Nope! My very fit Uber healthy mom was diagnosed with a horrible cancer at 72, lived in a 200 year old large colonial with 5 bedrooms and 2 full baths upstairs, 1/2 downstairs. It was an issue, she passed in the parlor in a hospital bed, unable to shower at the end. My FIL passed a few months ago at 95, he and MIL haven’t been able to come to our home for several years due to stairs getting in all 3 doors. MIL’s daughter is a nurse, lives close to them but the one bathroom is up steep stairs, they couldn’t go there either. She had a nasty ankle break and had to get a bed in the living room and a commode. for a while. Our home is 100+ years old, lots of stairs (basement and finished attic), 1/2 bath downstairs. Nope, we will probably have to start looking now, living in the NYC metro area not many ranches, since the property is so valuable, homes are old, homes are many levels.
Can you convert the 1/2 bath to a 3/4?
Can always put a bed somewhere when needed- but need a bathroom.
It’s a townhouse. The OP has said…they really can’t change things. No additions, etc.
I would also think about resale -no main floor bedroom
and bath is a ding for a lot of people.
When we moved at age 64 and 67 in the October, we (and my occupational therapist) daughter was insistent that we only buy a home that would allow some opportunity for a bedroom and showering facilities on the main floor. Didn’t have to be where we started, but needed to have that option down the road - which may be tomorrow or never. We have no health problems as of now.
You can hire someone to come do your laundry upstairs or someone to do your lawn you can’t cut but you can’t hire someone to carry you up and down stairs daily for daily life.
We did see one house that had a lift chair. It’s certainly an option but also depending on how vain you are about your space (I can be!) you might not love that.
We ended up with basically a 2 story but our bedroom and a full bath are on the first floor. We will be moving laundry to first floor too. The upstairs is a nice 2 bedroom suite with full bath and a large lofted family room - which we now climb the stairs to use but also have living space on the first floor.
It made me very nervous at our previous house as we heard of friends/family unexpectedly needing first floor loving that our house before DID NOT have that potential in any scenario. No bedroom space with out renovation, no showering.
I hope all of us never are limited in our capacity to move , but fact is some will be limited. And sometimes without warning
Among the people I know who have had to move (in a hurry)-
ASL diagnosis- went from running marathons to bedridden in 6 months
MS diagnosis- could walk stairs slowly, but had some balance issues and the PT, OT and neurologist all said “move now, don’t wait”.
Lymphodema- that one was horrible
broken ankle and cracked patella (a very fit middle aged athlete)
We all think we’ll have a 9 month “heads up” that we’re getting old and infirm- and yes, sometimes that happens. You get an early warning sign and you have time to get your ducks in a row, sell your house, buy a ranch with a ramp out front “just in case”.
But real life doesn’t work that way. My young and healthy neighbor (in his 30’s) could not have imagined a fatal illness, let alone one that would have him in a wheelchair prior to his ASL diagnosis.
If you’re happy where you are- then great. But if you are going to the trouble of moving now- I’d recommend finding a place which would work even if something bad happens.
I’ve seen elevators installed in what used to be closets (coat closet downstairs, the linen closet on top of it upstairs). It’s expensive but less expensive than moving to assisted living when all you need is a shower!
No, at least not one that couldn’t be renovated down the line, as needed.
In the past three years, I’ve helped my parents through a knee replacement for my mom and a broken hip for my dad in a home with only a half bath on the main floor. It was hell. Although you say you don’t consider this your final home necessarily, it is one thing to plan to relocate before you get “too old/immobile” for your current home, and quite another to find yourself unexpectedly incapable of managing the stairs due to an accident or illness. no one wants to be in a position to suddenly have to figure things out, due to an unexpected disability.
“Fate loves the fearless.” That is the phrase I’ve got posted in my home. I won’t live in fear of what may or may not happen. That’s not my life or philosophy. Others can plan for the worst.
The other phrase I live my life by? “Run fast, lift heavy.” And I still climb ropes 15-20’ in the air.
Worst case scenario, sell the house and move. But buy well.
