How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

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plnelson
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How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

I live 35 miles NW of Boston in a large, very private, contemporary, open-concept 2 floor house on 1.5 acres, surrounded by forest. I was recently diagnosed with a form of cancer that increases my risk of stroke so, at 60, I'm looking to move closer to the city into a single-floor place with handicap-accessible bathrooms, on public transportation. My life expectancy with this illness is still > 10 years. The Wall Street Journal did a whole article about me: http://online.wsj.com/articles/longevit ... 1412958857

Boston itself has many distinct neighborhoods and so do the other candidate communities Somerville, Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, and Brookline. I have NO IDEA what I'm looking for - a retirement community, a townhouse, a condo, a small stand-alone house? I worry about privacy, noise, parking, smoking and cooking smells from neighbors, roaches, crime, and fire-safety. I'm a safety and maintenance fanatic in my own house and I worry that in a condo or attached housing I'm at the mercy of carelessness of others causing fire or flooding damage (I know people who've suffered both of these). Insurance doesn't help because I have a large original art and design collection including items by my late wife - not necessarily expensive but I love it so it's irreplaceable for me.

The downstairs of my current house is all open-concept, tile floor, and all glass on the south. I often cover it with cloth and seamless paper and use it for an ad-hoc fashion, figure, and dance photography studio. It's also a great entertainment space, so I like to have guests (where will they park in the new place?). I love to cook so a large, modern kitchen is important.

My house is paid-for and I'm hoping to break-even on price. All the target neighborhoods are more expensive than my current one, but I'm giving up size and all that land.

The whole process seems overwhelming to me because there are so many possibilities and so much research to do and I don't know how to wrap my head around this project to get started. Are there any good books, resources, support groups, what?

Thanks in advance.
Skiffy
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Skiffy »

It sounds like you don't really want to move?

Do you think you need to be closer to medical care, or is this a financial decision? Or did you just move up the "aging-in-place" decision by a decade or two? It sounds like, from your post, that you love this house and it's set up, so how about looking for support services to stay there?
Jack FFR1846
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Boston can be very expensive. I thought about retirement downtown. I did a search for homed in back bay with a garage. Well, go ahead and laugh at me for that. They exist if I want to spend $9MM on it. Even without a garage or renting, it is more expensive than in the suburbs for something far smaller. You also want to go and look first hand. Maybe you find a nice first floor on Heminway. Forget about guest parking....where will you park? Very big student population. You will find similar areas in all the towns you mentioned.

I think you can learn a lot from the real estate sites, but they are only a starting point. Go to any seriously considered areas at various times and days. I don't know of any easy way to do this. You give up a lot to live in town. I was looking at 600 sq foot rentals out past BC for reasonable costs. I'd be moving from a house where my garage is 864 square feet and the driveway is 750 feet long.
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NoVa Lurker
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by NoVa Lurker »

I am sorry about your diagnosis. Best wishes.

Moving does seem to be the most sensible decision, but it doesn't mean you have to do it. As Skiffy suggests, there are probably other solutions if you just don't want to leave your home.

Having said that, if I were in your shoes, I would move into a condo (say, on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, if we're dreaming), even recognizing that it means giving up some of the benefits of your current home. The great thing about a condo vs. a large home on 1.5 acres is how much extra time you will have to live your life, instead of doing home maintenance.

You could even consider moving into an apartment first. That might be instructive in terms of what you could (and could not) tolerate, in terms of noise, smells, etc., from neighbors. I lived in Cambridge for a few years, some time ago, and I would love to go back. The restaurants, the bars, the energy of the students - it is a wonderful place, and worth a lot of hassles.

Why not start looking at places (condos, townhomes, and all of the other options you listed - plus apartments) more seriously, and see if your feelings change, or if there's at least one place somewhere that seems like a great fit?

For the original artwork, do you have other friends or family who would love to display it? Those could be great presents, if gifted appropriately.
deikel
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by deikel »

Skiffy wrote:It sounds like you don't really want to move?

Do you think you need to be closer to medical care, or is this a financial decision? Or did you just move up the "aging-in-place" decision by a decade or two? It sounds like, from your post, that you love this house and it's set up, so how about looking for support services to stay there?
+1

You clearly dont want to move and feel pressured to do so based on your current medical condition. However, what is your current risk to get a stroke ? Even if it is now twice the baseline (100% increase in risk) its still not terribly likely ?

And just being physically closer to a hospital downtown that is a stroke center, may not get you there quicker for treatment (nor does it mean you get better treatment). Thanks to the sometimes inconvenient US attitude of trying to bring people to the hospital quickly for treatment (instead of bringing the doc to you or treat you on site) - you may not win much.

I would rather think about an emergency alert button for you to wear at all times and in case you have a stroke at home, talk to your doctor if you can not store medication in your home that you can take in case of a stroke (self diagnose after education) or get your information on file with your local hospital, so they treat you correct when you get there vs a stroke center.

