Downsizing is not just for baby boomers or empty nesters. Many younger couples are looking to lighten their cost of living. When looking for a home to downsize into or your dream home to live in for a long time, many home features that you wouldn't think of when buying a home need to be considered. Read on for more detailed information on what you would need in a downsizing perfect home.
If you are considering downsizing to make your life easier, keep these downsizing home tips in mind when looking for that perfect home.
Jump to:
- Make sure the home will function at any age.
- The bedroom is on the first floor.
- Easy access to the house.
- Ensure the doors, showers, and faucet handles are easy to manage.
- Bedrooms are large enough to fit a bed and at least enough room for two nightstands.
- Easy to reach closets or get in and out of walk-in closets.
- Have Plenty of Places to Store Things.
- Open space in the bathrooms and kitchens
- Pull Out Drawers in the Kitchen and Bathroom
- Railing on both sides of the staircases if you have stairs
- Pick a home in a central location to where you shop.
- Look for a crawlspace instead of a basement if possible.
- Easy to maintain landscaping.
- Gardening while standing.
Make sure the home will function at any age.
Unfortunately, not all homes are comfortable to live in at any age. When you walk into the house, what will you need over the years? You may not know everything you need over the years, but list the essentials. Here are some examples: a medium-sized kitchen with an eating area, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large living room.
The bedroom is on the first floor.
This tip is a biggie. Many newer homes now have a primary bedroom on the first floor. But if your potential home doesn't, see if there is a room you could change into a primary bedroom later on if needed. This will help if you can't reach the second floor or have a parent move in.
Easy access to the house.
If your prospective home has too many steps to enter, see if there are other ways to enter the house. Making yourself aware of these different ways into the home will give you alternatives if something happens that you can't use the main entrance. Adding ramps to your entryways is expensive, so considering alternative ways to enter is a significant cost saver.
Ensure the doors, showers, and faucet handles are easy to manage.
I found this one to be very frustrating. The handles in a relative of mine's home were so challenging to move that as my relative got older, she had more issues turning on essential items, like a shower or faucet. Doors that can't open or have problems opening could be a significant safety hazard when one ages.
Bedrooms are large enough to fit a bed and at least enough room for two nightstands.
Ensure the room can fit your bed, plus at least 4 feet of space around the bed. This will help if you need a wheelchair later in life. If you have smaller kids, ensure their rooms fit at least a full-size bed. Kids get older and will probably need a full-size bed before leaving for college. We had this issue with my daughter, who still has a twin in her room because the room doesn't fit a full-size bed comfortably.
Easy to reach closets or get in and out of walk-in closets.
Look for a closet that is either a walk-in that allows accessibility to the back corners of the closet or one where you can reach into it works nicely. Any closet that you can't utilize the corners inside the closet is a waste of space.
For more detailed tips, visit our THE ULTIMATE CLOSET ORGANIZATION TIPS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS post.
Have Plenty of Places to Store Things.
Check out places under the stairs and see if you can repurpose the area for storage. Check the attic space to see if you can expand into them later. There could be space in other places, like a shed (Affiliate Link) or garage (Affiliate Link), that are too small for anything but storage, so keep those areas in mind for a future area to store items.
Check out our post HOW TO FIND WASTED STORAGE SPACES IN YOUR HOME for more tips!
Open space in the bathrooms and kitchens
Years ago, I had a client who built her bathroom and made it so narrow that when she needed more assistance, the people who assisted her had a hard time. Make sure you have at least 4 feet around the toilet. And the kitchen needs to be wide enough, too. The 3-foot wide rule works nicely. This rule says you have at least 3 feet of space around the kitchen to avoid hitting anything.
Pull Out Drawers in the Kitchen and Bathroom
Having pull-out drawers will help keep things at your fingertips. As you get older, you do not want to go down on your knees to get something in the back of a cabinet.
Buy Now → (Affiliate Link)
Railing on both sides of the staircases if you have stairs
You may not think this is a problem for a home, but if you have to rely on the railing to walk upstairs, it is an important one. If there isn't an additional railing, check to make sure the wall can support a railing for future use.
