“We did it for all the right reasons.” Early decision to move gave couple a better choice of destinations

Talk with anybody who knows the senior housing market, and they’ll confirm that it’s been very difficult for baby-boom-aged Coloradans to find appropriate places to move during recent years—homes and apartments that offer low-maintenance, single-level living.

But the current market has a better supply of those now—something that Jim and Elaine Vanderkamp took advantage of this year, when they sold their larger, single-family home and moved into a senior community in south Denver—one with no maintenance and lots of amenities.

Don’t expect that good selection to last long, says Realtor Blair Bryant with The Steller Group, real estate agents with a Senior Solutions Division that helped the Vanderkamps carry out that move.

“The vast majority of boomers still haven’t made a move from the homes that saw them through the years when they were raising kids,” says Bryant. “If you wait to move until more of that market catches up, you’re going to have a hard time finding what you want next.”

That was already the case even three years ago when the Vanderkamps started getting serious about selling their house in Southeast Denver and downsizing.

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

But the Vanderkamps, who each spent their career serving disabled kids and providing foster care, had both been through difficult transitions helping their own parents as they grew too old to stay in their homes.

That set them to thinking about how to avoid having their own four children have to deal with a similar situation someday.

“What do we want for our own kids? It’s a big deal,” said Jim Vanderkamp, who retired ten years ago as executive director of Roundup Fellowship, a church-based non-profit working with developmentally disabled kids.

The move to something that would be better suited for them began by attending one of Steller’s free seminars about downsizing. (Three of those are coming up this month at various locations around the Denver area.)

The market for senior homes was still tight when the couple began their search; so the pair put themselves on a waiting list for an apartment community. While waiting for their name to rise on the list, they contacted Steller and started preparing for a sale of their home in Hutchinson Hills.

“One of our first jobs is helping a seller decide if they’re going to need to make some improvements in order to get the best value,” says Bryant. In this case, he recommended touching up hardwood floors and opening up a wall between the dining and family rooms, for a brighter, open look that buyers prefer now.

Meanwhile, the Vanderkamps were having doubts about the community they had picked out, and how far it was from their church and friends.

“Fortunately, this year the market has more choices, and they were able to find something with no waiting list, closer to their 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 arranged a one-day move, and now they enjoy amenities and a nice view.

“We did it for all the right reasons,” recalls Elaine Vanderkamp.

“This worked smoothly because they were proactive,” says Bryant, adding that the market to come already shows signs of change. Steller is hosting a seminar called ‘Downsize 2025’ that focuses on timing for downsizing.

Steller has free seminars coming up in Centennial, Denver, and Arvada. See the box above or visit DenverSeniorSeminars.com

The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.