IS IT TIME TO DOWNSIZE?

Whether you’ve reached a certain age, or your housing needs have changed for other reasons, you may be considering “downsizing” your home.

It’s a big decision, and one many homeowners struggle with.

For some, it’s a reluctance to leave a home filled with memories. For older clients, there’s often a feeling that they are “less able” than they used to be, and that’s not a comfortable feeling for anyone.

Some homeowners consider downsizing just because they’ve always thought they “should” downsize once the kids have left home, or once they’ve retired or reached a certain age.

To help you work through the pros and cons of downsizing, here are a few things to think about.

THE BENEFITS OF DOWNSIZING

  1. You might be able to reduce (or even eliminate your mortgage). If you have a mortgage and downsize to a less expensive home, you could significantly lower your housing costs.
  2. You could add to your nest egg. If you have equity in your home and you buy a home that is less expensive, you could add that money to your nest egg.
  3. Other housing costs may be reduced. Smaller house? Lower utility bills! Your property taxes may be less as well.
  4. You’ll spend less time on home and yard maintenance. And spend more of your free time having fun!

POSSIBLE DISADVANTAGES OF DOWNSIZING

  1. It may take a little while to find your next home, as there is high demand for smaller homes. This happens because our aging population is downsizing, and at the same time millennials are entering the housing market. Their budgets typically mandate smaller homes – the same homes downsizers want to purchase.
  2. Moving can be expensive. Depending on how much you downsize (and how much you take with you), and how far you move, your moving expenses could be an offset to the savings you realize in a downsized home during that first year of ownership. With the changes to the tax laws, you will likely be unable to deduct any of your moving expenses (note: watch for my upcoming post on how the new tax laws can affect homeowners!).
  3. You may regret having less space. If you have children who may “boomerang” and need to move in with you as adults, a smaller home could make this difficult.

Regardless of why you’ve decided it’s time to downsize, our team is here to help. We’ve helped many clients make the downsizing transition a smooth one.

We can offer solutions and suggestions if you’ve decided now is the time to make a move. Let us know how we can help make your next move your best move!

p.s. If you’re getting ready to make a move you’ll want to read my upcoming post on how to write your best possible offer when it comes to the financing contingency!

Marti Reeder, Realtor, Managing Broker