Should We Stay Or Should We Go?

Our house is too big and we are too old. Should we stay or should we go?

On the one hand, for over forty years we've lovingly taken care of our two-story house, ardently maintaining both the inside and outside because it's our home. We've updated every decade or so in order to keep current with the trends of the day, new roof, new windows, new kitchen, etc. Every Thursday like clockwork, we've cleaned the inside until every room sparkles. Twice a year we've washed the walls and scrubbed the carpets. My hubby and I have meticulously groomed the outdoors from March through November as well. He's mowed and trimmed the lawn, pruned the shrubs, washed the siding, sealed the cement, etc. I've planted the flowers, weeded the shrub beds, tended the garden, cleaned the patio furniture, etc.

On the other hand, neither of us want to work that hard anymore. A small ranch or a patio home
is really all we need at this point in our lives. One floor with two bedrooms, two baths, a modern kitchen, breakfast nook, a comfy family room and a laundry niche would suit our needs perfectly. A front porch overlooking a postage stamp front lawn would be sufficient to satisfy our urges to become one with the earth, As far as a backyard, not necessary but again very small if we were to have one.

So what's the prob you say? Well first of all we need to decide where to relocate. Since all three of our grown children and their families live in different states, choosing to live near any of them would mean leaving the area where we both were born and raised. Whatever family we still have are here in PA, and it's nice to see them occasionally for dinner, movie outings, holiday gatherings and such. We know and love our neighbors. Anytime a need arises we can always count on one of them to lend a helping hand, and of course, they know we have their backs, too. Just being able to step outside and kibitz for a few minutes about the weather, politics, or why the grass is dying in some spots is such a joy for us. Also we're familiar with our surroundings, stores, doctors, entertainment, etc. We know where to go and how to get there.

I think we've solved that prob, we're staying in this area. Now for the biggie, should we look for a resell or do we buy a new house? My husband thinks a small ranch in an older community is the answer, however my choice is a new patio home in a housing development with one or two streets max. I've started surfing the net, but what I've found is disappointing. First of all the costs are out of sight even for what we're looking for. People are setting outrageous prices on homes that haven't been updated since built, and contractors are asking for tons of money for bare-bones basics. Everything extra costs the buyer more and more.

Finally, we would need to have our home appraised, put on the market and sold.

The house isn't getting any smaller and we're certainly not getting any younger. Should we stay or should we go? God only knows at this point in time!