The reason stroke centers have a better rating in treating stroke is not so much their better equipment or treatment - its their better diagnosing of a stroke when none is suspected and to treat it at all and doing so decisively ...nothing that could not be done with education and preparation. The worst is the 'I dont want to go to the hospital' patient paired with the 'well, lets wait and see a litte' doctor in case of stroke ...both does not apply to you anymore.
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

Skiffy wrote:It sounds like you don't really want to move?

Do you think you need to be closer to medical care, or is this a financial decision? Or did you just move up the "aging-in-place" decision by a decade or two? It sounds like, from your post, that you love this house and it's set up, so how about looking for support services to stay there?
1. Almost all my friends live in the city; my last close friends in my town retired and sold their house 2 weeks ago
2. Out in the sticks where I live you need to drive everywhere. I want to be near public transit in case I'm no longer able to drive.
3. My house is 2 stories, none of the bathrooms are handicap accessible, etc - even if I don't have a stroke from my disease, as I get older there are plenty of other things that can go wrong where this could be a problem.
4. Boston has excellent, world-class hospitals, not true where I live.
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

deikel wrote:
Skiffy wrote: And just being physically closer to a hospital downtown that is a stroke center, may not get you there quicker for treatment (nor does it mean you get better treatment).
I'm not concerned about emergency treatment, and yes, I have one of those little buttons.

Regarding hospitals I'm concerned about routine treatment. I just find that the older I get the more regularly I'm seeing doctors so I want to have access to the best, and around here that means Boston. Not only do I need treatment or tests every few weeks just for this illness alone, but in addition I have all sorts of other unrelated conditions. I have an MRI for achilles tendonitis tomorrow. I have both arm and back surgery coming up in my future. After day surgery they won't let you go home alone - I need to have a friend pick me up and my friends all live in the Boston area. I'm actually physically quite active - currently I'm planning a wildlife photography trip to either central or south America ("bucket list") and my PPC suggests I see a tropical disease specialist to talk about vaccinations and other precautions. Well, guess what - Boston, again.

And as I explained to the other posters, IF I have a stroke I can't live in my house as it is now and there's no alternative to driving out here.

And I forgot to mention, my wife died in 2012 and I'm just starting to date again. Most of the good shows, concerts, museums, galleries, and restaurants are in Boston. So add that to the list.

You're right that I love living out here, but I feel more vulnerable and lonely these days so it's time to face it.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by tennisplyr »

Sorry to hear about your condition. I live in proximity to NYC and am thankful for the quality healthcare where I live as I have had a couple of surgeries. My brother in law had lung transplant at Brigham in Bostona couple of years back and thank God he went there as it was touch and go for a while. Find yourself a place to live that is suitable for you, only you know what works. Good luck
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ResearchMed
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by ResearchMed »

How about speaking briefly with a few real estate agents who handle the areas of Boston Metro you'd consider - and they may have suggestions about the nearby suburbs (Cambridge, Brookline).

There may be some newer loft-style condos that might give you the "open feeling" you are used to.
And something newer might be more secure, etc.

Mention your concerns about sounds from neighbors, and explain you don't want to waste your time - or theirs.

One conversation, or one visit to a few properties should give you a feel about whether it's a good fit.
And as a buyer, you don't need to commit to one, like a seller does, although it helps if someone thinks you *will* buy from them if you find something, so they go to the trouble to notify you when something "good" is new to market.
(You could also suggest that you'd pay them a commission of sorts if they find you something FSBO, so you don't miss those.)

And good luck with everything!

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seeshells
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by seeshells »

Theres always someone worse off than you.
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ResearchMed
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by ResearchMed »

seeshells wrote:
<quote DELETED by RM at seeshells request>
OP was asking for assistance with housing suggestions, not a pity party.

What's your goal here with the above two posts, seeshells?

RM
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bhsince87
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by bhsince87 »

Since your current house is paid for, maybe you could consider renting for a while. This would literally allow you to "try before you buy". You might not even need to put your house on the market until you find a place where you'd like to settle down.

Assuming you have the funds to afford it, there's no rush, right?

Maybe you could even try some hotels, or very short term leases when you have some appointments coming up in the city.
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Stonebr
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Stonebr »

Where you live might depend on which hospital you want to be near. Mass General, you can get to easily from downtown or from Cambridge, Charlestown or even Everett or Malden. Longwood Medical area with Beth Israel and other hospitals is tucked in between Fenway and Brookline. I used to walk to my doctor's office at Beth Israel from the South End or Back Bay. Mt Auburn is near Harvard Square, Somerville, Watertown. So it depends. Any of these communities would have plenty of housing -- some is outrageously expensive, some is not. Since you already live in the area there won't be so much sticker shock.

I have friends who downsized, radically, from a 4 BR suburban style home to a small 2BR condo in Brookline about 10 years ago. The husband has a long-term debilitating disease and is basically a total invalid now. His wife is the primary care-giver, but there are so many support systems in Brookline that she can "drop him off" at community centers, etc. whenever she needs, or get in-home care support. The move was a very good one for them. This is a big high-rise condo, and there are no roaches, no criminals, no college students, etc. Their life is greatly simplified in not having a house or yard to take care of, and stores and healthcare are just a step away.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by seeshells »

PMd U RMed
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LeeMKE
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by LeeMKE »

We made the move to downtown from the far out suburbs several years ago.

