Is downsizing right for you? Twelve questions to ask first.

Why start here

People who regret downsizing almost always say the same thing: they did it for one reason, and it turned out the other reasons mattered more. They moved for the money and missed the neighbours. They moved to be near the grandchildren and found the grandchildren were at school all day. The cure is boring but it works: know all your reasons before you act on any of them.

The twelve questions

1. What is the one thing about this house that is hardest now? The stairs, the garden, the bills, the emptiness, the distance from people. Name it. If you cannot name one, that is a finding.
2. Would that thing be fixed by a smaller home, or by something else? A stairlift costs £2,000 to £5,000; a move costs £20,000 or more. A gardener costs £20 an hour. Sometimes the answer is help, not a move. Alternatives.
3. How much money would a move actually release, after costs? Not "the house is worth £450,000". The real number, with agent, solicitors, stamp duty and removals taken out. Run it.
4. What would you do with the money? Live on it, gift it, invest it, sit on it for care later. Each points to a different amount you need and a different kind of home.
5. Where are the people who matter? Family, close friends, the GP who knows you, the club, the church. Draw a circle on a map. How far outside it are you willing to go?
6. If your health changed in five years, could you still live in the new place? Stairs, bath, distance to a bus and a shop. Choose for the person you may become, not only the person you are. Future-proofing.
7. Who else has a say, and have you asked them? A partner who is quietly not keen. Children with opinions about their childhood home, or about the money. Early conversations are easier than late ones. The family conversation.
8. What would you genuinely miss? Write it down. Then ask which of those things could come with you (the piano, the dog, the routine) and which cannot (the view, the neighbour, the garden you planted).
9. Are you running towards something or away from something? Both are fine, but a move made in the months after a bereavement or a diagnosis deserves an extra six months of thought. The emotional side.
10. Could you rent for a year in the new place first? Selling and renting for a while costs money and means moving twice, but it is the only way to find out whether you like a town, a flat or a village before you buy.
11. What is the timeline? "Some day" means never. "Before winter" means panic. Most good moves take a year from decision to keys.
12. If you did nothing for five years, what would happen? Sometimes the answer is "not much", and that is a reason to wait. Sometimes it is "we would be forced into it, in a hurry, on someone else's terms", and that is the strongest reason of all to plan now.

What the answers tell you

If the honest answers cluster around money, you are looking for a home that costs a good deal less and does not carry service charges. If they cluster around health and upkeep, you are looking for the right kind of home, and price matters less. If they cluster around people and place, you are looking for a where, and the what will follow. Most people are a mix, which is why the numbers and the ups and downs are the next two things to read.

The free Is Downsizing Right for Me? checklist puts these questions on one printable page, with a scoring column, so two of you can fill it in separately and compare.

A note on the numbers. Tax thresholds, benefit limits and typical costs are correct as far as we know at the time of writing (2026) and, unless we say otherwise, are for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ in places. Rules change and your circumstances matter. This is information, not advice: check the current position and talk to a solicitor, an FCA-authorised adviser or a tax professional before you act.