Twelve months out: deciding
- Do the self-check and the ups and downs, separately if there are two of you, then compare.
- Get two or three estate agents to value the house. Free, no obligation, and it turns "the house is worth about" into a number.
- Run the money released calculator with real figures.
- Talk to the family. Reasons first, plan second, money on the table. How.
- Look at the alternatives honestly. If a stairlift and a gardener solve it, stop here.
- If you receive any means-tested benefit, check what a lump sum would do. Benefits.
Nine months out: where and what
- Decide the area. Visit it on a wet weekday as well as a sunny Saturday. Rent there for a while if you are not sure.
- Visit three very different kinds of home: a bungalow, an ordinary flat, a retirement development. You will learn what you actually want. Types of home.
- Write the "must have" list: level access, a shower, a bedroom for visitors, a bus, whatever it is. And the "would be nice" list, separately.
- Start the clear-out with the loft, the garage and the shed. Decluttering a lifetime.
Six months out: getting ready to sell
- Choose an agent (interview two or three; negotiate the fee; ask for a marketing plan). Selling the family home.
- Choose a solicitor who does lots of later-life moves. Get a fixed-fee quote in writing for the sale and the purchase.
- Get the EPC done and gather the paperwork: title deeds if you have them, guarantees, planning and building regulations certificates, boiler service records.
- Do the small jobs that make a house sell: paint, garden, declutter the rooms, fix the dripping tap.
- Make or update your will and set up lasting powers of attorney. A solicitor can do all three at once.
- If you might need a mortgage, talk to a broker now. Mortgages in later life.
Three months out: on the market
- Go live. Be out for viewings; agents sell better without the owner in the room.
- Keep viewing homes. Register with agents in the new area and set alerts on the portals.
- Book three removals quotes, including packing. Ask for a survey visit; they will tell you how much you have to move, which concentrates the mind.
- Continue the clear-out: one room a week. Sell, give, donate, recycle.
Offer accepted: the legal bit (8 to 12 weeks)
- Instruct the solicitor for both transactions. Answer their questions the same day; delays are nearly always paperwork.
- Book a survey on the new home. Ask the surveyor specifically about anything that would matter for later life.
- Give your solicitor the retirement development's lease and accounts if that is what you are buying, and ask for a one-page summary of the fees.
- Agree completion dates that give you a few days' overlap if you can, so you are not moving on one frantic day.
- Line up: buildings insurance from exchange, mail redirection, utilities, broadband at the new place (often the slowest).
The final fortnight
- Pack a "first night" box and a "first week" case and keep them in the car.
- Label boxes by room in the new home, not the old one.
- Photograph the meters, the rooms, the garden.
- Say goodbye properly: neighbours, the house, the garden. The emotional side.
After: settling in
The admin (council, DWP, HMRC, DVLA, GP, pension providers, bank, insurance), the neighbours, the clubs. Moving day and settling in has the list. Give yourself six months before you judge the move.
The free Downsizing Step by Step PDF is this timeline as a tick-list, on two pages, for the fridge door.
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.
Quick answers
How long does downsizing take?
About a year from decision to keys is comfortable. The sale and purchase themselves take three to five months from going on the market; the thinking, the clear-out and the family conversations take the rest.
What is the best time of year to sell?
Spring and early autumn are the busiest markets. But downsizers are less tied to school terms than families, and a well-presented home sells in any month.
What should I do first?
Get the house valued. It costs nothing, and it turns a vague idea into real numbers you can plan with.
Get the free downsizing checklists.
Six printable PDFs: the self-check, the ups and downs worksheet, the step-by-step plan, the money planner, the gifting-a-deposit guide and the room-by-room declutter list. Free, in your inbox in a minute.