A big house may be one of life’s great pleasures. But downsizing to a small place can be even more satisfying.
Craig and Marilee Luttig plan to sell their big five-bedroom, three-story Kenilworth house in the next year or so.
“This is a good time to get into something simpler,” said Craig Luttig, chief financial officer at a suburban manufacturing company.
Luttig explained that the last of his four children is now a senior in high school. And once he’s gone, there’s little need for a big place.
“It’s nice to have the big house if someone comes to visit, but we need to move into the next stage of our lives,” said Luttig.
So Luttig has bought a two-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot condominium at the Optima Views building, a luxury residential tower that begins construction soon in downtown Evanston.
Luttig likes the fact that the new condo will be maintenance-free.
Instead of spending time taking care of a big house and yard, the couple can pursue their interests, which mostly now revolve around the arts and entertainment.
“Some people prefer to stay in a big house,” said Luttig. “I don’t.”
The Luttigs are among a growing number of North Shore residents downsizing from big houses. The move is usually prompted by the last child’s departure for college, or another monumental life event such as the death of a spouse.
Some downsizers retreat to warm climates. They move to Florida or California. Many relocate to the mushrooming number of new condominiums in Chicago.
“Downsizers are a very significant component of the local housing market,” said Erik Doersching, vice president of residential consulting firm Tracy Cross & Associates Inc., Schaumburg.
He figures about 200 of the 900 major housing developments now under way in the Chicago area appeal to the downsizing, or empty-nester, market.
A fair number of North Shore homeowners who decide to downsize pick a place near their long-time home base.
They prefer the area because that’s where they’ve raised their families. They have strong community ties. And often, their children and grandchildren still live nearby.
As a result, real estate developers are building new projects to meet the demand of empty-nesters who want to downsize along the North Shore.
New developments are typically found at so-called in-fill locations. These are spots, usually near a suburban shopping district or train station, generally considered a desirable location for mid-rise condominiums.
Over the last few years, such developments have been built in Glencoe, Wilmette, Winnetka and Evanston among other North Shore communities.
Buyers’ feelings are mixed
Though their housing choices have multiplied, downsizers still have divided feelings about their situation. They usually look forward to a simpler lifestyle, but they are also understandably anxious about the transition. It’s hard to say goodbye to a long cherished home.
Valerie Angel Schiff is an Evanston artist who plans to move to a new condominium next year. She will leave her beloved colonial house of 37 years, mostly because the stairs have become too difficult to navigate.
“Nothing is as gorgeous as my house,” said Schiff.
Schiff has dealt with her regret by creating a 26-inch sculpture of a construction worker. It is made from clay taken from the site at her future home, Church Street Station, a condominium building now being built at 1640 Maple Ave. in Evanston.
It helps too that Schiff and her husband have bought two condominium units, which they plan to combine into one big place. The added space makes her anticipate the move with a measure of delight.
“One unit wasn’t big enough,” said Schiff. “But two units together will be very exciting.”
Many of the condominium buildings designed for downsizers actually have quite large units. Sizes range from 1,500 square feet all the way up to as much as 4,000 square feet of space.
“Our buyers wanted larger units, not smaller ones,” said Tim Anderson, president of Focus Development Inc., Northfield. At his company’s project in Highland Park, 2000 Green Bay Road, units in the second building were made larger than apartments in the first building.
“These people are coming from huge homes,” he said. “We wanted to give them more of a house feel.”
Touches like a big kitchen with an island, a common feature in Anderson’s buildings, convey a homey feeling.
Gary and Carole Goodfriend lived for 20 years in a house in Lincolnwood where they raised their two daughters who are now grown.
Last year, the couple moved to a 2,400-square-foot condominium in Evanston.
“We didn’t really downsize,” said Goodfriend, senior vice president at public relations firm L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago.
Goodfriend explained that the new place has big comfortable rooms and three bedrooms where the girls can stay when they visit. The condo also has two bathrooms, something his house in Lincolnwood lacked.
“The new layout works well for us,” Goodfriend said.
For downsizers, a maintenance-free household offers the promise of extra time for travel and long-dormant hobbies.
Artist Schiff imagines her new condo life will allow her to visit Italy and Mexico for inspiration without having to worry about her house.
