By Setarreh Massihzadegan
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Sometimes the largest life choices are made in one pivotal moment. Such was the case for Marilyn and Fred Pula.
“We looked at each other one day … and said, ‘This is absurd,’” Marilyn Pula says, recalling the moment when she and her husband realized they had outgrown their house. “Everyone in our neighborhood was moving out, and people with young children were moving in. We decided that it was important for us to be in charge of our own destiny.”
A quick search
Soon after the couple started looking to move from their home in Natick, Mass., they landed at Linden Ponds.
“We came over and we looked here and we decided … this was the perfect place for both of us,” Marilyn Pula says. “We never put our names on a priority list; we just walked in the door and put our money down.”
Why move?
The Pulas’ reasons for moving are not uncommon. Many people find as they get older that their neighborhoods are changing and their social opportunities are decreasing. For some, shoveling snow and maintaining a home can become an enormous burden. For others, planning ahead can mean a move.
Before they moved to Linden Ponds, Oliver and Cynthia Rodman were tired of maintaining their Hingham home, and they didn’t want to burden their children if something were to happen to them.
“We didn’t want them to be responsible for older, ailing parents,” Cynthia Rodman says of her forward thinking. “It’s been a very wise move for us,” she adds.
Next steps
Of course, at the point homeowners decide when and where to move, the home selling process begins.
“It is important to take one step at a time, to take a deep breath,” advises Retirement Counselor Marisa Kelley. “There have been tens of thousands of people who have moved to Erickson communities. Keep the reasons for why you’re actually moving in the forefront [of your mind], so you don’t let things stress you out.”