Is it the Right Time to Downsize Your Home?

In 2010, the average size of a new home was 2,169 square feet. That’s over a 1000 square foot increase in the last 30 years. A large home can be nice, especially when you’re raising a family. However, if your kids are now grown or you’re just tired of cleaning and maintaining all that space, you may be thinking about downsizing to a smaller home.

However, selling your home and buying a smaller one is a big commitment. To be sure that you are ready to move to a smaller place and before putting your home on the market or shopping for one, take an earnest look at your reasons for making this change.

You may have rooms you never use. Do you find yourself wondering why you even have a formal dining room, or when you’ll ever use that fourth bedroom again? Your home should suit your lifestyle. So, if your formal dinner party days are over and your current home no longer makes sense, it might be time to downsize.

Upkeep on a larger home is time consuming.  Extra rooms and a large yard need regular cleaning and maintenance.  Significant dollars spent on hiring help for extensive landscape and lawn care, systems inspections and other maintenance or repairs can be a cash drain for spaces rarely used.

Your family and friends may have already moved out of your neighborhood and into smaller homes or city condos. When the people you care about and socialize with have moved on with their lives, it may be time for you to move on, too.

Accessibility will eventually become an issue. That second floor master suite may no longer be optimal and a smaller, one-story home, designed for easy access, could be exactly what you need for prolonged independence.

Fortunately, if you are ready to downsize, now is a great time to do it. Home prices are affordable, and mortgage interest rates are at historical lows. If your downsize time has arrived and you’re ready for a new chapter of life in a new home, contact me  at any time and we can discuss how I can help you to make that transition more easily. 

Patty Ross
Sotheby's International Realty 
831-236-4513
pattyre@comcast.net www.pattyrosscarmel.com

Photo courtesy of Lonnie Bradley, Stock.XCHNG