PLEASE rent first, before buying. Once you are in the city, you'll learn what is most important to you. It is a big lifestyle change, something we love. Condos have all the issues you've heard about, and then some. We rented for a year, bought a condo, and then sold it and are renting again. If I had it to do over, I would not have bought the condo and saved the money we lost by buying and then selling at a loss.
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ourbrooks
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by ourbrooks »

Another reason to be in the city is easier access for care providers and services. Suppose that, at some point, shopping becomes difficult. You want to be somewhere where groceries and ready made food (for those days you don't want to cook) can be delivered. Perhaps, you'll want someone to come in an hour or two a day to help with clean up; there'll be more people available if they don't have to own a car and drive for a long time.

There are organizations whose purpose is to help elderly people continue living in their own homes. Some are traditional agencies while others appear to be more self-help organizations. It might be worth getting in touch with these organizations in the Boston area. You'll probably end up in a more up market setting than what these agencies target and you're not yet elderly (at least, by my definition), but they probably could give you useful information and, if nothing else, their own opinions about where you might live.
WhyNotUs
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by WhyNotUs »

I would be talking to two realtors, one in my area to sell my house and the second in the City. I would ask my realtor for an as-is, fast sale assessment of price for my house with comparables to support their recommendation. Sell it and move on. Sounds like a great house with good energy that someone will love.

If you can narrow to a couple neighborhoods of Boston, minimum bd/ba, Max. price, proximity priorities, accessibility needs, and any special interests you have (large modern kitchen, higher ceilings for artwork, etc.) , then just type up a list and take it to a meeting with a realtor in the city. If you do not know anyone, look to your local realtor for a recommendation or two. Tell them that you want them to find 5 places in each neighborhood and report on how they meet your criteria. You can look at them online to narrow the field and then start visiting some of them. Among very active realtors, the difference is not great, you just need to communicate that this is one in which they need to do the legwork to earn the sale.

I have a house that we love but think about selling and moving into a more urban area on occasion but have not come up with a good enough reason to do it yet. You have a good reason. There are professionals who have the ability to make this easier for you and I hope that you let them.

Best wishes.
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Afty
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Afty »

My wife and I lived in Somerville near Porter Square for 4 years while we were in our late 20s and early 30s. We loved it. It's very vibrant with lots to do and easy access to restaurants, shops, etc. in Davis and Harvard Squares. My wife worked at MGH, and it's an easy T ride on the Red Line. The housing stock in Cambridge and Somerville tends to be older, and it may be difficult to find an accessible apartment or condo. You're going to have to adapt to living close to your neighbors; try to be flexible and let the little stuff go. Somerville and Cambridge also tend to have a lot of students (typically grad students), so consider that as well.
Millennial
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Millennial »

I live in one of the communities you mention, just north of the Charles and on the red line. Single family stock in Somerville and Cambridge, especially within 3/4 mile of a T stop, is quite expensive - often about 1.5x or more per square foot even compared two families - because supply is so limited. There aren't many singles out there, and accessible ones are even rarer.

Based on your requirements, there may be some good options with new or newer construction condos. Newer buildings will be well insulated for sound and will have sprinklers, which should take care of noise and fire concerns from neighbors. They'll also feature elevators, and a new building should also mean you'll have few maintenance or upkeep concerns.

I haven't followed real estate south of the Charles, so there's a chance that there's an area there that may make more sense there. I should also mention that buses kneel to sidewalk level, so there may be cheaper options for a place that is convenient to one of the better bus lines if a place on the subway isn't in the cards.

Best of luck with the move, I hope you find something that suits your needs.
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

bhsince87 wrote:Since your current house is paid for, maybe you could consider renting for a while. This would literally allow you to "try before you buy". You might not even need to put your house on the market until you find a place where you'd like to settle down.

Assuming you have the funds to afford it, there's no rush, right?

Maybe you could even try some hotels, or very short term leases when you have some appointments coming up in the city.
So just to be clear - this is a suggestion on how to choose a neighborhood, right? Because that IS one of the more daunting parts of my problem - between Boston proper and the surrounding towns/cities, there are probably 50 distinct neighborhoods. So yes, if I could narrow it down to a handful then renting or even staying in a hotel IS an option.

I'm an engineer with a science background so I can do the research on each neighborhood, looking at average house prices, transit times on the MBTA to various destinations, taxes, crime statistics, demographics, access to vital services, etc, etc. But this would be a GIGANTIC research project if I did it all myself. Are there resources to make that stuff more efficient?
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

LeeMKE wrote:We made the move to downtown from the far out suburbs several years ago.

