The Truth About Downsizing When You’re Older

Downsizing sounds simple in theory. You sell the larger house, get rid of some belongings, move into a smaller home, and hopefully make life a little easier.

But what is it actually like to downsize when you’re older?

A few months ago, my parents moved out of the home they had lived in for 35 years. My mom is 70, and my dad is 82, and although they didn’t move very far, this was still a huge life change.

They went from a roughly 2,000-square-foot home to a home around 1,500 square feet. They also left behind decades of routines, belongings, memories, and familiarity.

Now that they’ve had a few months to settle in, we’ve been talking about what surprised them most about downsizing, the good and the bad.

And I think their experience shows that downsizing when you’re older isn’t necessarily about finding the smallest house or saving the most money.

Sometimes it’s about creating a life that works better for the stage of life you’re in now.

The Truth About Downsizing When You’re Older:

Downsizing Can Give You a Fresh Start

One of the biggest surprises from my mom’s move was how much the change seemed to revitalize her.

After living in the same home for 35 years, life had become very routine. They knew the house, the neighborhood, and what every day would probably look like.

There is nothing wrong with being comfortable, but sometimes comfort can turn into feeling a little stagnant without us even realizing it.

Moving changed all of that.

Suddenly there were new neighbors to meet, new streets to walk, a new house to arrange, and projects to work on.

My mom said the move has been both mentally and physically stimulating.

And I can see it.

She seems excited about her surroundings again.

Your New Home Can Encourage You to Be More Active

One thing my mom always wanted was a bigger yard.

Their previous house had a very small outdoor area that was mostly concrete. Their new home has a much larger backyard filled with flowers, trees, and plenty of gardening projects.

She is constantly outside pulling weeds, planting, trimming, watering, or figuring out what she wants to do next.

All of that activity has made a noticeable difference.

She actually said she can feel herself getting stronger.

I think this is an important part of downsizing that doesn’t get talked about very often.

We tend to focus entirely on the square footage of the house. But the lifestyle a home gives you can be just as important.

A slightly smaller house with a yard you love, a walkable neighborhood, or space for hobbies might improve your daily life much more than simply choosing the smallest house possible.

Watch The Video About Downsizing Here:

Moving Forces You to Reevaluate Your Belongings

We decluttered a lot before my parents moved, but something interesting happened after the move.

The decluttering didn’t stop.

My mom is still finding things she doesn’t need.

There were items she couldn’t imagine getting rid of before the move that she now looks at and thinks, Why am I keeping this?

Some things don’t fit in the new house. Others aren’t being used. And some of the “just in case” items she used to hold onto no longer feel necessary.

She keeps a pile of things ready to leave the house and continues going through closets and cabinets.

And she isn’t rushing the process.

She thinks it could take a year or more to completely settle into the new home and figure out what they actually want to keep.

I think that’s a much more realistic way to look at downsizing.

You don’t necessarily have to make every decluttering decision before moving.

Sometimes you need to live in your new home before you can see what you actually use.

You May Start Buying Less

Something else I’ve noticed is that my parents aren’t stocking up the way they used to.

In their old house, it was easy to keep backups of everything. If something was useful, buying several and putting the extras away didn’t seem like a big deal.

Now they are much more likely to buy something when they actually need it.

My mom recently ordered two bedspreads online because she wasn’t sure which one she would like.

The first arrived, she put it on the bed, and liked it.

When the second one showed up, she didn’t even open it. She returned it.

That might sound like a tiny thing, but she said she never would have done that before.

In the past, she probably would have kept the extra one because she might use it someday.

Now her thought process is much simpler:

I don’t need it, and I don’t have room for it.

So it goes back.

Downsizing can change more than the amount of stuff you own. It can change the way you think about bringing new things into your home.

Being Closer to Family Can Matter More Than Square Footage

For my parents, one of the biggest reasons for moving was being closer to family.

They actually lived fairly close to us before, only a few minutes away by car.

But surprisingly, even that short drive created a barrier.

Now we’re within walking distance.

We can walk over for five minutes. The kids can stop by. Someone can bring over something the other person needs. My parents can come over without it feeling like we’re making plans for a visit.

It has made our lives feel much more connected.

That has probably been the biggest benefit of the entire move.

When you’re thinking about downsizing later in life, location may matter more than having the perfect house.

Being near family, friends, activities, doctors, stores, or places you enjoy could have a much bigger impact on your quality of life than an extra bedroom ever will.

Downsizing Doesn’t Automatically Save You Money

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about downsizing.

People often assume:

Smaller house = lots of money saved.

That isn’t always true.

My parents sold their previous house and bought their new home for roughly the same amount of money.

Because we live in Southern California and they wanted to stay close to us, moving into a smaller house didn’t mean moving into a significantly cheaper house.

