Whether it be a lifestyle choice or for financial reasons, downsizing from a house to an apartment can be beneficial for many reasons. Whilst a change can be a wonderful experience, moving house can be quite daunting, especially when you are downsizing to a smaller home. Many things have to be taken into consideration.
There are many great benefits associated with apartment living. From a sense of community to lower cost and easier upkeep, apartment living is a great way to streamline your lifestyle. Today we’re going to look at some of the benefits of downsizing your home and offer some advice for those looking to make the change. Take inspiration from the many downsizers who made the change and have never looked back.
The Benefits Of Downsizing
There’s plenty of good reasons to downsize from a house to an apartment. Downsizing from a house to an apartment can bring a number of benefits, both financial and lifestyle-related. Here are some of the most significant advantages of making this transition:
Lower cost of living
One of the biggest benefits of downsizing to an apartment is the cost savings. Apartments generally have lower monthly rent or mortgage payments than houses, and they also come with lower maintenance and utility costs. This can be a major advantage for people who are looking to reduce their expenses or who are on a fixed income.
Simplified home ownership
Owning a house can be a lot of work, from yard maintenance and repairs to cleaning and decorating. Downsizing to an apartment means that you’ll have less space to take care of, which can free up time and energy for other pursuits. Many apartments also offer amenities like pools, fitness centers, and shared outdoor spaces, which can further simplify home ownership by providing these facilities without the need for individual upkeep.
Greater flexibility
Downsizing to an apartment can give you the flexibility to move more easily and change locations if your circumstances change. This can be especially beneficial for people who are retired or semi-retired, or for those who may need to relocate for work or other reasons.
Improved accessibility
If you’re downsizing as you get older, an apartment may be a more practical choice because it can offer improved accessibility features, such as elevators and ground-floor units. This can be especially important if you’re dealing with mobility issues or if you want to age in place.
Enhanced security
Many apartments offer enhanced security features, such as gated entrances, security guards, and surveillance cameras. This can provide an added sense of safety and peace of mind, especially if you’re living alone or if you’re concerned about crime in your neighborhood.
Greater community and social connections
Living in an apartment building can provide opportunities to connect with neighbors and make new friends. This can be especially valuable for people who are downsizing from a house and may be leaving behind a social network.
At EBV we have plenty of events that can help neighbors get to know each other better. This helps to further give our community a better sense of security, as everyone knows everyone and we are all looking out for each other.
To view our community events, click here.
Lower Environmental Impact
There’s no doubt that reducing the size of your dwelling will reduce the size of your carbon footprint. Downsizing to a smaller dwelling immediately means you’ll be using less energy to power your home. Here at EBV we’re particularly passionate about sustainable living and have developed many features throughout our apartments to reduce our environmental impact, including a waste room with 8 streams to recycle household waste and an onsite tool library where you hire tools as you need them. All of our addresses have a minimum 7.5 star NatHERS rating with energy efficient fixtures and fittings as well as initiatives such as rooftop solar panelling and a passive building design.
Gardens & Outdoor Spaces
There’s nothing that makes you feel like you are part of the community more than spending time with neighbours in communal gardens and outdoor space. EBV apartments provide plenty of green spaces as well as providing planter boxes for the green thumbs out there. Our team of landscape designers from Very Edible Gardens along with the crew of landscape gardeners from Landworks have put time into considering factors such as location, sun, wind and seasonal weather conditions to create the perfect outdoor environments for our apartments. All of our green spaces and gardens have been set up to thrive by selecting plants that are well suited to the environment.
7 Top Tips for Downsizing To An Apartment
Some advice from EBV to help support your journey when downsizing to an apartment:
1. Choose Your Location
One of the biggest factors you should consider when buying an apartment is the location. As apartments are generally smaller than houses, you need to take into consideration; access to amenities within the local area. Shops, co-working spaces, libraries, public transport, parks, and open spaces are all things you may rely on more often when living in an apartment so proximity to these things is key. EBV apartments offer many of these amenities right at your doorstep and much more.
It also pays to consider the location of your apartment within the apartment block itself. The directions the windows face, the level the apartment is on, whether it is located near the stairs or elevator, car park, bins, and whether you are in a thoroughfare will all have an impact on your living experience. These things can’t be underestimated and are worth looking into when considering apartment living.
