Your Home, Your Way

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How one couple “flipped” over their new home at Blue Skies of Texas

Imagine living in over twenty apartments in two decades, all after retirement. It was just crazy enough to work for Ron and Carolyn Paget, a couple who now reside at Blue Skies of Texas. Neither high-rise living nor customizing an apartment was new to them. They’ve spent their post-retirement life investing in real estate, fixing it up and then re-selling at a profit. The practice is known as “flipping” and for many years it was their labor of love. In fact, one of their high rise ocean front condos was featured in an HGTV episode.

When the two moved to Blue Skies of Texas, they had the unique opportunity to strip the apartment down to the studs and rebuild it to their liking. Since they plan on staying put, they wanted a home they could make their own. While the community has many floor plans to choose from, they selected a smaller floor plan in The Hi-Rise on East Campus because they felt it best suited their needs.

Ron and Carolyn had visited Blue Skies of Texas off and on for several years before committing. Carolyn has Texas roots and San Antonio was always a place they enjoyed visiting. “One of my old friends, her father had lived here, and she said it was like summer camp for seniors. I went home and told Ron about it and then we came out and saw it. We came about once a year for a few years, but we just weren’t ready to make that transition yet,” Carolyn explained.

A clean slate

Once they decided it was time to make their move, they knew Blue Skies of Texas was the right place for them. Though they had extensively toured the West campus, they were drawn to some of the staged apartments they saw during a tour-of-homes event in The Hi-Rise on East Campus. It gave them a clearer picture of how rooms could be arranged.

“When you visit the campus, you get a better feel for what the apartments are like. Seeing an empty apartment can make it hard to envision that it could be this cozy or attractive.” Carolyn said.

They’re no strangers to downsizing. Over the course of twenty years, the couple pared down their belongings through what they called “Preferred Customer Sales,” in which they’d let their adult children take whatever they wanted or needed. What they found with flipping homes was that they really liked the process of reimagining and furnishing a space. Often people would buy apartments from them fully furnished. When they arrived at Blue Skies in March of F20, what little furniture they had they were able to store in an open apartment while theirs was being renovated.

The previous owner of their apartment had been a resident of Blue Skies of Texas for a very long time and as such, the apartment was due for a makeover before the Pagets moved in. “We saw so much potential when they showed us this apartment,” they said. The Pagets worked with the Capital Projects team at Blue Skies to create a living space just right for them.

They moved to Blue Skies a few months before their apartment was ready. They were back in their element as active participants in the design process for the apartment renovation. While their new home was under construction, they got to work on selecting furniture because they came with almost none.

“We ordered all our furniture online from places like Ikea. The Catered Living team here actually came and put a bookshelf and some other things together for us. I bought a coffee table at the White Elephant resale shop here and painted it myself, I was provided with a little workspace in which I can do that,” Carolyn said.

The Pagets prefer small living at this stage of their life. They made some strategic design choices when reimagining their apartment. “We had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted to do, so we took our ideas to the design team here,” Ron explained. “We got to know them all and they’re great guys. They worked from March until July 15, 2020, and then we moved in.”

Carolyn elaborated on how they made the space truly their own, “Well, I don’t have a bathtub, but I’d rather have a linen storage closet; it’s little things like that. I got to choose how I wanted to use this space. What kind of shower did I want? A big shower or a small shower? I also got to pick out colors and surfaces; everything was my choice. Of course, I had them install certain kinds of hardware and light fixtures I wanted, but it really wasn’t that much extra.”

There’s no place like home.

The pair is right at home in The Hi-Rise on East Campus. They love the sprawling view they have of San Antonio’s city lights and the rolling Texas Hill Country. Their bright and open one-bedroom apartment allows them to enjoy all the luxuries of living in a resort.

“We have a lot of friends. That’s the most important thing we like about Blue Skies. The people who live and work here are wonderful. I haven’t met one person I do not like.” Ron said. The two say they love being able to go down to the main floor and run into friends with whom to chat. After twenty apartments, the Pagets have finally found their forever home.

If you’re thinking about retirement living but aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to help. Give one of our helpful Life Care advisors a call today at 210-673-2761, or visit our website to learn more.