Is downsizing to a smaller home right for you?

Whether your kids have recently left home, your life situation’s changed or you just fancy a new start, this article runs through some of the benefits of downsizing that you might not have considered. 

6 Benefits of Downsizing

1. A more suitable home 

While having space is good, having too many spare or extra rooms can make a home feel empty. If your kids have flown the nest, it may make sense to move into a smaller home with the features you need for the next stage of your life. 

A good place to start is to think back to your priorities when you moved into your current home. Are they still priorities? For example, you may have wanted a large garden for the children, but now wish it didn’t need year-round maintenance. Or you may have wanted good connections to your work or to be in a catchment for a particular school. Do those considerations still apply? 

If you wouldn’t be interested in buying your current home today, why not draw up a new set of priorities, and begin exploring what’s available at our latest developments? 

2. Free up money 

That extra space is worth a lot to someone. By moving to a smaller property you could release equity or clear your mortgage, potentially enjoying greater financial freedom. 

Whether you’d like more holidays, are planning for retirement, or want to financially support your children (perhaps through university or in making their first step onto the property ladder), downsizing could be the plan that makes it all possible. 

It’s also worth remembering that if downsizing makes you a cash buyer when it comes to your new home, you’ll likely find the buying process is simpler, smoother and faster.  

3. Cheaper and easier to run

Bigger homes with more rooms obviously tend to cost more to heat, power and maintain. By moving to a new-build home, you may find you pay less each month on most of your bills and will probably see a sizeable reduction in your repair and maintenance costs.

There are also big advantages beyond money, as they will require less commitment and energy in terms of cleaning, gardening and maintaining. And if you’re moving from an older home to something new, you may also discover a world of difference in terms of energy efficiency and comfort. 

If you’d prefer to spend more time focusing on what you want rather than what the house needs, downsizing might just be the answer.  

4. Discovering a new area 

From that historic spa town, to the open countryside, to that place by the sea. 

The time to downsize can be a great opportunity to think about what you want from your life to come. And by giving up some space, there’s a chance you’ll suddenly have a whole array of new areas and postcodes that were previously impractical or beyond your budget.

It's also a great time to consider whether your new home will be suitable as you as you get older. How far is it from the doctor’s surgery? Is it located where you want to be, so that family can easily visit and provide support if and when it’s needed? 

Take some time to think about what sort of property you want and can afford, and then start exploring places you’d really like to live on our new home search. 

 5. A fresh mindset

The home is where so much of our lives are lived. This can make it difficult to leave somewhere so tied up with our individual and family memories, achievements and identity – even when we know it’s no longer the right place to be. 

But a fresh start can sometimes be good for everyone. By leaving the past behind, we can give ourselves freedom to live in the present and opportunities to make future plans. While clearing out belongings can certainly be difficult, if you’ve been made aware of the decluttering trend, you’ll also know the process can be incredibly liberating. 

Plus, if you choose a new-build home, you’ll be the very first people to live there so you can personalise it how you want by picking out the kitchen, bathroom tiles and making sure it’s your own before you even move in.

6. Modern, open-plan living

Downsizing doesn’t mean moving into a tiny house. In fact, with a new-build home, you’ll discover everything has been cleverly designed to maximise space. All our homes have well-proportioned, open-plan living areas to ensure there’s still plenty of room for when friends and family come to visit. 

They’re also built with lots of storage space, so although you’ll probably still need to have a bit of a clear out before you move, there’s still plenty of room for your belongings and treasured possessions. 

If you think downsizing is the right move for you, then why not explore our great range of quality properties, including smaller David Wilson Homes specifically designed with downsizing in mind?