Time to Downsize?

So I found myself this am out on my front porch, reading the Herald while drinking coffee, as the ancient Lab and young Spaniel investigated the lizards and frogs. Didn't a wise person once say never to make life decisions while reflecting quietly on one's porch? Wait --maybe that was while on vacation...

Anyway, the real estate section featured a house in Coral Gables for sale, for around $400K. It was a 2/2 house, built in the 20s, and refurbished, with a 1/1 guest house in the back. It had photos of the place, including a beautiful garden of Chicago brick, surrounded by dense foliage. It was located West of Lejeune, within easy biking distance of Miracle Mile.

I began to think...

Wifey and I love our house, but will 2 full time residents really need over 6000 square feet, with 6 bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths? The answer is clear...

The Ds of course badly want us to stay here. This is the house of their childhoods (most of it, anyway) and they savor the idea of coming home to Villa Wifey. I get that. I always missed the house on LI where I grew up. Although home is where one's family is, I never got warm feelings about returning to the cell block-like condo my parents moved to the summer after I finished high school. The place never held memories.

It still doesn't! Each time I visit my mother, it strikes me how much I dislike where she lives. It's uglier than most public housing, and is essentially blocks of 2 story buildings in a huge parking lot. It was supposedly designed tfor retirees, and there's no place to walk!

So, yeah, I longed for a "family home" to return to, and that's a strong factor.

Still, Wifey and I like the idea of simplifying, and a normal sized house in an area like the Gables we've both always loved...

Nah! Not yet, anyway. We'll see what it's like living here with the Ds gone. Plus, I've learned that the baby birds often return to the nest, and if that happened to us, it'd be great to still have the extra room.

On the other hand (like Tevye reflecting, I have many hands) a smaller place would force us to de-clutter, and that would bring me peace of mind.

And, as much as Wifey and I enjoy walks in our neighborhood, having the many gorgeous locales to walk to in the Gables would be lovely, as well. I could see myself becoming a regular at Venetian Pool --sitting at a table with a book, and watching the laughing Latinas play in the waterfall...

As I said --nah! Not yet. We'll hang here for awhile.

Plus, real estate prices are so low. One of our neighbors, who I call the "rich widow," since that's what she is, just unloaded her old house at a basement price. She lived there, and bought a house 3 doors down to stay in while the first house was renovated. She ended up liking her "temporary house" more, and abandoned the original project.

Still, since it was on a full acre, 4 years ago she could have easily sold the unfinished house for more than $1M. She just dumped it for $500K. That sort of thing will so mess up the "comps," that anyone trying to sell in my area will be forced to take pennies on the dollar, at least for awhile.

So that's another reason to stay put in Villa Wifey.

But, once I get an idea in my head, I tend to act on it. In the mean time, we'll stay put, so D2 can return from UF to familiar surroundings...