PLEASE rent first, before buying. Once you are in the city, you'll learn what is most important to you. It is a big lifestyle change, something we love. Condos have all the issues you've heard about, and then some. We rented for a year, bought a condo, and then sold it and are renting again. If I had it to do over, I would not have bought the condo and saved the money we lost by buying and then selling at a loss.
What is the goal of renting first? Packing, moving, unpacking, changing your address, and then doing it all over again is astronomically expensive and time consuming. What can I find out by doing that that I can't find out with better upfront research and maybe staying in a hotel for a week in a target neighborhood, first?
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

[quote="WhyNotUs"]
If you can narrow to a couple neighborh ... the city.

Narrowing it down is the hard part. I count 6 cities/towns and a total of roughly 50 neighborhoods between them. There's a bunch of neighborhoods I can reject out of hand because of crime or poor public transit access but that still leaves maybe 30 prospective neighborhoods (more if I consider parts of Arlington). How big is the territory that a real estate agent would know really well? I'm friends with an excellent real estate agent on Beacon Hill, for example but should I expect her to know as much about the West End neighborhood or Watertown, or Central Square in Cambridge?

With my diagnosis I'm working on my "bucket list" so I took my first glider flight on Sunday. I had a blast but I realized something - with a glider you get ONE chance to land - with no engine you can't go around. I'm thinking of this the same way - I need to do my research right the first time because once I pick a place I want to land there and not have to do it again.
(my glider flight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLn5HTSMUEI)
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

Millennial wrote:I live in one of the communities you mention, just north of the Charles and on the red line. Single family stock in Somerville and Cambridge, especially within 3/4 mile of a T stop, is quite expensive - often about 1.5x or more per square foot even compared two families - because supply is so limited. There aren't many singles out there, and accessible ones are even rarer.

Based on your requirements, there may be some good options with new or newer construction condos. Newer buildings will be well insulated for sound and will have sprinklers, which should take care of noise and fire concerns from neighbors. They'll also feature elevators, and a new building should also mean you'll have few maintenance or upkeep concerns.

I haven't followed real estate south of the Charles, so there's a chance that there's an area there that may make more sense there. I should also mention that buses kneel to sidewalk level, so there may be cheaper options for a place that is convenient to one of the better bus lines if a place on the subway isn't in the cards.

Best of luck with the move, I hope you find something that suits your needs.
I agree a single-family house is probably out of the question financially in that area - so new construction or well-converted industrial spaces would be attractive. But what's a systematic way to find out about these for those 6 communities? Also how would I find out about places specifically designed as retirement communities? (I don't mean assisted-living but for active seniors?) My overriding question since my original post is what kinds of resources exist to help me do this efficiently and systematically?
LeeMKE
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by LeeMKE »

By renting for awhile you'll find out what is important to you:
-- The city has more noise and light pollution. We would have thought noise would be more important, but discovered that night lights were more of an issue, and disturbed our sleep.
-- Transportation isn't just whether the lines are nearby, but which ones, and who hangs out at the stop? Now that we are more savvy, we picked a place with transit just outside our building, but stops on the opposite side of the street from our building.
-- Which services do you want close? We found that having a grocery store and neighborhood restaurants was most important to us. Others want theaters or bars closeby. Realtors tend to point out major attractions nearby, (since they don't live downtown) and you'll only visit those spots once a year.
-- What kind of organization are you involved with in the HOA? Some condos are toxic and dangerous in their lax maintenance practices. Some have too many rules, some not enough. When you live downtown, you've got a better chance to get tuned in to the background of the various condos. I didn't know that certain condos were converted from apartments and too noisy between neighbors, until I lived downtown and met someone who lived there. The Realtors either didn't know or weren't willing to say. Some condos were filled with students, some condos were filled with young families. We sought a place with seniors aging in place as an indicator that management took good care of the place and their residents.

These are just the top of the head items we learned about. You'll find others that are meaningful to you.

I wish I could recommend a good resource for you. We are 4 years in and still haven't found something like that.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Alex Frakt »

You said "Almost all my friends live in the city." This seems the logical place to start. Talk to them about their neighborhoods and what they'd recommend.
plnelson wrote:My overriding question since my original post is what kinds of resources exist to help me do this efficiently and systematically?
There aren't any. Don't stress yourself out looking for things that aren't there. You obviously enjoy trying new things. Instead of seeing this as a chore to get out of the way, why not treat the search as an adventure and a chance to get a much deeper understanding of the city?
dolphinsaremammals
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

I can't figure out from your posts if you actually want to move or if you feel you're being driven to it. Also, is it soon after your diagnosis (I can't reach the wsj article), in which case you may not be thinking clearly.

I am ten years older than you, so I hear my own clock ticking, and I have medical issues that I see doctors at Harvard Med and B&W about. I drive to Massachusetts about twice a month, one way 35 to 70 miles depending on who I'm seeing. At first it was a big deal, but now the 35 miles is pretty much nothing.

I would take time to figure out what you want to do and if you want to move, consult your friends. Some of the issues you're concerned about, noise, etc. can be real problems, but others like fire safety you have some control over. Possibly you could always move closer but to a compromise distance.