Then there were all of the expenses associated with selling and buying a home.

There were commissions, closing costs, movers, and other moving expenses.

So even though they technically downsized, the move actually cost them money.

Of course, this could be completely different depending on where you live.

Someone selling a home in an expensive area and moving to a lower-cost part of the country might free up a significant amount of money.

But if you’re downsizing within the same expensive area, don’t automatically assume you’re going to walk away with a huge financial gain.

You have to look at the entire cost of the move.

Financial Preparation Matters

My mom also pointed out that they probably wouldn’t have made this move ten years ago.

At that point, there were still too many unknowns.

How much would they travel?

What would retirement look like?

What other expenses might come up?

Now they have a better understanding of their finances and knew they could afford the move.

That’s an important consideration when downsizing later in life.

It isn’t only about whether you can afford the new house.

You also have to consider the transaction costs, moving expenses, repairs, renovations, and your long-term financial needs.

For my parents, knowing they had enough savings made the decision much easier.

Here is how we staged our old home for sale. Lots of work!

Moving Is Physically Harder When You’re Older

This was probably the most obvious downside.

My mom said very clearly that she doesn’t have the strength at 70 that she had at 60.

My dad has slowed down too.

Things they might have lifted or moved themselves ten years ago aren’t as easy anymore.

And getting an entire house unpacked and organized takes longer.

That’s something worth thinking about before deciding to move later in life.

You may need more help than you expect.

That could mean hiring movers, asking family members for help, hiring someone to do repairs, or simply giving yourself much more time.

My mom has learned to say, “I’m going to do one thing today.”

Ten years ago, she probably would have tried to do ten things.

And maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

She’s giving herself permission to settle in slowly instead of feeling like the entire house has to be finished immediately.

We did some projects on the new smaller home right away!

It Takes Time to Learn a New House

Another funny but very real downside has been trying to remember where everything is.

After 35 years in one house, you don’t think about where something belongs.

You just know.

Then suddenly everything has a new home.

My parents are constantly asking each other:

“Do you know where this is?”

“Where did we put that?”

And then comes the scavenger hunt.

My mom will stand there trying to logically reconstruct where she might have put something.

Again, this probably happens at any age, but after decades of living in the same place, adjusting to a completely different setup can take time.

Even months after the move, my mom is still rearranging closets and cabinets as she figures out what makes sense.

A Smaller House Can Still Need a Lot of Work

Another thing to consider is the condition of the house you’re moving into.

My parents didn’t move into a brand-new home.

Their new house had already had some updates, but there were still plenty of things they wanted or needed to change.

They’ve added shelving, worked on closets, made changes in the garage, and adjusted different areas of the house to fit the way they live.

Fortunately, my parents actually enjoy projects, so this has mostly been fun for them.

But not everyone wants to spend their retirement fixing up another house.

If you want a simpler lifestyle with less maintenance, the condition of the home you’re buying should probably be a major consideration.

A smaller fixer-upper might actually create more work than the larger home you’re leaving.

The Right Time to Downsize Is Different for Everyone

One thing that stood out to me during this entire experience is that my parents probably could have moved ten years ago physically.

But mentally, they weren’t ready.

And their lives weren’t ready either.

They didn’t know that we would eventually be living where we live now. They didn’t know exactly what retirement would look like. They weren’t thinking about being within walking distance of their grandchildren.

The opportunity came together at the right time.

That’s why I don’t think there is one perfect age to downsize.

Some people might be ready at 55.

Others might be happy in their longtime home at 80.

The better question might be:

Does my current home still support the life I want to live?

If it does, there may be no reason to leave.

But if maintaining the house has become overwhelming, you’re surrounded by rooms you don’t use, you want to be closer to family, or you’re simply ready for something different, downsizing might open up possibilities you hadn’t considered.

Downsizing Isn’t Just About Getting Rid of Things

Watching my parents go through this process has changed the way I think about downsizing.

It’s easy to see downsizing as a loss.

You’re leaving a longtime home.

You’re getting rid of belongings.

You’re giving up space.

You’re changing routines that may have been part of your life for decades.

But there’s another side to it.

You can gain a new neighborhood.

New routines.

More time with family.

A yard you love.

New projects.

More activity.

And maybe even a new perspective on what you actually need.

For my parents, there have definitely been challenges. Moving at 70 and 82 isn’t easy, and it has taken time to adjust.

But when we compared the pros and cons, the pros clearly won.

The move has given them a fresh start at a stage of life when people sometimes assume you should avoid big changes.

And maybe that’s the biggest truth about downsizing when you’re older.

A smaller home doesn’t necessarily mean a smaller life.

Sometimes letting go of a home, belongings, and routines that no longer fit can make room for an entirely new chapter.