Are most people still downsizing?

[TwoMisfits]

See that's what I am saying. Our family home is ~1600 square feet (although I don't think that counts the unfinished basement). There isn't much smaller I'm willing to go, honestly.

My townhome is 1440 ft (that does not count the basement or the deck - it's 720ft per level) - 6 of us are happy in it, but I don't see going smaller later. If anything, I'd keep the same size if I move, but look for one floor living...and then I'd rent this b/c tons of people would want this place...

 

[VandVsmama]

Not interested in downsizing or moving. Moved into this house a tad over 4 yr ago. It's 1 story, tile floors in all the common areas, floor plan is THE best floor plan we've ever lived with, just the right # of bedrooms (3 + 1 office). 3 car tandem garage. Backyard is just right...not too big and not too small, so it's manageable. No neighbors directly behind us, so it's private. Back patio has a ceiling fan and we installed built-in stereo speakers that are Bluetooth, so you can stream music through them without a cord attached to the stereo unit.

When I need an assisted living facility, I'll move.

 

[anjuan]

My daughter is heading off to college next fall and then it will just be me. Right now I have a townhouse with 4 floors so it's a lot more space than I need. Also, I'm tired of Chicago winters and I work remotely so I can pretty much move anywhere in the US. Would love to get a two bedroom condo somewhere warm. With the equity from my house and a recent inheritance I think I can find something where I could pay cash for it. So climbing mortgage rates would not be an issue.

 

[DLgal]

My daughter is heading off to college next fall and then it will just be me. Right now I have a townhouse with 4 floors so it's a lot more space than I need. Also, I'm tired of Chicago winters and I work remotely so I can pretty much move anywhere in the US. Would love to get a two bedroom condo somewhere warm. With the equity from my house and a recent inheritance I think I can find something where I could pay cash for it. So climbing mortgage rates would not be an issue.

4 stories? Holy cow. There are a lot of 3 story townhomes here and that is pushing it, in my opinion. The current trend here is stacked flats. I admit, I'm intrigued by them. Most of the living space is on one floor with garage underneath and a set of indoor stairs connecting the garage/entry and second level.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

Downsizing and other decisions leading to smaller homes for our parents have left all of them out of the hosting family game. Guess who's home is the new hub? It's sad for me that my kids will no longer get the experiences of weekends and grandma and grandpa's house. Those are treasured childhood memories for me.

We're actually going to have to upgrade to a larger and preferably single story home at some point to care for a parent when they can no longer work, and also to care for a child who will need life long care. I'm grateful that we can be a point of support for the family, but also have some complicated emotions over it.

 

[CGB]

Nope... DH and I seem to get along better when we're on opposite sides of the house and on different floors. I can only imagine how much more important that will be once I retire as well.

Seriously, though, we lucked out with our 1969 3,000 sq foot house. Main floor is ground level and has everything on it we'd need. Walkout basement is finished (bedrooms/bathroom/living areas) with a separate heating/cooling and could be closed off if needed. We've remodeled where it needed over the years. Our house has been a blessing, since our adult kids have stayed with us after college. I want to do some more landscaping to make things easier to maintain outside, but that's pretty much all it needs.

 

[Boopuff]

I wish we could downsize! We have 4 bathrooms for 2 people. It's stupid. Our big problem is (even though I wish we could just do a condo or townhouse) is that DH is a car guy and we have an old car he's fixing, and an rv. We need a garage. Maybe one day when the economy is better and rates are favorable....

 

[NotUrsula]

I think that the desire is probably still there for a lot of people who are sitting in paid-for large properties, but the market right now is just not conducive to moving if you don't have to.

Me, I'm 61 and still wanting to size up. We have 1000 sq. ft, and it's not enough, especially since I now work from home.
I'd really like about 1500 sq. ft.