A few years ago I read about a cooperative group of elders in the Boston area where people watch out for each other.

If you need to stay over night after an operation, there is at least one hotel right at Harvard Med downtown.
staythecourse
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by staythecourse »

I apologize upfront if this post is too personal or insensitive.

I'm a physician and my wife is a hematologist so I have quite a bit of background on your condition. I would not say your condition is one that requires ANY of these drastic moves.

What I can tell from taking care engineers and computer science folks is they do NOT cope well with health related stress emotionally especially revolving around chronic medical conditions. It is their nature to try to handle the problem logical instead of absorbing the emotional impact instead.

Before I make any changes I would sincerely ask your hematologist if ANY of these changes are even warranted (sorry did not see if you mentioned this previously). I would also make sure you have a good support network and would suggest seeing a psychologist/ therapist to discuss these issues.

My wife and I have plenty of patients with this diagnosis and don't know if I even know one patient who changed their life due to it. One of my wife's patients is getting chemo for newly diagnosed leukemia and lives in a different state (wanted to live closer to extended family). She comes in gets her chemo and goes back.

Good luck.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Valuethinker »

Apologies if I have missed this BUT

a 2 storey house (small) with an elevator installed would seem to offer a possible solution? Or a stairlift? This would reduce the neighbour issues. You only need a tiny garden (a patio really, plus some plants). Having your own parking is going to be pretty important (or for someone coming to help you, so they can park).

I agree the challenges of neighbours can be forbidding. Condos come with all kinds of potential issues.

As to where to live in the Boston area I am no expert but Brookline? Expensive, yes. Local shopping and services. Good transport links into Central Boston? 'Posh' meaning your neighbours are less likely to be neighbours from hell.

I don't know the area but the area around the Museum of Fine Art looked pleasant (is that Northeastern University?).

Back Bay besides the costs also has very uneven sidewalks and is probably not such a good area for someone anticipating mobility issues.

It might be worth renting for a year in a new area before buying-- given the risks the 'hood might not 'work' for you?
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by beardsworth »

Peter (plnelson),

You might find some useful perspective--along with the need to sift through a generous amount of chat "noise," like most such online discussion places--at the City Data forum for Boston. In the banner above the thread topics list, there's also a "Search This Forum" feature to assist in your hunting.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/boston/
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by beachplum »

plnelson wrote:
WhyNotUs wrote: If you can narrow to a couple neighborh ... the city.

Narrowing it down is the hard part. I count 6 cities/towns and a total of roughly 50 neighborhoods between them. There's a bunch of neighborhoods I can reject out of hand because of crime or poor public transit access but that still leaves maybe 30 prospective neighborhoods (more if I consider parts of Arlington). How big is the territory that a real estate agent would know really well? I'm friends with an excellent real estate agent on Beacon Hill, for example but should I expect her to know as much about the West End neighborhood or Watertown, or Central Square in Cambridge?

With my diagnosis I'm working on my "bucket list" so I took my first glider flight on Sunday. I had a blast but I realized something - with a glider you get ONE chance to land - with no engine you can't go around. I'm thinking of this the same way - I need to do my research right the first time because once I pick a place I want to land there and not have to do it again.
(my glider flight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLn5HTSMUEI)
You would have to have a discussion with your real estate friend about where she sells the most property. Though unless she frequents all those neighborhoods you mentioned, she won't be an expert on them. I can somewhat relate to what you are trying to do. I too live NW of Boston and am seriously considering a move to the city in about 5 years. It can be overwhelming to think about let alone pinpoint where to go. I lived in Cambridge, Boston and Brookline when I was younger, and now I have children that live in the city so I have a good sense of some of the areas I like and don't like. The best advice I can give is to start going into the city on a regular basis getting to know the areas that you research. One of my favorite areas is Brookline (Coolidge Corner up to Cleveland Circle). It's also accessible by public transportation to all the new shops and restaurants, movie theatre in Chestnut Hill. Do you know what your budget is for housing? I would think that would be helpful in narrowing down your options.
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Move slowly

Post by davebarnes »

Paul,
1. Take your time.
2. Do lots of research and expect much of it to be useless.
3. Consider another city/state.
,dave
A nerd living in Denver
Rodc
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Rodc »

A couple of thoughts. If this is overwhelming you might benefit from hiring someone who works in this area to provide ideas and/or run down information. I have some contacts in the Boston area in this business. If you have any interest drop me a PM.

Just seconding some ideas above:

It might be possible to find a house in the burbs near the subway so you could get into town easily but still have a detached house.

Renting is often a good idea for a while to get a better feel for an area or mode of living.

And lastly, sorry you have to deal with this. Best of luck.
We live a world with knowledge of the future markets has less than one significant figure. And people will still and always demand answers to three significant digits.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Rodc »

ourbrooks wrote:Another reason to be in the city is easier access for care providers and services. Suppose that, at some point, shopping becomes difficult. You want to be somewhere where groceries and ready made food (for those days you don't want to cook) can be delivered. Perhaps, you'll want someone to come in an hour or two a day to help with clean up; there'll be more people available if they don't have to own a car and drive for a long time.

