It can be immensely rewarding to watch your children grow up, begin careers and families, and settle into their own homes. But when there are only one or two people left in a large family-sized house, seniors can be left with equally outsized mortgages, taxes, other monthly bills, and home maintenance projects. Downsizing your home is an excellent way to get relief from these burdens. In fact, it can be a rewarding change that makes your life easier (and a lot more fun). Here are some of the many benefits of downsizing in retirement.

• Lowers the cost of upkeep, insurance, mortgage bills, and utility bills. Smaller homes and properties have smaller roofs to repair, less landscaping to maintain, and lower home insurance rates, as well as lower heating and cooling bills. This means that in addition to your new home costing less overall, you’ll also have lower monthly bills for many of the things that come with homeownership.
• Boosts your retirement income with property sale profits. One of the biggest retirement downsizing benefits is that you may be able to profit significantly from selling your home and purchasing a smaller one. Alternatively, you can use the proceeds toward a smaller home or apartment in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Because so many amenities are included in CCRCs (fitness centers, concierge services, 24/7 emergency support, transportation, and recreation options), this can be an excellent way to get the most out of that profit.
• Reduces your property taxes. Smaller homes generally come with smaller property tax bills. Depending on the current tax rates in your state or the state you’re moving to, you could save considerable amounts of money by joining a smaller property tax bracket. (Keep in mind that states without income taxes may have higher property taxes). If you opt for a small home or apartment in a CCRC, you likely won’t have to worry about separate property tax (or mortgage) payments at all, since these are typically included in your monthly rent.
• Makes your living space more manageable. Moving to a smaller home makes your living space easier to navigate and cleanwith fewer opportunities for injury. For maximum comfort, consider an apartment in a CCRC. Apartments require even less cleaning and organizing and present even fewer mobility concerns than a small house. They offer more interaction, too—in an apartment, friends and neighbors are only a few steps down the hall. This makes it easier for you to socialize, borrow and lend things, and feel more connected with a supportive community.
• Removes the stress of maintaining your home. Moving into a smaller home on a smaller plot of land can make upkeep much easier and less worrisome. However, moving into a CCRC can eliminate this stress entirely, since property managers take care of all maintenance, landscaping, and repairs. As a result, you’ll also have more time for socializing, relaxing, and doing things you enjoy (which probably doesn’t include cleaning gutters). To maximize the benefits of maintenance-free life in a cozy, manageable space, consider moving into a CCRC apartment.
• You can move to a location that best suits your needs. As people age, their physical and social needs change as well. One of the unexpected benefits of downsizing your home is that it offers opportunities to live in a new location closer to loved ones, community events, a scenic environment, and more things to do. Living in a CCRC means you’ll also have access to medical care, fitness facilities, restaurants, shopping, transportation services, a community of friends and neighbors, and other amenities that support your current and future needs.

Choose High-Quality Senior Apartment Living in Virginia

Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury is a continuing care community (also known as a life plan community) providing the highest quality living experience for discerning senior adults. Situated on 165 beautiful acres outside the village of Irvington in Virginia’s Northern Neck, RWC residents choose to live here for the independent and worry-free lifestyle afforded in a tranquil setting.

Our spacious Westlake Apartments on Wood Duck Lake offer plenty of amenities. All RWC facilities are connected, so you won’t have to brave the elements as you move around campus. Our homes and facilities are designed to offer maximum safety and comfort.

Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury Inc. is a Virginia nonprofit corporation affiliated with the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches. All religions are welcome.

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