I live in a condo and absolutely love it! No snow removal, no yard work (although I miss it from time-to-time). The one thing though that I do miss though is the friendliness of a "neighborhood". People in condos tend to come home from work, close their garage door and don't come outside. If I didn't have to work full-time, I'd be ok with yard work. Your other reasons for staying sure are nice, but I do understand about the "work" of home ownership. Honestly...I don't miss it.

The marital home had a yard that was one acre with lots of trees and in ground pool. It was constant work for me. I was so glad to move. The kids were still in highschool and they were also excited about getting a new bedroom and decorating. That was five years ago. My tiny yard is quick and easy to mow so I have time to do fun stuff. Kids are young adults now and I don't see much of them because of work and school. I remarried earlier this year and it's a perfect fit for my husband and I. We don't have snow here, just incredible heat.

I sold the farm I had called home for 25 years in the spring of 2013. Moved 1,100 miles away to the place where it NEVER snows -- southwest Florida. I am leasing a "Quad Condo" -- the units here are all buildings of just 4 units each -- and all the lawn stuff is the responsibility of the HOA. I have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a nice open concept kitchen/living room; a den AND a dining room. I also have a large screened in porch on one side.

This was a definite lifestyle change for me.after spending half my life on a tractor, but I had gotten to the point where all that just wasn't any fun anymore and involved too much worry and upkeep.

I was also pretty isolated on the farm. I had neighbors, but couldn't see them. Out in the country, if your "neighbor" might be 2 miles away! This is a pretty quiet neighborhood and a good portion of the folks are year-round. I do kind of miss having my own little yard to take care of, but that's ok. I am very close to everything -- grocery store, restaurants, etc. and in the real good weather, often ride my bike to the store.

I think the older we get, the less we want to deal with all the work that comes with owning a single-family home with all that outside maintenance to deal with. You might want to consider leasing one for a year and then see how you like it.

If my girls weren't living with me, I'd sell and get an apartment - I don't even want to buy a condo! I'll pay someone rent for a while - I don't blame you.

Landed in a condo, and although I miss my garden and the ability to put a tree where I want to, when I want to, it's a definite plus not having to mow, rake, shovel, etc.
If I had unlimited funds, or even enough money, I would get a small house on a small lot and pay people to do these things for me, but I would have to be able to afford a large house on a large lot, doing it all myself, to afford the help on a small house here in Minnesota. They get a fortune for yard and snow work alone!
My condo (2 bedrooms even) costs less than a small house, and the HOA fees much less than keeping a snowblower and mower in gas, water, trash removal, basic cable and exterior maintenance.
Not my dream home, but I can afford it on my single income, and I'm not paying for someone else's equity.

We sold the marital home when we divorced. I moved to a condo (I rent, not own). No snow shoveling, grass mowing, or home repairs/maintenance to deal with. I have a small area in the front to plant flowers. That's enough for me. It was the right decision for me. The only thing I miss about my house is the hot tub :)

I would love to sell my house and get something smaller with a small yard. My house is four bedrooms and I have two and a half acres to mow. It's just my son and I living here. It is hard to keep the yard up and keep the house clean along with cooking. I promised my son that I wouldn't sell until he is out of college in three years.

I have a log home on 2.5 acres and it is way too much upkeep for me. It is currently for sale and I will consider a townhome/condo when I move. I'll probably rent first though since I plan on moving to another town and would want to see if the community fits before making a commitment to home ownership again. I'll miss the yard and the open space though. Planted every dang tree, shrub, flower that is on this property....not to mention fence posts. There's a lot of sweat equity in this home.

