Many Americans 50 and older look around their home and think “The kids are gone; do we really need all this space or I don’t need to be in this big house by myself, it’s time to downsize”. Downsizing may not be simple, painless or financially beneficial; you may not get what you expect for your house because of the real estate market; there’s also emotional pain in scaling back. It’s hard for some to dismantle their lives. If you’re going to sell your house don’t get stuck with 2 houses; don’t buy the new smaller home until you’ve sold the current home. Downsizing doesn’t guarantee savings. Smaller space to heat and cool and lower property tax does mean lower costs, but actually unless you move someplace with a lower cost of living your overall savings will be modest; also some have found it hard to get use to living in smaller quarters.