There are organizations whose purpose is to help elderly people continue living in their own homes. Some are traditional agencies while others appear to be more self-help organizations. It might be worth getting in touch with these organizations in the Boston area. You'll probably end up in a more up market setting than what these agencies target and you're not yet elderly (at least, by my definition), but they probably could give you useful information and, if nothing else, their own opinions about where you might live.
Good ideas, but I will offer up that these services are easy to get out in at least the middle burbs (out to Concord for example, in my experience, and likely farther out as well). One does not need to be in the city or inner burbs.
We live a world with knowledge of the future markets has less than one significant figure. And people will still and always demand answers to three significant digits.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Jazztonight »

I've read all of the responses to your post, and sense that there are several concerns that you have. Some of them seem to be health related, and some of them appear to be related to your concerns about moving to the "perfect" environment.

I will respond to the second concern.

I do not believe that you will find the perfect place to live. That said, it is like trying to determine the perfect portfolio. It does not exist. That does not mean that you cannot find a place to live that will satisfy most of your needs and be appropriate for your situation.

My wife and I moved from a large house in the hills/suburbs to a downtown apartment four years ago. Life is filled with little compromises and trade-offs. Instead of barking dogs, we now have ambulance sirens and car alarms going off at any time. Instead of having to drive everywhere and anywhere we wanted to go, I can now walk out the door of our building and walk to shopping, the hospital, the Central Library, public transportation, the YMCA, restaurants, and the place where I go to religious services. Virtually everything I want is within 2 miles of my apartment.

We live in a building that has a doorman/security 24/7. I did not personally care if we had a doorman or not, but it makes for convenience when a package is delivered, or I need to leave something for someone to be picked up.

All of the conveniences of living downtown far outweigh any upside of living in a large home in the suburbs (which we did for decades). That is my opinion. If you can afford it, it might be worth moving into a small apartment or condo near a downtown location. Personally I don't regret moving.

Moving itself is all about planning and logistics.
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

Alex Frakt wrote:You said "Almost all my friends live in the city." This seems the logical place to start. Talk to them about their neighborhoods and what they'd recommend.
plnelson wrote:My overriding question since my original post is what kinds of resources exist to help me do this efficiently and systematically?
There aren't any. Don't stress yourself out looking for things that aren't there. You obviously enjoy trying new things. Instead of seeing this as a chore to get out of the way, why not treat the search as an adventure and a chance to get a much deeper understanding of the city?
Because I'm an engineer - we don't have "adventures" we have "projects". 8-) What I have in mind for resources would be software and databases. I want to create a map of the region and start filling it in with price data, public transport times, demographics, crime, access to resources like stores, hospitals, libraries, etc, etc. I want to be able to zoom in on specific neighborhoods or do side-by-side comparisons between two neighborhoods and ultimately two properties. There must be software to do this. Young tech-savvy real-estate agents must do this already and I'm sure urban planners must do this. Also, are there any good discussion forums for real-estate?
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

Jazztonight wrote: Moving itself is all about planning and logistics.
Thanks! I totally agree that I won't find perfection - everything is a tradeoff. I want to do my planning as systematically and methodically as possible because there's no rush and I'm good at projects (I'm an engineer with years of experience running and carrying out projects)

You mentioned sirens. I know I can't avoid sirens in the city but I can avoid living down the street from an ambulance depot or firestation if I'm systematic. I'll be collecting tons of information like that and what I really need is a good way to organize it. I have in mind some kind of mapping software where I can overlay data and information as I pan around on the map or zoom in on a particular spot. I could write my own but I'd be amazed if it doesn't already exist.
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Re: Move slowly

Post by plnelson »

davebarnes wrote:Paul,
1. Take your time.
2. Do lots of research and expect much of it to be useless.
3. Consider another city/state.
,dave
1. My tentative decision date in Spring 2016

2. Right now I'm trying to identify good tools and resources for the research.

3. All my friends live in the Boston area. Research has shown that, especially for older single men, strong social networks strongly support physical and mental health. I also like the climate - we have a REAL winter and a REAL summer. And there are very few cities the size of Boston with such a rich collection of world-class schools, world-class hospitals, and cultural offerings - orchestras and opera, stage performance, museums, etc, etc. in such a small place. Besides it would be impossible to do the depth of research I need to do for someplace farther away.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

Valuethinker wrote: Back Bay besides the costs also has very uneven sidewalks and is probably not such a good area for someone anticipating mobility issues.
Back Bay has another interesting issue. Boston is at much higher risk of earthquakes than most people think. We get 3's around here every few years but a 6 or more can be expected every few hundred years. We had a 6.2 in 1755 and a 7 in southern new Hampshire in 1638.