2. Investigate The Building
It is a good idea to look at the type of apartment complex you are considering moving into. As with EBV, many apartment buildings act as their own stand-alone communities. Take a visit to gain some insight into the culture and demographic of the people living in your prospective apartment building and whether the place will suit your lifestyle. We can attest that the EBV apartment communities are some of the best in Melbourne.
Talk to the agent about the apartment building manager, concierge and strata-committee. Ask about the by-laws and requirements of owners as well as any rules around the apartment regarding noise, communal areas and pets. It is also a good idea to find out the ratio between how many of the people living in the apartment are owner-occupiers and how many of the apartments are owned by overseas investors, which can impact how the apartment is cared for and how future investors may see the building.
“The simplicity of apartment living with a well-designed floor plan and spacious balcony really appealed to our family of 5. The proximity to parks and Merri Creek, a playground on the roof and Coles downstairs is a bonus. We are enjoying family life at EBV.” “
– Justine & Family, Village Avenue resident, pictured above.
3. Decide On Your Lifestyle Needs
It’s always good to sit down and assess the things most important to your lifestyle. This will definitely factor into some decision making when downsizing to an apartment. Consider your work and working conditions. Do you go into the office everyday or will you need a designated workspace or office in your new home? What kind of furniture suits your lifestyle? Do you need big impact pieces or are you more of a minimalist type?
Moving into a smaller space doesn’t mean having to shed certain aspects of your lifestyle, it may just mean streamlining things so that everything works. It might be worth sitting down and writing a list of the non-negotiables you have when determining what you do and don’t need to satisfy your lifestyle.
EBV offers a range of great lifestyle alternatives within the complex itself, including green rooftop spaces where you can have friends over for a drink overlooking the city skyline, and co-working spaces that mean you don’t need a home office.
4. Assess The Apartments Floor Plans
A nice way to get yourself organised ahead of moving into an apartment is to have a look at the floor plans and map out where everything will go within the apartment. Being able to play around with ideas can bring a sense of excitement ahead of the move as well as offer the benefit of working out what furniture you will and won’t need and what additions you should get for the house.
Looking at the floorplan will also give you an aspect of what it will be like living in the apartment. From the light in winter to the sun in summer and the orientation of how you set up your bedroom, you will be able to prepare yourself for the best way to set up your living space.
5. Clean Out The Closet
Downsizing to a smaller home means you may need to cull a few things from the wardrobe and around the house. Let’s be honest, we could all get rid of a few clothes that have gone unworn the past few years, or that spare desk chair that never gets used. Don’t be too precious and frame this experience as a positive one. You’ll most likely find down the track that you don’t notice these things are gone.
Culling your closet is a great opportunity to make a little bit of spare change for yourself. Jump on sites like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree or even have an old school garage sale to offload unneeded items. Not only will your things be finding a new home, but you’ll also save a little bit of extra spending money to buy some things that you may have been wanting for your new place.
6. Find Inspiration
One of the most exciting parts about moving is the chance to set up a new space for yourself. By adding a few new additions, maybe getting rid of some old, it’s a chance to have some fun and revamp your lifestyle. Spend an afternoon surfing the web on inspiration sites like Pinterest or Instagram. Head to the local newsstand and flick through some interior design mags to see the latest trends from people and places across the globe.
If you’ve got some free time on the weekend, why not jump on a tram and head to some furniture and homewares stores in your local area to get some styling and organisational ideas. Depending on the time of year, there are also plenty of great design and homeware markets, such as the Makers & Shakers and Big Design markets.
7. Organise And Pack Your Belongings
There’s nothing worse than moving house without enough time organising and planning. Without a bit of forward thinking you may find yourself dumping everything into boxes, making the move and having a confusing mess to unclutter on the other end. Plan ahead and come up with storage solutions for your smaller new place and pack everything so that you can unpack and put everything straight into a predetermined place. As we’ve mentioned above, do some culling before you pack and minimise the amount of stuff you take to your new home. This way you won’t be overwhelmed when it’s time to unpack and you can get busy enjoying your new lifestyle!
Enjoy A Whole New Lifestyle With East Brunswick Village
There’s clearly a lot to consider when looking at downsizing from a house to an apartment. We hope we have offered you some inspiration and helped shed some light on some of the points to think about going forward.
If you’re interested in learning more about East Brunswick village and apartment living with us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or drop into our Brunswick showroom for a tour of this great lifestyle!