I admit, I was not ready to move out of my home...but it made no sense to stay. It was way too big, 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths, cleaning was physically exhausting and the yard and pool was too much for 1 person. Picking up rotten apricots and plums all year round killed my back. But I so miss my garden and waterfall. I miss making noise at night and watching the stars come out. I really miss just jumping into the pool with all my clothes on (or off) when I've been sweating in the yard. I miss painting the walls any color I want and putting nails in the walls for pictures and having a big garage to restore my wood projects. I live in Calif so at least I never had to shovel snow!
I think if I had been able to move into a townhouse or condo in the same area I would have been fine. But moving into a domestic abuse women's shelter and then moving 100 miles away from my famiiy and friends to live and be supported by my younger daughter in her apartment in a ghetto type neighborhood wasn't my preferred choice. I wasn't able to bring any of my furniture or dishes or towels....just the clothes on my back. But look at all of us. We DID it! We made it! Nothing stays the same, life changes everyday, every hour and we all have some wonderful memories to cherish forever.
Hugs to everyone. I am so lucky to have found this site. I look forward to reading how everyone is doing and it makes me feel so much better to be around people who understand or have gone through the same thing I have. Thanks to all....

I moved from a huge 2-storey house on 1 3/4 acres to a single-storey 5bed/2bath home with double garage on 840 sq metres. I need to have room for my kids to come and stay. I'm loving it so far, but can see that I may run into yard maintenance problems when I'm older, when I think I will just turn what I can into lawn. I do get help with cleaning and mowing but am still doing most things myself.

jljlost, I also picked up rotten fruit for a couple of summers and then had the tree removed. Mangoes and lemons don't take nearly the upkeep of stone fruit. More room for veges and a big sandpit for my little boys:)

The day will come when I will want less to take care of. I'll do what most people do and move into a retirement village if necessary. Over here, we have villages where you still get a few square metres to have a garden.

We each do what is right for us. My dad just volunteered to go into low care in a nursing home. He's had enough of home maintenance, cooking and cleaning. He's 86, so ok, why not?

Cmonge, the only snag I can see is that you think you won't be able to take your gorgeous son with you. Any chance a 2-bed condo until he's ready to spread those wings?

love and hugs
kamary

Kamary - I do think about him. He has said he wants to buy my current home, but he doesn't have the funds yet. I could wait a year and see if he gets on his feet enough to do that. Plus, with the other child in college, she will need a place to stay when she comes home on vacations, although I imagine she will plan to stay in her college apartment next summer. There are several 3 bedroom condos in the area, so I will just start to look.
I have also planted every tree and flower and have a large veggie garden. But I am the only one eating those veggies! The trees came from tiny seedlings that I transplanted from my late sister's yard, so there is some sentimtental value in them, but they don't do me much good on the days when I am worrying over repair issues. LOL
Youv'e all given me good insight, and I realize that no matter if I stay or go, there will be pros and cons so i need to carefully weigh the decision. Strangely, I don't feel sadness about leaving the because that's where my ex and I were. He doesn't even come into the picture with this decision!

Lightening your burden is moving forward.

I loved my 1 story, 5 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house. It had a beautiful kitchen with a built in sub zero refrigerator. The backyard was beautiful too. It had a pool, jacuzzi with pavers all around. But when I started the wheels going on the divorce, I knew I would be in such a panic if something broke. My ex was a handy man and great around the house. I could have afforded the payments on my own. But I wanted my life to be less complicated than it was turning out to be. So I bout a three bedroom townhouse that has a 2 car garage. I admit, I did cry when I moved all my stuff into it. I have 4 kids and couldn't imagine them wanting to stay in my smaller townhouse.
But I put in new floors, painted and got new furniture and now love it. My kids have all stayed with me too. I can't really say I miss much about owning a house but I can say that it is so nice not having to spend the extra money on pool and lawn supplies! I'm sure that has saved me thousands.

I moved into a retirement place, we have quads or as we call them townhouses. I was so afraid to move, I
loved my yard. But I have a much smaller yard where I can plant flowers and small trees and they keep the grass cut. The people are my age and older. And so friendly. I was a bit of a loner but find myself enjoying being here. We have free entertainment, 4 pools, 3 gyms, spaces to grow large gardens and a lot of people do.
There are over 200 clubs to join if one wants to. Golf, Tennis, Pickle ball you name it it is here. Our street
has a street dinner every 3 months. And to think I was a prisoner for all those years. I could not go to a movie
or invite friends over, not even my daughter. So this is heaven for me. I still like to stay home and read but at
least I have a choice of doing what I want to. I will say the first 3-4 months I did a lot of crying and I still sometimes think of what I left but then I get busy doing something even if it is just reading. And I have 2 wonderful dogs that share my space.