What the MINIMUM you want in a house/condo/apartment?

Parent Cafe
1

I wanted to spin off from @milgymfam post and keep it on topic.

I was trying to put myself in @milgymfam place and really wondering what I would want at the minimum if I were to relocate when we retired. (Not happening for me unfortunately).

Let’s say we are becoming minimalists :wink: but there are things you couldn’t compromise on? Not really wants because I guess at some point everything is a want but what you couldn’t live without if you had to.

This isn’t real so let’s think of it as a retirement place?

Is it location? Or space? Would a garage be a factor? More than one bathroom? Laundry in the unit?

Would you move to the beach, mountains or in the country?

I have to say that most of my life, I lived in a small house with a detached garage. I’ve become immensely fond of my attached garage, lots of bathrooms, first floor laundry and master. Probably could live and have lived without those but I think I would give up location for creature comforts.

2

2 BR 2 Bath Laundry in unit
Attached garage nice but carport OK
Location [near DS & DDIL] will matter more than anything else
Cheers

3

Location location location. I like an urban lifestyle and feel like we are in the perfect location right now - walk to beach, walk to train, walk to town.

I also would want a 2 bd/2 bath, in unit laundry, with a balcony.

4

One floor living but not opposed to having a guest room and bath on a different floor.

Main floor laundry. Open floor plan with kitchen/eating/living.

Attached garage.

Central AC.

I want to live someplace where someone else does the lawn mowing and snow removal if any…and leaf pickup!

I do not want a golf course or tennis courts or even a pool. Frankly, I don’t want to pay a high HOA fee for these amenities.

Proximity to a decent airport, good hospital/healthcare. Would love to be within walking distance of a small downtown with things like a library, small shops, etc.

5

I would sacrifice for a water view.

Must haves:
Outdoor space - but I could settle for a small usable patio/deck/stamp of yard instead of bigger yard. But outdoor space is just as important to me as indoor space. Privacy.

AC, please.

Lots of light inside is a must.

Smaller rooms, but still need 2 living spaces. Like living room and den/sunroom.

3 beds still important. 2 baths. Though our kids grew up with one main bathroom and a janky basement shower.

Not a fan of open concept. A decent kitchen w/eat in space to feed 6. I can easily dump a dining room.

Hardwood floors a MUST. Laundry a must.

I really, really, would prefer a stand alone home over a condo/apt situation.

Icing on the cake would be small walkable town with grocery, a couple restaurants, library.

So I think I could reduce to about a 1500 square foot home??

6

Close to very good airport, walkable to restaurants & shopping, good healthcare all important to me. And in unit w/d and ample closets a must.

The open floor plan (kitchen/dining/LR) seems to be what everyone wants. I feel I may be stuck with that.

My H retired a number of years ago. Lemme tell you–I SO appreciate that I have space (LR, sunroom, 3 guests rooms) to escape from our kitchen/dining/FR. I go nuts listening to the TV or classic rock on all the time, or no privacy on phone calls. So, ideally, if open floor plan, I would also want to have 1 master, 1 guest and 1 office/escape room for me.

7

I’m flexible in a lot of ways but I can’t live happily without large and numerous windows, especially on east and south walls. Wood or tile floors are a must, and even when I’m too old for a yard I’ll want a nice balcony or outdoor space of some kind which doesn’t just look out onto a parking lot or sterile mostly-mulch landscaping (ugh!) and if urban, close to trees, a well-kept park and charming walkable shops.

8

Must have:

Urban location, walkable
2 bedrooms/2baths
In unit laundry
Fitness room in building
In the city where D and SIL currently live

We have actually started a search.

9

One bedroom with a door, one bathroom, if more than one story then a half bath on all levels, and a stackable laundry that uses a small closet space. Probably 700 Sq ft would be minimum if a permanent place, depending on cost with a garage space for two. A beach in 45 min walking distance or less, mountains in an hour drive or less, close walking distance to groceries and restaurants. Public transportation would be nice but Uber is also available. Don’t need to be near shopping really, with Amazon and grocery delivery.

10

Must haves (regardless of location)

A two bedroom, two bathroom unit
In-unit laundry
Sturdy construction with privacy so neighbors’ noises are minimal
A big lanai or a patio with a grill
Access to outdoor trails and long walking paths without the need to drive anywhere
A large airport within 1-1.5 hour drive
Good access to medical care

11

When we were looking for current house it was a front hall and driveway, neither of which our starter house had. Walking to the commuter rail to NYC turned out to be a big plus and I would want that if I ever moved, but stayed in the area. I would want at least a guest room and an art studio. I like gardening, but it doesn’t have to be big. One of my favorite gardens was when we had a top level apartment near Munich with two terraces and about 30 feet of built in planters. I want my own laundry machine and I must say having it on the same level as the bedrooms is a big plus. Good stove is a must.

If I were in an apartment I’d love to have an attached gym. Closer to kids would be great, but I suspect they will be on opposite coasts forever.

12

Ideally for us it would have 1.5 baths because my husband is hard to share with- I have terrible memories of running my kids to nearby stores to try and get them to a bathroom on time. An oven is a requirement for me. Didn’t realize that would need to be said until we rented somewhere without one. Temperature control appropriate to the climate is important- either there or allowed to be added (ie window ac units). Again, didn’t really think about this until our apartment in Sierra Madre came with no AC or heat and we learned that inland LA county is not as temperate as San Diego. Ha. Somewhere to reasonably store Christmas decorations, whether a big closet, a garage, a basement, or a separate storage closet (that has been common in apartments). An actual bedroom with a door. I don’t care about laundry, or specifics like flooring or looks, or even size, nearly as much as I thought I would.

