When Is the Right Time to Downsize Your Home?

Dusty Rhodes • January 5, 2026

Downsizing your home is a major decision, and the right moment to act is not always obvious. The best time to downsize is whenever your current home no longer aligns with your financial, lifestyle, or personal needs. It’s less about the market and more about your life stage. But deciding to downsize can be hard, and leaving a home filled with cherished memories can bring heartache. 


So, when is the right time to downsize? If owning your home in Seattle, WA, or renting a house in Portland, OR, has brought more stress and worry than joy in recent years, the time may be right to downsize into something smaller. In this Redfin real estate article, we’ll explore how, by considering financial, emotional, and maintenance factors, you can determine if now is the perfect time to trade your large property for a smaller, more manageable space.


Financial signs you should consider downsizing


Your finances often provide the clearest signal that it is time to downsize. Carrying a large mortgage or facing ever-increasing utility and maintenance bills can put unnecessary strain on your budget.

  • High maintenance costs: Is your maintenance budget constantly being stretched by repairs on a large or older home? The costs of running and maintaining unused square footage add up significantly over time. Downsizing can drastically reduce these expenses, freeing up money for other goals.
  • Nearing or entering retirement: Many people choose to downsize right before or as they enter retirement. This is an excellent opportunity to reduce housing payments, eliminate your mortgage, and unlock home equity. As Patricia Cavanaugh of The 3rd Act, a retirement planning service for seniors, says, “It’s time to downsize when your personal possessions and material goods are weighing you down and preventing you from making room for your new retirement lifestyle.”
  • Desire to free up equity: Selling a larger, more expensive home and buying a smaller one means you will have a substantial amount of equity released. This money can be used to travel, invest, or simply create a more secure financial cushion for the future.


Lifestyle and emotional indicators


Beyond money, your day-to-day life is a powerful indicator of whether a smaller home makes sense. The way you use your space can reveal if your home is now too big for your needs. Living a simpler life may offer helpful benefits to your emotional and mental health. 

  • Becoming an empty nester: When your children move out, you might find yourself with multiple unused bedrooms and living areas. This space not only costs money to maintain and heat, but it can also feel unnecessary. Downsizing to a cozier home allows you to repurpose that space and focus on a new, simpler chapter.
  • Too much unused space: Walk through your home and identify rooms you rarely or never use. If you have rooms that feel like storage areas rather than functional living spaces, it is a sign that your home is simply too large for your current lifestyle. Downsizing allows you to live more efficiently.
  • A simpler, less demanding life: Large properties require a lot of effort to clean, maintain, and landscape. If you are starting to feel burdened by the chores associated with your home, downsizing to a smaller house or a low-maintenance condo can dramatically improve your quality of life. This trade-off gives you more time for hobbies or relaxation.


What about the housing market?


While your personal situation is the most important factor, the market can influence your timing. The best financial time to downsize is generally when your current home’s value is high. This allows you to maximize the profit from the sale, which directly translates to more funds for your smaller purchase.


However, remember that when sale prices are high, so are purchase prices. A good real estate agent can help you analyze the market to find a sweet spot where you achieve the best outcome on both transactions.


Making the move


Once you decide it is the right time to downsize, the next big step is to declutter. This process can be the most time-consuming part of the move. Leaving an old home can be an emotional process, so the best approach is to start early and be ruthless about what you truly need. Focus on organizing, donating, and selling items well before you list your property.


Frequently asked questions:


What is the main benefit of downsizing?

The main benefit is financial: Reducing your monthly expenses, cutting utility and maintenance bills, and freeing up a significant amount of home equity.


Will downsizing definitely save me money?

In most cases, yes. While the cost of moving and closing on a new, smaller home is a factor, the long-term savings from lower property taxes, lower utility costs, and reduced or eliminated mortgage payments almost always result in substantial savings.


What should I do before I list my current home?

The most important step is decluttering and organizing every space. A home that is neat and free of excess belongings shows much better to potential buyers and makes your eventual move much easier.




Source: Redfin


Dusty Rhodes Properties is the Best Realtor in Myrtle Beach! We do everything in our power to help you find the home of your dreams. With experience, expertise, and passion, we are the perfect partner for you in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We love what we do and it shows. With more than 22 years of experience in the field, we know our industry like the back of our hands. There’s no challenge too big or too small, and we dedicate our utmost energy to every project we take on. We search thousands of the active and new listings from Aynor, Carolina Forest, Conway, Garden City Beach, Longs, Loris, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island, and Surfside Beach real estate listings to find the hottest deals just for you!

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By Dusty Rhodes • September 21, 2026
NAR says introducing competition into the credit scoring process has the potential to lower costs, improve efficiency and open the door to more qualified home buyers. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are moving forward with updated credit scoring models for all forms of mortgage lending. The announcement was made by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. Pulte. The FHA followed suit announcing it would accept Vantagescore and a new FICO score beginning in 2027. The move builds on Pulte’s announcement last year that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would begin testing VantageScore 4.0 as part of the mortgage underwriting process. The National Association of REALTORS® welcomed the change, saying a more modern approach to evaluating credit could broaden access to mortgage financing. The updated models may be particularly helpful for consumers with limited traditional credit histories, giving more prospective buyers an opportunity to qualify for a mortgage. “The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s announcement marks an important step forward in modernizing the mortgage marketplace,” says NAR Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Shannon McGahn. “For years, the National Association of REALTORS® has advocated for a more competitive and innovative credit scoring system, one that better reflects how consumers manage their financial lives today.” VantageScore 4.0 was created by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and is designed to evaluate credit behavior over time. The model can also incorporate certain payment information that has historically received less consideration in credit scoring, including rental, utility and telecommunications payments. Consumers who consistently make those payments on time could benefit from having that information reflected in their credit profiles. The Fair Isaac Corporation, commonly known as FICO, is working to implement its own modern score. “Introducing competition into the credit scoring process has the potential to lower costs, improve efficiency and open the door to qualified borrowers who may have been overlooked under older models,” McGahn says. “By allowing multiple credit scoring models that consider rent, utility and other payment histories, this policy can provide a fuller picture of a borrower’s creditworthiness and open the door to homeownership for more Americans.” NAR says the availability of additional credit scoring models could increase competition within the credit reporting industry while potentially improving accuracy and reducing costs. NAR will also continue to monitor the mortgage market and the experiences of lenders and consumers as these models are implemented to help ensure they are working as intended. This includes evaluating how the models affect access to credit, accuracy and consistency in mortgage underwriting and the broader homeownership market.  For more information, visit fhfa.gov/policy/credit-scores.