It’s a question many empty nesters face—and it can be summed up in just three little words: Should we downsize?
Homeowners who are approaching retirement as well as current retirees often live in the homes they bought when they started their families. Now that the kids have launched, these homeowners may be thinking about downsizing to a smaller home.
Downsizing has lots of advantages. A smaller home is less expensive to heat, cool, and maintain. Buying a smaller home may reduce or even eliminate a mortgage. Living smaller can decrease the time needed for cleaning and upkeep, leaving more hours to pursue more enjoyable activities.
A big part of the downsizing decision is figuring out where to relocate. That’s where we can help.
We’ve listed five criteria downsizers often look at when they’re deciding on a location. Next we looked at how the Berkshires and the Upper Hudson Valley stack up against each one. Ready to see the results? Read on! Contact our team of brokers in Berkshire County, MA and Columbia County, NY to start your home search today.
A big part of the downsizing decision is figuring out where to relocate. That’s where we can help.
1. Healthy Lifestyle
Living in the Berkshires surrounds you with easy and accessible ways to focus on a healthy lifestyle. Towns like Pittsfield, MA, Lenox, MA and Hudson, NY have walkable centers. Berkshire County,MA homes for sale can put you close to hiking and biking trails. Homes for sale in Columbia County, NY are located near orchards, organic farms, and active farmers’ markets.
Here’s just a sample of community amenities that support healthy living:
- Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA is North America’s largest yoga-oriented education center offering more than 700 programs each year. Topics covered range from meditation, health and wellness, cooking, yoga, fitness and the outdoors, and more.
- Guido’s Fresh Marketplace in Pittsfield and Great Barrington boasts an enthusiastic staff with more than 100 years of combined experience in buying and sourcing fresh and organic produce.
- Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont, MA provides outdoor activities such as zip line canopy tours, kayaking, and whitewater rafting.
- Chatham Real Food Market Co-op in Chatham, NY is a cooperatively-owned grocery store where members focus on maintaining a healthy local economy through products sourced from area farms and food purveyors in Columbia County.
- The Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market stocks healthy and locally-grown foods harvested in Copake, Hillsdale and surrounding towns in Columbia County. Located in Roeliff Jansen Park in Hillsdale, the market operates from late May to late October.
2. Cultural Gems
Cultural gems abound in Berkshire and Columbia counties. The following places deliver just a glimpse of the options:
- Tanglewood in Lenox, MA offers concerts, crafts, and other cultural activities for the whole family. In addition to being the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, Tanglewood offers free summer concerts and a Kids Corner where adults and children can enjoy activities together.
- Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA provides an opportunity for the community to enjoy a creative and collaborative experience through a variety of training, education, and performance.
- Art Omi in Ghent, NY features a 300-acre sculpture and architecture park open year round to the public during daylight hours. Art Omi welcomes the public to it grounds free of charge.
- Located in Hudson, NY, Basilica Hudson makes it home in a solar-powered, repurposed 1880s-era factory building. This unique arts center hosts live music, art exhibits, film screenings, and the biannual Basilica Farm & Flea, a celebration of food and locally made products.
- Founded in 1969, the Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, NY is a paradise for musical theater lovers. Its 2019 season includes “Sunset Boulevard,” “Ragtime,” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”
3. Kid Appeal
If you have grandchildren, you may be looking to downsize in a location that will appeal to kids. Here’s a sampling of attractions and amenities that are kid-friendly:
- Naumkeag in Stockbridge, MA is a grand mansion built in the Gilded Age. Its grounds and gardens are perfect for explorers and picnickers.
- Ioka Valley Farm in Stephentown, NY, offers a 40-foot slide, rides on a wiggle car, and a farm filled with animals like sheep, llamas, goats, ducks, cows and more.
- At Animagic in Lee, MA, kids can explore animation technology and create their own animated movie.
- At Catamount Aerial Adventure Park in Hillsdale, NY, visitors ages 7 and up can choose from 12 adventure courses with a total of 170 tree platforms connected by bridges made from zip lines, cable, wood, and rope.
4. Vibrant Town Centers
Berkshire County in Massachusetts is home to about 40 towns, villages, and communities, as well as the cities of North Adams and Pittsfield.
Columbia County in New York has about 25 towns and cities.
Both counties offer vibrant town centers with unique characteristics that make it easy to find a new place to call home. The Massachusetts towns of Lenox and Stockbridge, for example, offer the quintessential New England experience with a mix of cultural amenities, spectacular natural areas and small-town charm. Hudson, New York, buzzes with independent shops, performance spaces, restaurants, and nightspots.
5. Low Cost of Living
The Berkshires and Upper Hudson Valley have a low cost of living that makes the area particularly attractive for those homebuyers who are searching for a second or vacation home. Recently, SmartAsset, a New York-based fintech company, named Berkshire County as the number one place in Massachusetts for having the state’s lowest tax burden.
The Berkshires offers a fabulous combination of vibrant cities, small towns, history, cultural amenities and more set against a gorgeous natural backdrop.
