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‘Love It or List It’ star Hilary Farr’s tips for getting your home ready for retirement

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(Sonia Recchia/Getty Images for PANDORA)

Have you started thinking about retirement?

According to RBC, 73 per cent of Canadians have no idea what they will do when they retire. Even a third of those within four years of retirement age haven’t figured out what they’ll do with the 2,000 hours of hours they’ll soon have at their fingertips once they stop working.

In response, RBC created an interactive website that lets customers design their future by setting retirement priorities. Interestingly, they found that two thirds of Canadians planned to stay in their homes.

“I recently worked with a couple in their mid-’50s who upsized,” Hilary Farr, interior designer and co-host of “Love It or List It” tells Yahoo Finance Canada. "They’re the first people I’ve ever had that said, ‘we need to make this house that we head out feet first.‘”

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Because more and more Canadians are choosing to stay in their homes, we asked Farr to share some tips on what you can do now to get your home ready for retirement.

Kitchens

“Countertops can be a real issue,” Farr explains. “They often are too high and have sharp edges that can seriously harm you if you’re a bit staggery.”

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(Instagram/thegiftedfew)

Instead of totally ripping out the kitchen, which can get really pricey, Farr suggests lowering counters a little and rounding off the edges.

“They’re usually finished with granite on top at around 36 inches and that’s going to feel completely out of reach if you’re ever in a situation where you’re not fully mobile. Lowering them will still look good and allow you more flexibility down the line.”

Flooring

“If there’s carpet everywhere, that’s a hazard,” Farr says.

While carpet may seem cozy on the feet, it can cause you to trip or prevent you from using a mobility device like a wheelchair or walker. Farr suggests sticking to hard surfaces and limiting area rugs.

“If you have them, make sure they’re designed so that you can roll them up when the time comes.”

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(Instagram/luxelivinginteriors)

For stairs, bare wood can be slippery and dangerous so make sure there’s a runner to help prevent any unnecessary injuries now or later.

Lighting

“Most people tend to have a lot of ‘mood’ lighting in their homes,” Farr explains. “There are probably a lot of floor lamps and cool pendants that give you enough lighting now, but it won’t necessarily be enough as you get older.”

There are a few key areas of the home that should be well lit. A big one is the stairs and staircase. In general, the more lighting upgrades you can make your home now, the better it will be in the long run.

Family room

"I would renovate your family room because that’s where you’re going to be spending the majority of your time during the daylight hours.”

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(Instagram/jla_designs)

Now that you’re not working, you’re likely spending more time at home, which means spending more time in principal rooms. Why not make it your favourite room in the house?

Farr suggests looking into adding a fireplace, putting in new floors and finding a really amazing sectional.

“In the end you have a really fabulous room but you won’t have spent as much as if you had worked on a kitchen or bathroom.”