The problem with the Back Bay is that it's built on fill - also the south end and parts of Tremont Street. Those stately brick building are built on wooden pilings driven intro soft fill which will liquify in a decent earthquake. If you look at maps of Boston from the Revolutionary War, it was just a narrow causeway - everything else since then is just fill. Earthquake sensitivity is one of the factors I'll be taking into account. I have earthquake insurance on my house - can I get it on a condo, or at least on my contents in a condo?
It might be worth renting for a year in a new area before buying-- given the risks the 'hood might not 'work' for you?
I'm hoping if I do my research thoroughly and systematically enough that won't be necessary.
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

staythecourse wrote: Before I make any changes I would sincerely ask your hematologist if ANY of these changes are even warranted (sorry did not see if you mentioned this previously).
My hem/onc estimates that if I keep my counts well controlled my risk of a thrombotic event is about 2X an age-matched control. This is supported by all the published literature I've read. Certainly the insurance companies' data also seem to support this - So far I haven't found any who are willing to sell me LTC insurance with this diagnosis.

But as said above there are plenty of other reasons why I want to live closer in.
wilked
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by wilked »

Based on what you listed... Here is what I suggest:

Rent in Newton area near a T stop. You will be able to find a place with a yard, some green space, walkable, and close to public transport. It won't be cheap but nowhere in public-transport-Boston is both cheap and safe.

Good luck
staythecourse
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by staythecourse »

plnelson wrote:
staythecourse wrote: Before I make any changes I would sincerely ask your hematologist if ANY of these changes are even warranted (sorry did not see if you mentioned this previously).
My hem/onc estimates that if I keep my counts well controlled my risk of a thrombotic event is about 2X an age-matched control. This is supported by all the published literature I've read. Certainly the insurance companies' data also seem to support this - So far I haven't found any who are willing to sell me LTC insurance with this diagnosis.

But as said above there are plenty of other reasons why I want to live closer in.
I understand the data, but I still would doubt your hematologist said "Yes I think you should pick up your life and move to somewhere else to get care based on this diagnosis". The only time I can think we suggest something like this is if you need physical or mental support to someone's CURRENT condition.

If you have other reasons to move I would say go for it, because of the OTHER reasons NOT because of your condition. The treatment needed can be had anywhere and don't think it makes much difference where it is had especially with your diagnosis.

Do what is best for you, but would caution NOT to define your life around your condition.

Good luck.
"The stock market [fluctuation], therefore, is noise. A giant distraction from the business of investing.” | -Jack Bogle
Valuethinker
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Valuethinker »

plnelson wrote:
Valuethinker wrote: Back Bay besides the costs also has very uneven sidewalks and is probably not such a good area for someone anticipating mobility issues.
Back Bay has another interesting issue. Boston is at much higher risk of earthquakes than most people think. We get 3's around here every few years but a 6 or more can be expected every few hundred years. We had a 6.2 in 1755 and a 7 in southern new Hampshire in 1638.

The problem with the Back Bay is that it's built on fill - also the south end and parts of Tremont Street. Those stately brick building are built on wooden pilings driven intro soft fill which will liquify in a decent earthquake. If you look at maps of Boston from the Revolutionary War, it was just a narrow causeway - everything else since then is just fill. Earthquake sensitivity is one of the factors I'll be taking into account. I have earthquake insurance on my house - can I get it on a condo, or at least on my contents in a condo?
It might be worth renting for a year in a new area before buying-- given the risks the 'hood might not 'work' for you?
I'm hoping if I do my research thoroughly and systematically enough that won't be necessary.
The earthquake point is fascinating.

For reasons I won't go into here, I have contact with an academic expert on flooding and flood risk- -and she is American. I am pretty sure she would advise against anyone buying in Back Bay. Your time horizon may not be that long, however, unfortunately.

Not sure it's worth paying the kind of money you would pay to live in Back Bay in fact. Now that's less relevant to you (because of your life expectancy) but there is a balance in these things. But the real estate prices are sort of New York and San Francisco high?
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

staythecourse wrote:
plnelson wrote:
staythecourse wrote:
If you have other reasons to move I would say go for it, because of the OTHER reasons NOT because of your condition. The treatment needed can be had anywhere and don't think it makes much difference where it is had especially with your diagnosis.
That hasn't been true in my experience. All the suburban hem/oncs use the same old treatment that's been in use forever - phlebotomies, hydroxyurea, aspirin. Both of the Boston hem/onc's that I've seen (one at Dana Farber one at MGH) have extensive publication credits on PubMed (that was partly how I chose them) and are well tied into the research community. Through them I have access to ruxolitinib, Pegasys, and I can get into clinical trials.

That's the biggest difference between medicine in suburbia and medicine in major teaching and research hospitals in the city. Suburban doctors just follow whatever the long-standing treatment guidelines are; they're less tied into the research community and less aware of the latest stuff. Suburban doctors also tend to be more generalist - both the MGH doctor and the Dana Farber one I saw do nothing but myleloproliferative neoplasms. Polythycemia vera is a rare cancer - I want someone who sees lots of it. Generally when I have any health problem, I try to find the top doctors, and most of them are associated with the big teaching hospitals in Boston.

