Think back to when you moved into your current home. Chances are, you and your spouse were working in your chosen careers. Your children were in school and all of your rooms were bustling with activity. Now, you and your spouse are retired, and the kids are in college or otherwise living on their own. Is it time to rethink the size of your home?

Signs It’s Time to Move to a Smaller Home

Unused Rooms

Do you have several unused rooms in your home? Maybe they were used as bedrooms for your children. Now, they’re filling up with clutter and other dusty, unwanted items. This is a common sign it’s time to look at a new home that can meet your current needs.

A Never-Ending List of Cleaning Duties

Are you overwhelmed with the cleaning tasks in your home? Maybe you find yourself dedicating time to dusting and vacuuming rooms you rarely use. You wish you could spend more time doing things you love and less time cleaning your home.

High Energy Bills

Every room in your home is heated and cooled by your HVAC system. This means you’re still paying to heat and cool rooms in your home even if you don’t use them anymore.

Your House Doubles as a Storage Unit for Family Members

Another sign it may be time to move to a smaller home is your rooms are being used to store the items of family members. For example, you have an adult child who just moved into an apartment but doesn’t have the space for all of his or her books, clothing, electronic equipment, etc. So, one or more of the rooms in your home is being used as a free storage unit.

Staying in Your Home and Making Adjustments

Do any of the signs above sound familiar? If so, you have the option of staying in your current home and making some adjustments. For instance, you could sort through the clutter in your unused rooms and sell it or give it away. Be sure to throw out broken or unsalvageable items.

Another adjustment would be to set a goal to clean just one room per day to limit your cleaning time. You could make a cleaning schedule and put it on your calendar, so you know what you’ve accomplished each week.

Of course, you could always take the plunge and enjoy the benefits of making a fresh start in a smaller, brand-new home!

The Benefits of Moving to a Smaller Home

A Lower Mortgage

Generally speaking, moving to a smaller home likely means you’ll have a lower mortgage payment each month. In short, you won’t be paying for space you’re not using. It will also be much lower in your case because you can use the equity from your current home towards a new one. If you don't have a mortgage anymore, that's even better! You can put the money you’re saving on the mortgage (or any leftover fund from the sale) towards your retirement fund, a fun vacation, a new car or a cool present for the grandkids!

A Reasonable List of Cleaning Tasks

When you have a smaller home, you have less space in need of cleaning! You can dust and vacuum your way through the home and still have time left over to go out and have some fun.

Lower Energy Bills

A smaller home is going to cost less to heat and cool than a larger home with more rooms. So, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re only paying to heat and cool the rooms you use on a daily basis.

Fewer Stored Items

When you move into a smaller home with only the space you and your spouse require, you don’t have extra rooms to use for storage. Living in a smaller home helps you to seriously consider what you want to keep and what you want to give away. This is a definite plus for people who want to keep the clutter to a minimum!

Live Closer to Family

Perhaps some of your adult children are married and have their own kids. Moving to a smaller home can mean choosing a new community closer to your kids and grandkids.

A Home to Fit Your Future Needs

If you decide to go with a smaller home, think about one of our bungalow designs. A bungalow has all of its rooms on one main floor. This arrangement presents lots of unique decorating ideas. This is ideal for people who want to avoid climbing stairs to get to the bedroom and bathroom. For people with mobility issues, a bungalow is not only an appealing option, it’s a practical one.

Everything You Need to Entertain the Grandkids

Our bungalow home designs are ideal for couples who love to entertain their grandchildren. Our homes are located in safe, pleasant neighbourhoods nestled in a natural setting. Some of the fun features in our bungalow home designs include:

• An open kitchen with an island perfect for making snacks and special treats
• A family room ideal for watching movies, playing board games and talking
• A mudroom for storing wet umbrellas, dirty shoes and coats
• A deck for gathering to eat dinner on warm summer evenings
• An optional finished basement complete with rec room

Lastly, if you and your spouse feel ready for a change, we can help you find the right sized home in Calgary that lives up to all of your expectations.