Even five years ago when he was just 75, Bill Anthes of Centennial was taking a hard look at senior-living communities—the luxury apartment places with lots of amenities and social events, no maintenance, plus meal plans and elevators.
“I looked at every senior living place in south metro Denver,” Bill recalls now.
Along the way, Bill had attended a free seminar on ‘right-sizing’ by The Steller Group Senior Solutions—and began working with Steller broker Blair Bryant.
“I love it when I’m able to meet with seniors a few years before they move and create a personalized downsizing plan that will fit their needs,” says Bryant.
After giving serious thought to senior communities, Bill began to wonder if he might be happier by finding a single-level, single-family home in his area that would be less of a change in his lifestyle.
Fast-forward, and Bill’s old two-story house in Centennial’s Homestead Farm area is now set to close to new buyers, while he and his bride Marilyn (they married last year) are settling into a perfect replacement home.
That home is a newer ranch three miles south in Highlands Ranch—two bedrooms plus a home office, dining room for family events, a nice-sized kitchen and an outdoor living area with views to Longs Peak and office towers in downtown Denver.
“We’ve already met as many people here in a month as we had at our place in Centennial,” Marilyn notes.
And the full backyard (Bill actually likes a little yard work) makes an easier transition for their two dogs, who can use the doggie door at 6:30 a.m. when they need to go out, without waking their owners.
“I’m making a bet that this will work well for a while,” says Bill.
Steller’s Bryant navigated both sides of what was a complex move for the couple.
“The Baby Boom generation is aging differently than generations past, and has more choices in where and how they might age in place,” he says.
Adding extra complexity now is the current housing market in Denver. “There is so little inventory now that finding the perfect ranch takes some hunting,” Bryant says.
“That means you’re not putting your house on the market yet. And when we find it, you’ll need to get ready to sell right away.”
When Bill and Marilyn went under contract on the ranch in May, Steller launched a personalized plan to get them moved, de-cluttered, and their home sold all within three months.
Steller’s in-house remodeler, Steller Renovation Solutions LLC, had already done some cost-conscious upgrades that Bryant had recommended after he first met Bill at the seminar in 2019. (One of those free seminars is scheduled this coming week.)
Bill notes that Bryant’s help was equally as valuable on the purchase side as the sale side of the move.
Steller’s move contractor, A Move Handled with Care, put the pair into the new ranch in a single day.
“It was nice,” recalls Marilyn. “I was cooking in the kitchen the first night.”
“Steller took all of the frustration out of it,” she adds. “They’re small enough to pay attention to you, and they still have all the resources.”
Steller has two free seminars on planning senior moves coming up, one in Southglenn this Tuesday and one early next month. See box above for a schedule or visit DenverSeniorSeminars.com.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.
