The housing and accommodation evolution for baby boomers over a lifetime forms a complete circle. When most of us left home, we moved into a dormitory, a modest bedsit, shared a cheap apartment, or perhaps, if we were particularly flush, our very own bachelor apartment. Essentially, we began our adult life in one room with a few meagre belongings, including our clothes, a stereo, an electric kettle, a bed, a dresser, and, if you were female, an iron and an ironing board (there was a lot of cotton in those days).

Most of us shared accommodation until we achieved the ultimate goal a couple of years later—our own place. I tried them all—a girls’ residence, a bedsit, sharing a one-bedroom apartment with two other girls, a two-bedroom with one roommate and a series of couch surfers, and ultimately my own place, an ancient walkup bachelor apartment with a clawfoot bathtub and an outdated milkbox outside my door in the hallway.

Ultimately, some of us may or may not have married and moved into our first apartment as a couple. Again, it was probably modest because we were saving for a down payment on a starter home, and with interest and mortgage rates approaching 20% in the seventies, it was not an easy prospect. Through the eighties and nineties, we may have upgraded as we started raising a family, accumulating material goods and perhaps debt as time and the demands of life took over.

When the kids left for college, university, or jobs, we were left with more home than we really needed or wanted. We’re now in our sixties and seventies and find ourselves downsizing; we’re looking for right-sized accommodation with minimal maintenance (we like to travel). Many of us are not yet ready for seniors’ accommodation—or are we? What do we want to fill those years before we go into “care”?

For many boomers who are no longer able to maintain our family homes, condos fit the bill perfectly. The problem these days is that the new ones are too small, so we find ourselves looking for one that’s a few years old. Some of the money from selling the family home can be redirected to renovating the condo to our specific tastes, but that’s not an appealing undertaking at our age. We’re trying to get away from stairs and are fed up with basements full of our life’s detritus, so townhomes are not a viable option. We could move away from the expensive urban centres like Toronto or Vancouver, but then we risk being too far away from doctors, specialists, perhaps our friends, family, and the best hospitals. It’s a dilemma.

What’s Next?

There’s a requirement for boomer accommodation that straddles the ten or fifteen-year gap between selling the family home and landing in The Home, aka assisted living or a nursing home. Here are a few of the requirements we’re looking for that are scarce in the real estate market:

• Single boomers require less space than couples. While 835 square feet may be adequate for one person, it’s a challenge for a couple to cram all of our carefully edited belongings into a small space.

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  Large closets, preferably walk-in closets—his and hers if you’re a couple. And, do not forget a linen closet. I’ve seen plans that do not include a separate linen closet in the bathroom or outside the bedroom. A few wire shelves tucked at the end of a small closet in the bedroom absolutely do not qualify as being sufficient for all our sheets, towels, toiletries, and the vacuum cleaner.

• Many boomer couples prefer to have His and Hers personal spaces. His space is usually dedicated to a La-Z-Boy lounger propped in front of a big-screen television to watch sports uninterrupted, and her space may be a reading room/office/craft space with a desk, laptop, and a comfortable chair or loveseat.
• We may not entertain like we used to, but we still like to have seating for at least six people in the kitchen or dining nook.
• Two bathrooms would be ideal but two sinks in a large master bathroom will suffice. Getting in and out of bathtubs can be challenging for many of us, so a walk-in shower is a bonus.
• We have accumulated a lot of clothes over the years, and a coat rack beside the front door will not adequately accommodate our spring, fall, and winter coats, boots, purses, and assorted hats, gloves, and scarves. A decent-sized front hall closet is a must. Space for a nearby chair or stool and mirror would be appreciated too.
• Ensuite laundry facilities are a must, even if they’re the stackables hidden in a tiny closet. We don’t like washing our clothes in machines shared by others that require scheduling or doing laundry in the middle of the night.
• A balcony is essential for those of us who like to sit outside to read, snooze, or otherwise catch some fresh air. I once lived in a lovely condo with no balcony. Safety regulations dictated that the windows could only open four inches (to prevent children from falling out). We ended up moving to another building with a balcony because I felt like I couldn’t breath.

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• Would it be asking too much if our condo didn’t face onto a busy city street with the never-ending noise of traffic? I’ve tried this and it meant I could never open my windows. I realize zoning bylaws limit where multi-unit accommodations can be built. Still, there must be areas somewhere near public transit that don’t require living above a subway station, at a busy intersection, or on a main artery.

The circle of accommodation is nearing completion for many baby boomers. Whether we began our adult lives in a single room, bedsit, or bachelor apartment, we will soon be looking at finishing our days once again in a single room. That may or may not include a roommate, depending on what we can afford after we’ve liquidated our real estate assets, our savings and investments, and depleted our RRIFs.

In the interim, boomers are very particular about where we want to live out our final years of independence. There will be a surge of interest in spacious, modern condos or single-level townhomes with an abundance of closet space, located within easy access of public transit, amenities, and medical services. Let’s hope the market is ready for us, but I’m not optimistic. What would you like?