Home: Getting elevated a good thing for boomers

The term sustainable living is being enhanced by a new home feature that used to be earmarked as an extravagance.

The addition of elevators to Central Okangan homes, whether installing the finished product or creating the space for an elevator shaft in an older home, is beginning to have an impact on the local real estate market.

And realtors are beginning to take notice, as the baby boomer generation ages into retirement, many are wanting to remain in their homes long after their mobility becomes limited.

Nazi Khajavi, a local estate agent, said the market trend is clearly placing greater prominence on elevator installations as a desired feature for new homes.

I think people who live in walk-ups and are in a wheelchair or have trouble with stairs, elevators can help accommodate them so they can continue to live in a two-storey home, Khajavi said.

In this market, she says the traditional rancher option that retired folks might have migrated to in the past to eliminate the stairs issue isnt the trend house buyers are necessarily looking for today.

They like the two-storey house primarily because of the views that second floor offers. So if you have an elevator, that opens up access for people who otherwise would be limited to the main floor. Having an elevator opens up the house to those who are mobility challenged. And the other aspect is just the convenience of moving up and down in the house or if you are having to move items around that otherwise would be hauled up or down the stairs, she said.

With a price range that tends to start at about $28,000, Khajavi says right now house prices for people wanting elevators tends to start at about $750,000 and up.

But if the demand continues to increase, she sees that changing, noting that if you are not elderly or in a wheelchair, its not a feature you would think of including in your house.

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Home: Getting elevated a good thing for boomers