Three questions to ask yourself when thinking about Downsizing:

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What kind of lifestyle do I want?
Where do I go?
What will it cost me to achieve those goals? And can I afford it?

So today let’s explore some of the downsizing lifestyle options.

There are many different scenarios. Here are some options.

Stay in Toronto, well because we love it, our life is here and so are our friends and family, but a smaller home is needed. The family home is large and expensive to run, and we don’t need that extra space. Today in Toronto smaller homes in same neighbourhoods don’t make any economic sense. The land is so valuable that it forces many to change neighbourhoods or change their style of home such as townhouse or apartment condo living.
Stay in Toronto and cash out to rent a home that meets your interests and budget. Then travel, travel, travel, and invest the remainder.
Maybe it’s time to move just outside the GTA, no more than one to two hours away. This allows for living in that country home you always dreamed of, or maybe back to the old town you actually grew up in. The real estate options are plentiful and much more affordable than the GTA. So, you can pocket some of the money to invest for your retirement living and travel too.
Maybe you have always dreamed of owning the cottage up north or the vacation property in the southern US or that condo in the Caribbean. This is for those who love to travel but still like a homestead of their own.
Maybe you love boating. Living off your own boat in warm waters has always been your dream.
Living part of the year in your homeland overseas has always been your dream and now you have the time to do this. You need the flexibility to leave your Toronto home knowing it will be safe and maintained – maybe condo living is the answer. Don’t forget you have to live in Canada for a minimum number of days so as not to jeopardize your OHIP status.
Maybe it’s been your dream to live in a community purpose-built for the mature population nestled around your first love Golf and your dream is to tee off every morning of your retirement. Wouldn’t that would be awesome?

So, when I downsize where do I go? We will explore this in upcoming blogs. Stay tuned.

Next Steps:

As always I invite you to call for a free personal consultation. See you here next time. Let’s talk Downsizing!

Client testimonials:

We worked with Luci and Marc to buy our new condo sell our Toronto home. The kids had left and we had been retired for a couple of years. We knew we wanted to simplify and move into a space that would be maintenance free. We always loved the idea of moving into a condo and just spending some real quality time travelling and golfing. We ended up buying a condo in the east end of Toronto with amazing views of the Lake – it’s so amazing we can hardly wait to move in! We actually found Luci online, believe it or not. We called Luci and set an appointment for a consultation. Luci and Marc are a husband-and-wife team and were very professional. We had lots of questions they were able to answer all of them. It was a very good experience. We bought the condo first because we wanted to ensure we had a great place to move to. When it came time to sell the house, Luci brought in the service people we needed to get the house ready for sale. The home was staged, and professional photos were taken. We really liked Luci’s quick and thorough communication. She was always available to take our calls. That was really important to us. We sold in 6 days for top dollar and couldn’t be happier with the entire experience. We would not hesitate to refer Luci and Marc to anyone we know. Thank you Luci and Marc!

Steve and Marilyn C.

I used Luci Rizzo to sell my house in Toronto while I was in BC. Excellent service, she helped with every detail including hiring painters, cleaning services and electrical work. I would highly recommend her.

Olive Spence

In the current overheated real-estate market, Lucy is a trustworthy, transparent, honest and proactive partner of any buyer or seller. Thanks to her ongoing commitment and sound advice, I was able to make a great buy and investment. I recommended Lucy to numerous people and I will always do so because it is really hard to find such a great agent who works hard to help her clients succeed by being there for them during the whole process and beyond. I am really glad that our paths crossed because, in the end, her hard work and dedication had an amazing an positive impact on my quality of life.

Charles Jean Sucsan

I would highly recommend Luci Rizzo for any of your real estate requirements. Luci helped us sell our home and downsize to a condo, which we love! With years of experience in the real estate market Luci is trustworthy, personable, is client focused, she listened to what we wanted, and provided great suggestions and communication throughout the process. Always prepared, Luci offered honest feedback and up-to-date research which enabled us to make the right decisions along the way regarding both selling and buying . We couldn't be happier and would not hesitate to use Luci again when we go to sell our condo.

Lesa Warner

Great overall service and experience! As first-time home buyers in Toronto, my partner and I were very nervous and had innumerable questions. Luci guided us, with patience and expertise, every step of the way. I would definitely recommend Luci and her team to friends and family for any real estate needs!

Mauricio Morales

My husband and I worked with Luci Rizzo and Marc de Bellefeuille recently in looking for our new home. We found them to be consistently professional, helpful and very knowledgeable about both the real estate market in Toronto and also about house construction and design. We started house hunting with little understanding of prices and a stubborn and outdated mindset about real estate values. Luci and Marc took us to upwards of thirty properties and always gave us relevant and helpful information, helping us learn to analyze and understand pricing and home value. Looking back, it is clear that we needed to fundamentally change our understanding before we could make a decision that was right for us. Luci and Marc were never impatient with our naive assessments and when we found a house we loved, they gave us clear analyses to help us make the most rational decision we could. I am so impressed by their expert knowledge of both the Toronto Real Estate market and house values. We found a wonderful house and I am certain it is all down to the expertise of this great team, Luci Rizzo and Marc de Bellefeuille.

Katherine Beattie

Recently, I decided to sell and downsize my semi detached downtown Toronto home. Luci was there for me advising on the whole downsizing procedures and suggesting from her contacts various ways that could ease and expedite getting my home ready for the market. Once my home went on the market, Luci really shined as she dealt with numerous inquiries and requests for showings during a covid19 lockdown. She is a great communicator and we exchanged a number of emails and phone calls daily to keep me in the loop and to ensure every detail had been looked after. I found Luci to be dedicated to helping her clients receive the best possible outcome, detailed and an excellent negotiator.

Linda Sebastian

Luci and Marc made my experience as a first time home buyer as easy as I think it could have been. They were really flexible around my schedule and helped me find the perfect place fast. Any questions I had, they had the answer or knew where to find it. I am hoping not to move for a long time but if I did I would use Luci and Marc again in a heartbeat

Michael Legere

Luci was very patient when helping us purchase our current home. As soon as the purchase was confirmed, Luci came over prepared to discuss details of selling our townhouse. She gave us an estimate of market value of our home and went through her market strategy with us. Our property was listed on MLS the next day. And to our surprise, it was sold in a week at the price we wanted. We couldn’t be happier.

Alistair Chan

I’d recommend Luci for managing a Toronto real estate sale. She’s conscientious and careful. She knew the market and gave us good advice. She managed all the showings, and managed the selling process very well. We benefited from Luci’s professionalism and experience.