancy home that are not quite as easy to do for tax and legal reasons, such as tenancy regulations, as compared to renting out a room in your own home, for example.
Flexible for Future Needs
Dual occupancy homes are quite versatile, and it’s certainly one of the more appealing reasons why they’re so trendy at the moment. For empty nesters, especially seniors, there may be changes to their lifestyle that should be accounted for. Mobility impairments, declining health, and other medical conditions could make living in a large home challenging or even hazardous.
The smaller design of dual occupancy homes can be safer, and modern dual occupancy homes can be built with amenities for individuals with impaired mobility or retrofitted with railings, ramps, and other features during the design process or afterwards, depending on the design and layout.
Trevor Homes
Spend your golden years in a dual-occupancy home designed by Trevor Homes.
