Seniors and Real Estate - Making Modifications to a Home

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by TerriAnn Ford

Across Canada, the overwhelming majority of seniors prefer to continue to live safely and independently in their own homes for as long as possible. However, many homes are simply not designed to meet seniors changing needs. There are a number of ways to adapt a home to keep pace with changing needs.

To help keep costs low the best time to start making the adaptations for safety and independence is when you are renovating your home.

For example, if you get easy to use door handles now you won't need to change the doorknobs later on when your fingers become less nimble. Also, you may not want to grab bars in your bathroom for quite some time, but you can design your shower or bath to have reinforced walls that will accommodate grab bars in the future. Planning far enough in advance will help you stay in your home longer and control your independence level.

A simple way to make your home easier to live in is to make at least one entrance of the main living level of the home accessible without going up or down steps.

This may mean re routing the entranceway but if you do this when you're having the stairs replaced or the walkways resurface there should be little additional cost.

You make modifications to your homes try to make sure you have a full glass, a kitchen and a beggar all of the main level. Having the clothing washer and dryer on the same level is also a big convenience. Use floor surfaces that don't become slippery when wet. Replace old faucets with single lever faucets and light up dark spots. These are helpful and inexpensive changes you can make.

Falls in stairwells can be avoided. Start by any ensuring your stairways area as safe as possible by using handrails and good lighting. Have the lighting controlled at both top and bottom of stairway. If replacing stairs make sure the back portion of the step

(The rise) is not too high and that the horizontal part of the step (the tread) nice and wide.

Another idea could be to consider adding a garden suite on the lot as your land. These suites are small self - contained homes that enable the seniors in your family to live close to you while maintaining their independence. This will give you greater peace of mind.

TerriAnn Ford loves being a Real Estate Agent in Guelph Ontario. She specializes in finding the right home for her clients.. Ford is an Accredited Buyer Representative and also offers free foreclosure listings to anyone looking for a real estate bargain in Ontario.

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