The Rules of Downsizing (Part 8): How to Know When It Is Time to Downsize

One of the most common questions I hear in client meetings is also the one that people find hardest to answer:

“How do you actually know when it is time to downsize?”

It is rarely a single moment. It is usually a slow collection of hints that gradually become harder to ignore. And because downsizing touches identity, memory, comfort, and family, most people delay it for years longer than they intended.

After working with countless families, and based on the insights you shared in your original notes, here is what I tell clients who are trying to work out whether it is time to start the next chapter.

The signs are usually already in the house. You just have to know where to look.

1. You Are Only Living in Half the Home

Almost everyone reaches a stage where entire parts of the house quietly shut down.

Bedrooms that have not been used in months.
A formal dining room that has not hosted a dinner in years.
A backyard that slowly becomes too much work.
An upstairs space that feels like a trek.

When you are living in only two or three rooms but paying for the whole house, that is usually the first sign that the home has outgrown your lifestyle.

2. The Maintenance Becomes Its Own Job

This comes up in almost every downsizing conversation.

The gutters, the hedges, the roof, the pool, the painting, the repairs, the weeds, the mowing.
Most people do not realise how much energy their home demands until their energy shifts.

If keeping up the house feels like a burden, or if maintenance is taking more time than joy, your home might be quietly telling you that it is time to make a change.

3. Your Mobility or Health Is Changing

This part is sensitive, but important.

Stairs become more noticeable.
Bathrooms feel less safe.
Carrying heavy groceries up a driveway becomes more of an effort.
The distance to medical support suddenly matters more than it used to.

These changes do not mean you are old. They simply mean you are entering a new life phase where your home should make life easier, not harder.

4. Your Community Has Shifted

One of the strongest predictors of wellbeing in later life is social connection.

But for many clients in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, the neighbourhood slowly changes. Kids who once filled the street have grown up. Close friends have moved. Long-time neighbours have downsized themselves.

When people say, “I do not feel as connected here anymore,” it is often a signal that the home no longer aligns with their social life.

Downsizing to a walkable area, a coastal town, or a closer-to-family location can completely transform this.

5. The Costs No Longer Match the Benefits

A larger home can be a beautiful asset, but only when it supports your lifestyle rather than drains it.

Signs that the financial balance is shifting include:

• higher utilities than you need
• rising council rates
• expensive maintenance
• rooms sitting empty
• the inability to release equity for retirement, travel or health needs

When the home starts costing more than the value it provides, the numbers start pointing to change.

6. You Would Live Somewhere Else If It Were Easy

This is the most honest sign of all.

When I ask clients where they would live if logistics were not an issue, the answer is almost always immediate:

“Near the water.”
“Closer to the kids.”
“Somewhere flatter and easier.”
“A place where I can walk to everything.”
“A lock up and leave lifestyle.”

The gap between where someone lives and where they want to live is often the clearest indicator that it is time to downsize.

7. You Want More Freedom in the Next Ten Years

Downsizing is not about moving to something smaller. It is about moving to a life that gives you more freedom. More time. More energy. More experiences.

When clients tell me:

“I want to travel more.”
“I want a place that is easier to manage.”
“I do not want to spend retirement maintaining a house.”
“I want to enjoy life while I still can.”

That is when we start exploring options.

Because downsizing is not really about property. It is about lifestyle.

8. You Are Thinking About It More Often Than You Admit

If the idea keeps coming up in conversations with family, or quietly sits in the back of your mind, or makes its way into weekend chats, that is usually a sign that you are already preparing for the next stage.

People rarely bring up downsizing unless something inside them knows it is time.

Final Word

You will probably never feel one hundred percent ready to downsize. Most people do not.
But you can feel prepared. You can feel informed. You can feel supported.

The right time to downsize is when the home you are in no longer matches the life you want next.

If you want to talk through:

• the financial implications
• what your options might look like
• where you could move
• what you can afford
• or how to start the process without stress

We are here to help.

Book a complimentary 20-minute session and let’s talk about your next chapter.