Months passed before Joyce began referring to her apartment at The Outlook at Windhaven as “home.” “I would say, ‘I’m going to my apartment,’” Joyce recalled. Then one day, she was out with a friend and remarked, “Well, I’m going home.”
The moment gave her pause. “I thought to myself, my gosh, I just said ‘home.’ And I realized, yes, this is my home. I might as well start calling it that.”
And so she does. It’s been a journey to find her place, though, and she’s the first to admit downsizing for seniors isn’t always easy. But she’s the first to tell you, she’d do it all again.
Deciding to Downsize
Like many residents of The Outlook, Joyce and her husband were longtime area residents, and they wanted to stay nearby when they retired. Living in the same house for 30 years builds lots of memories, but over time the list of repairs begins building, too.
“We were tired of just dealing with the day-to-day things in the house. Things were breaking, and we just got tired of dealing with it all,” Joyce recalled. Not only that, but she worried about service people being trustworthy (after all, seniors are common targets of scams).
Learning about The Outlook sealed the deal, and the couple began planning their move from a house to an apartment back in 2021, although ultimately Joyce’s husband passed, and she made the move alone when the community opened in fall of 2024.
Mike and Kathy, also founding residents at The Outlook, had similar motivations for choosing The Outlook — remaining close to everything and everyone they already knew — but they actually came across the community after first visiting a sister community, Presbyterian Village North in Dallas.
They found their large family home exceeded needs. They were only using about half of the livable space; entire rooms went unused for months, if not years, at a time.
With potential home repair expenses, but also considerable equity growth, in mind, the couple began exploring local communities that make downsizing for seniors a smart decision. Presbyterian Village checked a lot of boxes, but when they learned a similar community would be available closer to their familiar neighborhood soon, they jumped at the chance.
The ability to invest a portion of their real estate equity that will one day return to their estate was a big selling factor. So was the knowledge that they could access assisted living or memory support if the need arises.
“When you get into our cohort, you have to realize one of these days, one of us may need to move into those,” Mike explained.
Having access to those resources was exactly what prompted Lynn and her husband to secure a place at The Outlook. They looked to find the perfect place for several years before discovering the new community.
Like their neighbors, the location was a familiar fit, but Lynn’s husband’s failing health was the deciding factor. They expected he would need assisted living soon, and she was enticed by the independent living amenities.
Unfortunately, her husband’s health took a downturn sooner than expected, and after he passed, Lynn ended up moving to senior living by herself. She welcomed the lifestyle she’d seen her own father enjoy in a Life Plan Community.
Preparing for the Move
Joyce recalls reading articles about downsizing for seniors with tips for planning a move with tasks at regular intervals: one year out, six months, three months and so on.
“I kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off, and then I’d try a little bit here and a little bit there, but not really seriously until it was time to put the house on the market,” she said.
Once she selected a real estate agent, an associate came out and took pictures of the entire house that she sent back with yellow circles everywhere. “Those were the things that we needed to move or get rid of,” Joyce said.
That’s when the move really gained momentum. Joyce had already taken multiple loads to donation boxes and had trucks carry away things she no longer needed, but still, a great deal ended up in the garage.
“My husband and I were what I called sentimental keepers,” Joyce said. “I shed so many tears over different things; there were so many sentiments tied to those things. That was probably the hardest part of the whole move: just getting rid of all my things.”
Ultimately, Joyce decided to just hang onto the items she really cared about; it was just too painful to get rid of some of those things. Fortunately, her 1,300-square-foot apartment held more of the contents of her 4,000-square-foot home than she expected. Some of those things she decided to part with after all, and her personal on-site storage space holds the rest.
“Some of those things I may never use again, but they are dear to my heart,” she said.
Mike and Kathy are also grateful for the on-site storage, although their approach in deciding what to keep when downsizing their possessions was less sentimental and more pragmatic.
“My philosophy was that I want to own the things that I want and love, but I don’t want those things to own me,” Kathy said. The couple’s two daughters live nearby and took the china set, Christmas dishes and other pieces that hold precious value.
Most of the rest went into an estate sale. The sale was successful enough that the couple ended up buying more to furnish and decorate their new apartment than originally intended, but it all worked out in the end.
Lynn’s approach echoes hints of Joyce and Mike and Kathy’s experiences, but at the same time reinforces just how personal the process of downsizing can be. She invited an inspector to tour her home a year before she planned to move so she could gradually chip away at any concerns future buyers were likely to raise.
Like Kathy, she “began downloading” valuables and family heirlooms to her son and his wife. Then she methodically went room to room and culled down to what she’d realistically need. The kitchen was the easiest; she knew going to a place that provides meals meant she wouldn’t have much use for pots and pans.
The Upsides of Downsizing
Despite her wholehearted enthusiasm for the move, Lynn recalls that the very first day, she asked herself, “What have I done?” Moving day was an overwhelming one. “But then, after that, it was smooth sailing.”
Similarly, with the worry of home ownership behind them, Mike and Kathy are settling comfortably into life at The Outlook. “We’re free to do just about anything we want to do and not have to worry. It’s just a simpler lifestyle,” Kathy said.
Not having to pay for services like housekeeping and saving on groceries has also been a welcome change of pace. “We get one bill a month,” Mike said. “I did a cost avoidance analysis before we made the final decision. I listed all of my monthly expenses and what I would be paying after we moved.” The match wasn’t exact, but “close enough,” Mike said, adding that, “We also knew that we were going to be buying some freedom.”
That’s a kind of freedom that extends beyond being able to enjoy a leisurely day and skip the housework. It also affects their family. “We are settled and we’re happy and we have assistance if we need it,” Kathy said. “I don’t have to worry about my children or my grandchildren being responsible for taking care of us as we age.”
Lynn has similar sentiments about her own family’s peace of mind, but she also has been pleasantly surprised by the way her new friends and neighbors have become family. “It’s just a comfort level you have at this age,” she said. “Everybody’s in the same boat. Most of us like to talk about our grandkids, and we meet all the family as they come and have meals with us.”
Mike agrees. “As you grow into your senior years, your friends become fewer and it’s harder to make friends. We’ve made some great friends here.”
The Gadwall
Interested in learning about Independent Living options at The Outlook? Watch our video tour of The Gadwall to get an inside look.
