Have you considered making your new house handicapped accessible? More and more people are doing just that, says Mark Stinson, manager of Barrier Free Access. "If it's the house you want to live in, it's easier and more practical to have it done right away."

And you can also appreciate, right away, broader halls and wider doors and bigger bathrooms and a roomier kitchen. And more: "A number of products look nice -- not institutional -- and are becoming mainstream. An accessible shower, for example, is easier to use in general."

A bathroom's adaptability can become particularly important. You don't have to install grab bars, but you could put in blocking for them. "People need to consider what they can do now to plan for the future," Stinson says. "It's hard to put a value on the ability to live in your own home."