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• Adult Lifestyle Ontario

Retirement Bungalows in Ontario

Accessibility built right into the design

Retirement bungalows are found in active lifestyle communities and other seniors' communities peppered throughout the province of Ontario, offering healthy senior living that is – by design – ideally accessible for those 55 and older. Bungalows eliminate many of the problems related to mobility inherent in typical suburban housing. Move into a single story home and there is no need for stairs or the addition of accessibility features such as stairlifts, elevators and other home modifications you would have to make in order to bypass stairs.

Ideal communities for retirement living

Many bungalow communities are built with seniors in mind. This will also entail a village plan where there will be a minimum of climbing (no hills on site, etc.) to make it ultimately accessible and easy for seniors (and people who are close to retirement). These are also ideal for people with health issues such as a disability. Purchasing a retirement bungalow is also ideal for people in their senior years with bad knees, heart issues or other related health problems, or who anticipate the advent of health problems. Some are simply downsizing from a larger home and really only need a one or two bedroom bungalow, where everything you need is found on one floor. 

In terms of cost and lifestyle, there is a wide variety of bungalow style communities you can move into ranging from retirement parks with /mobile homes, up to gated communities, where bungalows are among the styles you can choose from. Ontario is also home to a growing number of gated retirement communities; some of these include bungalows or ranch-style homes, where you can live in easy, secured retirement. Learn more about Ontario gated communities.  

Re-invest in real estate as you change your lifestyle

Many active lifestyle senior bungalow communities offer the best overall return on investment for people who move here. If you are downsizing from a larger home but still want retain the best investment in your primary place of residence, this is a very good way to go.

Be sure to look around at various options around the province. Active seniors' communities in smaller communities throughout the province often offer this resort-style living in a community where real estate prices are significantly lower than what you will pay in larger centres like the GTA, Waterloo, or Ottawa. These smaller communities (many of them well represented in the listings above) offer the laidback lifestyle you hope for in retirement, while also offering the best in seniors living. These are a reasonable initial investment in that old investing staple, real estate, combined with the idyllic retirement life you are looking for. Many of these communities are listed among our best places to retire in Southwestern Ontario. You'll find bungalow communities in cities and towns from across the province, from the shores of Georgian Bay to Ottawa to the Greater Toronto Area to Lake Huron. 

Thinking ahead to the long term advantages of bungalow-living, as you age

Typically, when you purchase a home, it is going to be your place of residence for several years to come. You may not be looking at the future as you move, but here are a variety of hidden advantages to moving into a bungalow, as your retirement home:

• Bungalows make it easier for you to have your accessibility-challenged friends over. Over time, more people you know will have health issues and may take on mobility challenges that make being on one floor so much more convenient.
• Bungalows reduce the greatest danger as you age: the danger of falling. Many people who end up in a retirement home, move there after a fall. Many falls happen on stairways or sloping surfaces.
• They will reduce your future costs of home improvements. Stairlifts, in-home elevators and other accessibility add-ons are unnecessary.