“The idea of being able to just lock the door and go is very exciting,” she said.
As much as North Shore downsizers claim to want freedom from household operations, a fair number still maintain several residences.
Second homes are often winter retreats in warm climates. But sometimes, second residences are regular houses at nearby vacation spots in Michigan or Wisconsin. These houses seem to provide the single-family home feeling that downsizers still occasionally crave.
Deanna and Ed Drucker have bought a 3,000-square-foot condominium at the Ravines, a new building under construction at Fort Sheridan in Highland Park. The couple also has a home in Michigan.
“This was a good compromise,” said Deanna Drucker.
Of course, many downsizers are looking to do just that–especially financially. They want to buy a place worth less than their house, so they can use the extra money to invest elsewhere.
“Finances did figure in the decision to move,” said Luttig, who is moving from Kenilworth. “There always are plenty of places to use the money.”
But downsizing doesn’t mean sacrificing nice interior features and building amenities.
Randy and Tina Fritz have bought a 2,400-square-foot condominium at Village Green, a new development in Lincolnshire. A project of Lincolnshire-based Weiss Development Corp., Village Green has three luxury buildings and a total of 108 units.
“The interior was like a nice home,” said Randy Fritz, who plans to sell his big house in Long Grove this spring.
Fritz and his wife have been able to customize the condominium to their specifications. The shower will be enlarged so it doesn’t need a door or curtain, a stylish design the couple had in their house.
The couple also is having pocket doors installed in the large master suite. The space can then function as one or two rooms, whatever they prefer.
“These buyers know what they want,” said Keith Jacobs, president at Jacobs Homes, Inc., a Deerfield company that builds upscale empty-nester projects.
At the company’s Legacy Club development in Highland Park, the last of 36 homes was recently sold. The maintenance-free homes, 80 percent of which were bought by downsizers, sit on the Highland Park Country Club Golf Course. Home prices ranged from $600,000 to $2.5 million.
Home features include oversize walk-in closets, fireplaces, Pella windows and granite countertops. “These buyers like the good things,” said Jacobs.
Other builders agree. Most North Shore downsizers want places with all the current features of a new modern home.
“These people are hip and very contemporary,” said Thomas Roszak of Roszak/ADC, LLC, an Evanston-based developer with a handful of projects there. He said most of the buyers upgrade their units, spending tens of thousands of dollars on extras.
“They have the money to spend,” said Roszak.
Hardwood floors and state-of-the-art appliances are two top requests.
“They want features that are a good investment,” he added.
Perhaps the most highly-prized building feature of all, however, is storage space. After all, moving from a big house to a small one presents the problem of where to put possessions accumulated over the course of 20 or 30 years.
As a result, North Shore builders include big closets in units. Most offer some kind of storage, rooms as big as 8 feet by 10 feet, in the basement of the building as well.
Many downsizers look forward to scrapping years of stuff. The Goodfriends got rid of belongings that filled 80 garbage bags. “You have to bite the bullet,” said Goodfriend, who moved to an Evanston condo. “Going through everything was a nice stroll down memory lane, but it was time to let go.”
Though most downsizers seem ready to relinquish the past, the same cannot always be said of their children. The kids often feel glum about the sale of a childhood home. And while most don’t stand in the way, they sometimes express their objections.
“The kids were a little sad,” said Goodfriend, whose two daughters are away at college. It helped that he and his wife stayed close to their daughter’s childhood friends. “It’s not that they miss the house so much. They miss what it represents,” he said.
As a nod to the children’s feelings, Goodfriend gave each of his daughters a brick from their old house which was torn down. “Sure it was kind of corny,” said Goodfriend. “They didn’t say much. But they took the bricks. And they haven’t given them back yet.”
Common reasons for downsizing
– The owners are looking for a change of scene, but don’t want to leave the local area.
– Their family situation has changed, either because some family members have left the nest, or due to divorce or death of a spouse.
– They are growing tired of too much maintenance, yard work, and property taxes.
– They want a unit that is handicapped-accessible, with features such as large bathroom doors.
– They want to be able to travel, with a place they can lock and leave.
– They simply want something that is newer and fresher, with a more modern layout, and perhaps less expensive.
Source: News reports
