Rightsizing
Better than downsizing
IT’S JUST RIGHT
The connotation of downsizing is negative when compared to rightsizing. The latter produces outcomes that are better not worse. Life’s needs change over time. The over investment in real estate is problematic for both your people entering the workforce and active seniors seeking retirement under a more limited income stream. The cost of maintenance, insurance, property taxes, and rising utility costs can outweigh the benefits of retaining a larger home.
Right-sizing is finding the best home and lifestyle to meet your needs without sacrifice. The end result is ‘Just Right’.
CURATED LIVING SPACE
The living spaces of the future will be just right. They will be thoughtfully designed and curated not downsized. Our homes will be where the essential moments in life ground and recharge us, so that we can go out into the world and live extraordinarily.
People prefer experiences over things. They seek to surround themselves with only things that bring them joy. Nothing more and nothing less.
Essentil living is also causing people to reallocate their financial resources to enjoy more travel and to pursue other interests rather than shouldering a suffocating mortgage.
Smaller more multifunctional homes will be curated and not just scaled down smaller versions of existing houses. Right sizing also means rethinking your interior design selections to match smaller, seamless curated spaces.
SOCIETAL BENEFITS
There is the emergence of visceral values related to mitigating one’s negative impact on planetary health. People are more conscious than ever about reducing their carbon footprint, fossil fuel energy consumption and waste reduction. People are seeking out companies to invest in that are sustainable in all areas from environmental, to societal and governance matters.
People have an authentic and genuine interest in being and being seen to be on the right side of history as articulated in their beliefs and confirmed through their practices.
Pursuing sustainable solutions may increase the capital investment incrementally, which can be covered with higher mortgage payments. The offsetting benefit is lower or non-existent operating costs.
People want to be part of the solution to mitigating climate change and planetary health and better built sustainable homes is a move in this direction.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL SMART SPACE
The fucus is rapidly evolving beyond the home design to include the entire build site and its relationship with its surroundings. People are seeking a seamless transition between the outdoors, nature and indoor living.
Multifunctional rooms are enabling space efficiency and effectiveness. Space economy is evident when a flex room can be instantly and effortlessly repurposed as a spare bedroom, office, fitness and flex room.
Be thoughtful with respect to onsite, easily accessible and temperature-controlled storage, its location and relationship to deliberately oversized garage design.
FINANCIAL SHELTERING
Right-sizing has long term benefits including built in protection against escalating energy costs if photo voltaic solar panels can reduce dependency on utility-based power and if the solar solution can deliver surplus energy back to the grid on commercial terms. The right-sized home, with an excellent building envelope requires less energy to run, and a smaller footprint to maintain and clean. It also attracts lower property taxes.
Variable and standby utility costs are escalating annually at alarming rates and are in some cases exceeding the cost of mortgages. This is a concern for new entrants that are cash constrained and right-sizing active seniors operating on investment-based fixed incomes. Purchasers need to offload these burdening costs through design.
Right-sizing is consistent with age-in-place home solutions.