Pick a home in a central location to where you shop.
The location is essential. You don't want to be in an area that doesn't allow easy access to everything you need. This tends to be hard to figure out long-term, especially in a newly developing area. Research the trend for that area by looking up real estate history to see if there is a boom in expansion. If you can rent for a little while, that helps, too.
Look for a crawlspace instead of a basement if possible.
While a cellar is great for storage, as you get older, it may become a clutter magnet and will probably be an issue when you can't get to the basement any longer. However, a crawlspace will limit the space to the upper levels and force you to clean out the space of clutter more regularly.
Make sure that the ground is level.
Walk around the home and see if any hazards may be an issue when walking outside at night or during the day. Jot down areas that may need to be worked on right away. Some homes may have a walkout basement with steps. Check the steps and make sure they are sturdy for you.
Update 2024:
Easy to maintain landscaping.
Making sure the landscaping is super easy to maintain is best. Trees should be farther away from home if there is a problem and the trees fall. Pick trees that are indigenous to the area.
Gardening while standing.
If you love to garden, having a lot of raised garden beds makes it easier for your legs and back while tending to the garden. Having ones with wheels will help move them. Below are some examples.
Raised Garden Bed on Wheels, Wood Planter Box with Legs
Buy Now →
Raised Garden Bed, Metal Mobile Elevated Planter Box with Wheels
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
Well, there you have it; while these are not the only things to look for in your dream downsizing home, they are the ones that will make your home more usable for a more extended period. I hope this helps you downsize your home and make your life more affordable.
But wait, here are more: find perfect home tips from other experts about downsizing.
12 Things to Never, Ever Throw Out When You're Downsizing
Here are some of my other posts on the topic of downsizing.
Benefits to Downsize Your Home
Benefits of Living in a Smaller Home
10 Tips for Organizing An Older Adult's Home
Tips To Help Your Parents Decide if Downsizing is right for them
Phoenicia says
Great post Sabrina!
We are planning to upsize as we currently live in a tiny home - 659 square feet. I think we would win the Guinness book of Records for the world's smallest bathroom! I wish we had opted for more space when we moved a decade ago. We had no children then and did not envisage two extra bodies with clothes, shoes, toys and other clutter.
John says
My wife and I are looking at getting into a little bit smaller home soon, so I'm glad I found this article. I liked your perspective on how we ought to consider the future when picking out a home since not all homes are comfortable to live in at any age. We'll be sure to do this, especially since my wife is starting to develop arthritis which could impact the layout and floor plan we'll be wanting in the future.
Sabrina Quairoli says
I'm glad this is helpful, John. I hope you both find the perfect house. Good luck and thanks for commenting.
Linda Samuels says
What a great list of things to consider when downsizing...including thoughts about aging in place. I have to admit that when we moved into our home over 30 years ago, we weren't thinking about that. I was just glad to move into a place with running water and heat after living in a loft for quite a while that didn't have those "amenities." But I have to say, that as it turns out, this small home is our "perfect" place to age in place (if that will be possible.) It's a one story home, no basement or attic. Our master bath is handicap accessible, thanks to the original (and previous) owners. It's very much of an open plan with lots of light and communal space. Let's just say that if we don't have to move, I can see living here always. But then again, as small as our home is, sometimes I fantasize about living in one of those "tiny houses." 🙂
Sabrina Quairoli says
You are very lucky. We don't think about these downsizing features when are younger. I know that someday, we will need to move. We have too many steps in our house.
Jill Robson says
Looking for a home close to where you shop. especially as you age is an important consideration.
Sabrina Quairoli says
I found this one is very important when we age. We can't easily get to places so being near some stores you visit on a regular basis really makes a difference.
Seana Turner says
I totally agree about the bathroom space. I had a situation where the client used a walker and it was almost impossible to get into the bathroom and get turned around. Think ahead... don't feel weird about measuring or bringing a walker in to see how it fits!