Lifestyle
Almost 65, She Bought a Rundown 1981 Apartment Instead of a Newer One. Then She Explained Why: “Just Because I’m 65 Doesn’t Mean That All of That Stops”
By Curtis Jones · November 6, 2026
Most housing advice after 60 pushes newer, easier, and already finished. Raina, who posts as small retired life, chose the opposite: a never-renovated 1981 apartment she would have to bring back to life herself.
She places the purchase “at the age of almost almost 65” in a video posted Oct. 13, 2026 on her YouTube channel (@smallretiredlife). The building, she said, was “built in 1981” and “never renovated.” The unit itself, she said, “apartment was in a very rundown state.” She sold her current home to take on the work.
She explains the choice and the renovation mindset in her video on YouTube.
The second beat is why she bothered. Near the end of the episode she said, “just because I’m 65 doesn’t mean that all of that stops.” Dreams, projects, and the wish to shape a home did not end at a birthday. The rundown apartment was a way to keep building rather than coast.
Her decision sits against a housing pattern researchers already track. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies reports that homeownership among older adults can bring maintenance responsibilities and costs, and that many older homeowners live in older houses. The 2023 Housing America’s Older Adults report also notes that older adults who do move often cite housing reasons, including a desire for cheaper, newer, or better housing. Raina’s path flips the newer preference: she chose older stock she could remake. AARP’s 2024 Home and Community Preferences survey, as reported by HousingWire, found that 75% of adults 50 and older want to stay in their current homes as they age, while nearly half expect to relocate at some point, with property maintenance among the cost drivers. Raina relocated into a project, not away from one.
A few practical points if you are weighing a fixer later in life:
Price the renovation work along with the purchase price. A 1981 unit that was never renovated can hide plumbing, electrical, and accessibility costs that erase a low sticker price.
Match the project to your energy. Raina’s line about age 65 is motivational. It is not a dare. Stairs, dust, and contractor delays are real.
Keep a reserve. Selling one home to buy another leaves less room for overruns. A cash cushion matters more on a renovation than on a turnkey condo.
Ask what stopping would actually mean for you. For her, stopping meant giving up projects. For someone else, stopping heavy renovation may be the wiser call.
Document as you go. Photos and receipts help with insurance, taxes, and future buyers if the apartment is not forever.
Raina’s tour is one person’s bet that a rundown 1981 apartment still had a future in it. She was almost 65 when she bought it. She said being 65 did not mean the rest of her plans had to stop. That is her standard. Yours can be quieter, smaller, or already finished. The useful part is the permission she gives herself to keep choosing.
This article is for general information and is not financial or legal advice. This article was produced with the assistance of AI and fact-checked against the sources cited by LightWave Reports.