13

It would have to be close to kids/grands, but hopefully they decide to settle in NC. Ideally, a good sized master w/ bathroom w/ large walk in shower and dual vanities. The kitchen doesn’t have to be huge, but it better have solid counters, a good pantry, and a gas stove top.
Laundry, preferably w a sink.
If there are multiple grands, a bunk loft would be great. Another BR and full bath for guests. A nice sized family room w fireplace. Either a decent sized breakfast or dining, but don’t need both.
A library. I’m flexible on bookcases or built-ins. But it took 20 years to finally get my library and I’m not giving it up!

14

If you’re really asking about the minimum – I’d need a stove and a fridge, a bathroom and a bed.

But let’s get real.

I need a large dining room. (@abasket above said she didn’t need one at all.) Also a large, updated kitchen. Two bathrooms and two bedrooms. It would depend on climate as to whether I needed heat and AC. And yes, I’d love a water view.

Location depends on what S2 decides to do. He’s in WI right now but is having a career crisis and might be relocating.

15

2 bed, 2 bath minimum. Preferably 3 bed, 2.5 bath.
Definitely laundry in the unit.
At least 1 car garage or covered parking space (2 would be better) with some storage for gear, motorcycle, etc.
Space for grilling, gardening.
Balcony
Walkable to stuff otherwise why live in an apartment? It is a compromise to me to share walls with neighbors.
Gas cooktop, good counterspace, a pantry or decent amount of shelving

This is why I’m still in a house because it is tough to find or super pricey where I would want to live.

16

I am building a retirement home, 2 bed, 2 bath, small kitchen, stacked laundry detached garage. View - yes, water view - no. I think I will be happy with what I got. I pan to double dining table as office table.

17

We have two kids who live a couple thousand miles apart. Living near them both is impossible…plus there is no guarantee either of them will stay where they are for the long term.

We would love to be closer to them, but that’s just not realistic. So we want to be near a decent airport with good service to a lot of places. And we want to have some space so they can come and visit.

Really, my current too large home has just about everything I want…except it’s too big, and doesn’t have a main floor bedroom. But we have a gorgeous lake and beach at our corner, and lots of nature and hiking. Close proximity to the arts, museums, and the like. But the place is just too big. Terrific to raise our family but too big for two.

18

We like our house and are likely to stay. But we did happen to have a discussion about whether we’d need a garage someday if we downsized. In retirement, in theory we won’t NEED to go out when weather is bad… and snow melts fast. But we’re a bit spoiled and think we’d still always want a garage. Also we like being in our own place, so not sure if we’d be keen on condo/apartment lifestyle.

19

To start, I am NOT retired, so my post is not entirely on that topic. I work full time. However, I have downsized and moved. I no longer live in a large home, the one my kids were raised in, which was in a gorgeous area (ski resort town in Vermont) with beautiful views, two car garage, large deck, covered front porch, full size basement, etc. The downsize was a huge thing to do.

At first, I moved to a two bedroom two bath apartment in Cambridge, MA. It even had a fireplace. But it had a pretty small balcony (room for two). I wanted two bedrooms in case my kids visited. But two years ago, I decided to move to NYC because both my grown, married kids are settled here for the long term, and I have not lived near them since they were in high school (they are now 31 and 33), and some day there will be grandkids. I also now live alone, and truly don’t need a big house. I don’t need two bedrooms since my kids live near me now and so don’t need to stay overnight. I retained a sleep sofa in case people do visit, which is not often. Even when there are grandkids, I live so close to my kids that grandkids don’t need to spend the night, but they could.

I’m posting since the thread also is talking about minimum requirements. I think I have my minimum requirements. My apartment is 769 square feet. I don’t think I can go smaller. My office is in the home and I needed a large enough bedroom to have space for office stuff. I have a full kitchen and enough cabinets, nice counter top, bar counter, dishwasher and disposal (things I would find hard to give up having had these for so long). It comes with a washer dryer in the unit (again, hard to give up having had for so long). It has a nice walk in closet, which I feel I need given this is already a substantial downsizing. The living and dining room space is combined. It has large windows, and also has A/C. These all fit my minimum criteria too.

The standout aspect is that my apartment sits literally on the water of the Hudson River (I am on the Jersey City waterfront), and my windows face the water, and view Manhattan. It is a stunning view (very different than viewing the mountains and ski trails I used to view), and I have always wanted to live by the ocean and since I don’t have that, at least I’m looking out onto water, with a wide expansive view, and not of a building facade. My desk faces this view and makes it very pleasant watching the cruise ships and all sorts of boats going by and now at night, the lights of the city, the Empire State building, etc. One of the other main draws is that my particular unit has a large patio of about 6 by 20 feet, and so I really love having my private outdoor space with a dining table for entertaining, lounge chairs, a barbeque, and lots of large planters as I miss having my flower gardens in Vermont and this comes sorta close. I have a parking spot in the garage very close to my unit, on the same level.

I could walk to plenty of stuff. I also am one subway stop from lower Manhattan. My kids live in Manhattan (both couples bought apartments there).

My building has a gym. It also has a community deck with stunning views.

So, I’m feeling I have my minimum requirements. More space might be nice, but honestly, I don’t NEED more space. And city renting is expensive. I feel like I have everything I need. I’d still love to live at the beach, but don’t know if that will ever happen. But there are some nice beaches not too far away!

20

I’m there now. House sold. What next? Two big dogs that we love may dictate the decision. I really do not want to buy but that may be the only good solution