If you had a chance to read this blog post, then you know that I had been talking to my parents about downsizing their living situation. Until recently, they had lived in the home that I grew up in, so making the transition to something smaller and more suited to their changing needs was a big undertaking.
I’ve been trying to get my parents to downsize for over a decade.
At first, we had the “let’s get you a bungalow” conversation (or rather shouting matches, as it happens in my Italian family!), but soon, bungalows became too expensive for my parents to feasibly downsize to. Then I began to encourage them to look at condos. This went on for years, and my suggestions were always met with resistance—especially from my mom.
But as time went on, their home became too much for them to properly maintain. We all knew that it was time for them to move, and so this year, we finally put their home on the market to see what might happen. And it might be surprising to hear, but at this point, they still hadn’t made up their minds about where they wanted to move to next!
With the pressure of where they might move if and when their home sold, we were finally able to start touring some condos. I have 2 favourite condo buildings, one in Maple called the Amalfi, and a sister condo located in Woodbridge called Ambria, and so we started by looking at those.
We were fortunate that there was a condo available in the Amalfi, and so I toured it with my parents just to give them an idea of what condo life might be like. They thought it was nice, but my dad didn’t like that the bedrooms didn’t have any windows.
Then on February 7th, I noticed that a 2-bedroom, 1,064-square-foot unit at 4620 Highway 7 had just come up for sale, listed for $649,800. We drove right over there for a 1pm showing appointment.
It all happened so fast, but my parents both lit up when they saw it.
The unit backs onto a courtyard, and has eastern exposure with windows in every room. And my parents loved the master bedroom—a walk-in closet, a corner soaker tub, a separate shower, his and her sinks… it was perfect.
Things became serious fast, but it probably won’t surprise you to hear that at first, my dad was a bit hesitant—after all, they hadn’t even sold their home yet, and he didn’t want to make an offer. But I was more fearful of them losing the unit than I was about them being able to sell their house. I assured my dad that help was there if they needed it, and he trusted me and followed my guidance throughout the whole process. By some incredible stroke of luck (it was meant to be!), we bought the condo.
The next day, my parents sold their home!
What timing! Their condo deal firmed up on February 12, and their home sold on February 13th after being on the market for 23 days. The timing was incredible. One thing that was a little bitter for me was that I really wanted to see their home sell for $1,000,000—I wanted to see all of those zeros for them! Especially for my parents as working class factory workers, I feel like it just sounds like such a huge accomplishment to be in that “million dollar club.”
We came close though—they sold it for $995,000. I did my best to detach myself from the situation when I was negotiating the buyers’ offer, because I knew that in reality, no price would be good enough for my parents cherished home that they bought back in 1984.
It was amazing to see my parents’ motivation to move change after they found a new home they loved.
They were so excited. They finally saw something they could really picture themselves in, and it didn’t take much (I only showed them those 2 condos, after all!). Also, there was a funny coincidence—my parents were the first people to see the condo that they quickly made an offer on, and the people who ended up buying my parents’ home made an offer in the first hour they saw the home. It was all meant to be!
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I can’t wait to see how my parents settle into their condo and this new chapter of their lives. I’m excited for them. The downsizing process has been challenging (and a decade long!), but I’ve felt so fortunate to have been able to guide them through the process.
You can count on me as your friend, your neighbour, and as your realtor. And I can’t wait to hear your story!
Lisa Sinopoli
lisa@lisasinopoli.com
Your Friend. Your Neighbour. Your Realtor.
