Talk to anyone who knows the senior housing market and they will confirm that it has been very difficult for baby boomer-age Coloradans to find suitable places to move in recent years – houses and apartments offering low maintenance and single-storey accommodation. .

But today’s market now has a better supply – something Jim and Elaine Vanderkamp took advantage of this year when they sold their largest single-family home and moved into a senior community in south Denver – a community without maintenance and with lots of land. of amenities.

Don’t expect this good selection to last long, says real estate agent Blair Bryant of the Steller Group, real estate agents with a senior solutions division that helped the Vanderkamps make this move.

“The vast majority of baby boomers still haven’t left the homes that saw them through their child-rearing years,” Bryant says. “If you wait for this market to catch up, you’ll have a hard time finding what you want next.”

That was already the case three years ago when the Vanderkamps began seriously considering selling their southeast Denver home and downsizing.

“We could have stayed where we were,” says Jim Vanderkamp, ​​noting that the couple is in good health and that their ranch project had no problems with stairs.

But the Vanderkamps, who each spent their careers serving children with disabilities and providing foster care, both went through difficult transitions helping their own parents as they grew too old to stay at home.

This got them thinking about how to prevent their four children from ever having to face a similar situation.

“What do we want for our own children? It’s a big deal,” said Jim Vanderkamp, ​​who retired a decade ago as executive director of Roundup Fellowship, a religious nonprofit working with children with developmental disabilities.

The move to something that would be a better fit for them began with attending one of Steller’s free downsizing seminars. (Three of these will take place this month at various locations in the Denver area.)

The senior living market was still tight when the couple began their search; so the couple got on a waiting list for an apartment community. While waiting for their name to appear on the list, they contacted Steller and began preparing to sell their Hutchinson Hills home.

“One of our first jobs is to help a seller decide whether they need to make improvements to get the best value,” Bryant says. In this case, he recommended refinishing the hardwood floors and opening up a wall between the dining room and family room, for a brighter, open look that buyers currently prefer.

Meanwhile, the Vanderkamps had doubts about the community they had chosen and how far it was from their church and friends.

“Luckily this year the market has more choices and they were able to find something without a wait list, closer to home in the city of Denver,” Bryant says.

While their house was being sold – which happened in just two weeks – the Vanderkamps were settling into their new apartment. Steller organized a one-day move and they now have amenities and a beautiful view.