Seller Advice: Downsize your Home, Scale up your Lifestyle

Moving house is tough – and especially difficult for those who are selling their family homes after their children have all grown up and left home to study, travel or move to their own homes.However, one thing that people in this situation should not worry about is that downsizing will automatically mean a decline in their lifestyle.

Of course it is difficult to part with a much-loved house full of memories, but a smaller, more modern home that is easier to maintain and costs less to run will often actually enable you to enjoy a better quality of life. For a start, you will probably have a lot more time available to travel, visit with family and friends, take up a new sport or hobby, study or even start a new side-business, especially if they move to a security complex or retirement village. In this type of development, paying your levy means that someone else takes care of all the lawn mowing and building maintenance, and your weekends become your own again.

Secondly, you are also likely to have more money left in the bank at the end of every month. Even when you are paying a levy, a smaller home will mean savings on rates and taxes, water and electricity, home maintenance materials and labour, insurance and security. And talking of security, another big plus of downsizing is that it can and usually does mean better personal safety and security, whether the move is to a gated complex, an apartment or a smaller house in a quieter town.

Then finally, it must be said that those with cash in hand from the sale of their family homes are in a powerful position these days when it comes to negotiating the price of their new homes - and in many cases being able to incorporate luxury features that they have always wanted but couldn’t afford while raising a family. Indeed, many of those who are downsizing these days are moving to what the US real estate market calls “jewel box” homes – smaller but very sophisticated homes and apartments that feature exceptional design and top quality finishes as well as a high degree of home automation and many “green” elements.

In many instances, “empty nesters” are joining young millennials in relocating from the suburbs to country towns or urban centres, in search of diverse, friendly, creative communities and the chance to live really close to fresh food markets, coffee shops and restaurants, entertainment venues and recreation facilities.

In short, many are finding that downsizing enables them to embrace a whole new and better lifestyle that is well worth the trouble of giving up their old home and shedding many of the possessions they had accumulated over decades – and many are wishing they had done it even sooner.

Issued by Chas Everitt International
For more information contact
Tel: 011 801-2500
Or visit www.chaseveritt.co.za