What Is Downsizing?

Downsizing is de-cluttering your home, selling it and moving into a state-of-the-art condo, so you can enjoy life, travelling and connecting with friends or family, instead of worrying about all the maintenance and hassle of owning a large home.

How Do I Start Downsizing?

If your attic is filled with trunks of junk or the garage is teeming with tripping hazards, downsizing can feel downright impossible. How can you possibly move out if you feel you can't even move in your own house?

Fortunately, with help and a little willpower, decluttering your life and downsizing your property can be done in a timely, comfortable manner.

First, contact a Vancouver downsizing specialist to discuss your goals. Do you wish to live closer to the grandchildren? Away from the hubub of the city, or right in the thick of it? An accessible ground level suite or a room with a view?

Next, with the the specialist's help, craft a downsizing roadmap. Your specialist will ensure that the process is tailored to your needs, while fitting within your timeline.

Finally, the process begins! By adhering to the downsizing roadmap, attacking clutter is easier and you'll feel great to see space quickly open up! While this goes on, your specialist will also find properties to fit your leaner, meaner lifestyle!

Need directions for your roadmap? I'm always happy to help give the best route, and a few shortcuts too!

Why Should I Downsize?

Considering moving? Let your downsizing specialist know why, and they can help you find a home that fits your unique needs. Here's some popular reasons Vancouver homeowners I've worked with have chosen to downsize.

Freedom

Downsizing puts money in your pocket to travel and enjoy life, taking the time off you deserve.

Taxes & Expenses

Many Vancouver homeowners pay large sums of taxes on homes larger than they need. For every unused or cluttered room, the government takes thousands out of their pockets each year.
And as costs rise, so do the bills for heating those homes.

Mobility & Accessibility

Many people who downsize consider their future mobility. As going up and down the stairs becomes more challenging, so do the chances of accidents. In a large house that makes calling for help from neighbours difficult, a trip or fall can become a very serious medical issue.

Aging In Place

Downsizing your home doesn't mean leaving your neighbourhood. Many homeowners move to a condo in their community, remaining close to neighbours, friends and continuing their social network.

Security

Many homeowners worry their large house is a target for theft. Many criminals prey on seniors, knowing that the size of the person's house and the relative privacy of a detached property makes it hard for neighbours to intervevene or call police.

Downsizing to a condo substantially increases security, making it harder for people to invade homes when the homeowner is away.

My Partner Is Nervous About Downsizing

Leaving a home where we've spents years raising a family, creating cherished, precious moments, is not easy.

But as we've accumulated memories, many of us have accumulated clutter. For some homeowners, downsizing is the opportunity to deal with the clutter, compelling them to rid themselves of unnecessary objects.

For many spouses, it's about the health of their partner, especially when their significant other steps on an unstable ladder to repair the house, or heads out onto a slippery sidewalk to shovel heavy, wet snow.

What Are the Best Places to Downsize in Vancouver?

Often, the best place to downsize is right in your neighbourhood! Many seniors choose to age in place, close to their neighbours, friends and support network.

Having a relationship with a realtor is a great way to keep an eye on condo prices in your neighbourhood.

If you’re looking for the close, neighbourhood feel, the False Creek area’s unique mix of co-op and market housing is popular with seniors, young professionals and budding families. Served by transit, near major roads and closely located to Granville Island, this accessible Vancouver neighbourhood offers people of varying mobility plenty of options for shopping and browsing.

Downsizing to Mount Pleasant is becoming a popular choice, with its reasonably priced townhomes and condos in quiet streets, and close proximity to some of Vancouver’s most offbeat businesses, restaurants and breweries. With easy access to Vancouver’s Broadway, Kingsway and Main Street corridors, and nearby to the upcoming St. Paul’s Hospital, this vibrant area is appealing to the grand parents who out-party their kids.

Thinking of getting away from the city? White Rock is Vancouver’s downsizing destination. With a slightly warmer climate, modern condos and a laid-back, small-town feel, it’s the place for seniors wanting to leave the city, without completely leaving the city.