I have a strong science background and I've often caught local suburban doctors in mistakes, or with out-of-date information. Last year I argued with a local suburban orthopedist for 6 months that his diagnosis of tendonitis in my arm was wrong - I turned out to be right - I had a compressed radial nerve.
staythecourse
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by staythecourse »

plnelson wrote:
staythecourse wrote:
plnelson wrote:
staythecourse wrote:
If you have other reasons to move I would say go for it, because of the OTHER reasons NOT because of your condition. The treatment needed can be had anywhere and don't think it makes much difference where it is had especially with your diagnosis.
That hasn't been true in my experience. All the suburban hem/oncs use the same old treatment that's been in use forever - phlebotomies, hydroxyurea, aspirin. Both of the Boston hem/onc's that I've seen (one at Dana Farber one at MGH) have extensive publication credits on PubMed (that was partly how I chose them) and are well tied into the research community. Through them I have access to ruxolitinib, Pegasys, and I can get into clinical trials.

That's the biggest difference between medicine in suburbia and medicine in major teaching and research hospitals in the city. Suburban doctors just follow whatever the long-standing treatment guidelines are; they're less tied into the research community and less aware of the latest stuff. Suburban doctors also tend to be more generalist - both the MGH doctor and the Dana Farber one I saw do nothing but myleloproliferative neoplasms. Polythycemia vera is a rare cancer - I want someone who sees lots of it. Generally when I have any health problem, I try to find the top doctors, and most of them are associated with the big teaching hospitals in Boston.

I have a strong science background and I've often caught local suburban doctors in mistakes, or with out-of-date information. Last year I argued with a local suburban orthopedist for 6 months that his diagnosis of tendonitis in my arm was wrong - I turned out to be right - I had a compressed radial nerve.
Sorry to hear you have had bad experiences. Do what makes you feel right. I do agree that one should go where they will get all the medical options available. I have NEVER heard of a place in private where they did not offer standard of care treatment options. If it is in NCCN I am surprised if it wasn't offered everywhere outside of small community hospitals.

I trained at Brigham so I know how academic vs. private is. I can only say I have seen crappy doctors at Harvard AND in the private sector. My attending was the editor and chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and he was terrible as a physician. The great line used at Harvard is "The only folks are impressed are those who have never been or those who have never left".

Good luck.
"The stock market [fluctuation], therefore, is noise. A giant distraction from the business of investing.” | -Jack Bogle
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plnelson
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by plnelson »

staythecourse wrote:
plnelson wrote:
staythecourse wrote:
plnelson wrote:
staythecourse wrote: I have NEVER heard of a place in private where they did not offer standard of care treatment options. If it is in NCCN I am surprised if it wasn't offered everywhere outside of small community hospitals.

Good luck.
Phlebotomies, aspirin, and hydroxyurea ARE the standard of care and have been for 20 years. What I'm saying is that it doesn't reflect the latest research. Just one example, ruxolitinib, has already passed its Phase 3 for PV with flying colors and has been submitted to the FDA, which has already approved it for another MPN (myelofibrosis). EVERYBODY expects that the FDA will approve it for PV within a year or so. It's a much better (and safer!) drug than hydroxyurea for many patients, so the Boston doctors are willing to prescribe it now, off-label; but the suburban doctors won't.

That's the difference between teaching-hospital medicine and suburban medicine - the teaching-hospital doctors have more experience with cutting edge stuff and so are more comfortable with it.
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by Alex Frakt »

plnelson wrote:Because I'm an engineer - we don't have "adventures" we have "projects". 8-) What I have in mind for resources would be software and databases. I want to create a map of the region and start filling it in with price data, public transport times, demographics, crime, access to resources like stores, hospitals, libraries, etc, etc. I want to be able to zoom in on specific neighborhoods or do side-by-side comparisons between two neighborhoods and ultimately two properties. There must be software to do this.
You are describing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic ... ion_system

This google search should get you started on your project - https://www.google.com/search?q=boston+ma+gis

Enjoy
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by randomguy »

plnelson wrote:
LeeMKE wrote:We made the move to downtown from the far out suburbs several years ago.

PLEASE rent first, before buying. Once you are in the city, you'll learn what is most important to you. It is a big lifestyle change, something we love. Condos have all the issues you've heard about, and then some. We rented for a year, bought a condo, and then sold it and are renting again. If I had it to do over, I would not have bought the condo and saved the money we lost by buying and then selling at a loss.
What is the goal of renting first? Packing, moving, unpacking, changing your address, and then doing it all over again is astronomically expensive and time consuming. What can I find out by doing that that I can't find out with better upfront research and maybe staying in a hotel for a week in a target neighborhood, first?

It is a heck of lot cheaper than buying a place and deciding after 9 months that you picked the wrong one. Personally I find spending a week somewhere gives you a tourist view of the area not the residents one. YMMV.
LeeMKE
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Re: How to wrap my head around downsizing my home?

Post by LeeMKE »

http://www.walkscore.com

Might help you with your project.
The mightiest Oak is just a nut who stayed the course.
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