Of course… Nobody is telling ANYONE to dump their home and move to an accessible one tomorrow “just in case”.
But if you are going to the trouble of buying something new already- why not make it easy on yourself? If god forbid you have an accident and lose your mobility, do you really want to sell your house, figure out your logistics while you’re also doing rehab and everything else?
My mother lived with my brother until age 92. He installed a stair lift for her to get upstairs. They are pretty sleek and the seat folds back out of the way when not in use. It’s an option.
I’m planning to move next to a two story house. If I become physically disabled in some way, then I will consider next steps. IF is a big word.
One occur reasons my FIL had to leave his house of many decades was all the many stairs in the house. My BIL is currently contemplating selling and moving from his large & lovely home because the stairs are becoming irksome — his in his 70s. The other day, my cousin’s S and DIL were talking about how they’d like to move from their home with stairs to a single story home because they (in their 40s) are finding stairs irritating. (He’s a geriatrician and gets that stairs are also hard for many of his patients.)
I’m just not a fan of stairs—never have been. Yes, I recognize many love the extra space but it makes aging in place trickier.
I guess that a main floor full bathroom would be the biggest consideration. In a pinch, it’s not hard to put a bed in the living room. We have had older relatives do that (and one friend who was able to manage in-home hospice care that way). It’s a lot more work to add a bathroom.
Our house has a full bath on the main floor (our only bathroom in this 100 year old house…) and my mom also has a full bath on the main floor (her only bathroom in her 100 year old house). It can be a pain to go down the stairs to the bathroom when someone has had surgery or is recuperating from something else. We’ve used a temporary commode at those times. But if someone had a longer term disability they’d probably just sleep in the living room.
Life is unpredictable. I say enjoy the time now in the manner you want to. If you like the house and it fits your needs now, then go for it. Anybody at any age can have a life altering event and need to move in a short span of time.
And just as an FYI - I would never have bought a house with a master on the first floor. I always hated that idea (so I wouldn’t worry about resale - people have different tastes which is why there are so many different house styles).
I think at this point in your lives if your H and you both like the house then go for it.
H is 67 and I just turned 64 and we are still in a three level townhouse that we love close to the coast in San Diego. We know at some point we will not be able to live here, but we are enjoying it while we can.
@Hoggirl do you feel strongly that this townhouse is “the one”? Or is it worth it to keep looking? If you’re not in a hurry I would say keep looking a bit and see if you still are thinking about that townhouse.
I get that it might be sold by then. But I always say houses, like partners, there isn’t just one in the world that is perfect for you! 
If this place is a relatively good deal and you think you could sell it fairly easily, I say go for it. You guys are in very good health, and stay active, right? Of course things can happen at any age, but this place might help you figure out if you really want to be there, and you can always buy another if you decide that’s where you want to be.
*full disclosure - I have a house full of crap and know we are NOT good at picking up and moving/getting rid of stuff, so I might make a different decision for us. But you’ve got the minimalist thing down and I know you’ve already moved a couple of times fairly recently, so if you’re excited about it, go for it.
I took my own advice. My spouse and I bought a split level a few years ago in a fantastic location as a retirement home/investment. Value has increased.
I’m not going to live in fear. If we have to sell it, then we’ll move and make some money. Moving isn’t that difficult.
If the OP loves the house and location, then I’d buy it.
We still live in the house we raise our kids in - two stories with two long sets of steps. One thing I’ve noticed in recent months is that when I get up in the dark at 5 AM and go downstairs I don’t feel the same sense of security I did even a few years ago.
It might be a microscopic alteration in balance that I’m otherwise unaware of. Or maybe it’s the cat appearing unexpectedly when I start to go down the steps! Or an item I forgot to remove from the path the day before.
I’ve since installed a small motion detector night light by the steps. And I’m generally pretty fit (weights, yoga, walking, going up 9 flights at work with a backpack, etc.).
But still.
I would perhaps think about how the steps of a contemplated new home could contribute to a debilitating injury, not just impede recovery from one.
I developed a weirdness about steps recently, too. I used to bound down stairs without looking. Now I’m much more cautious about where I step.