Only 16% of Canadians 65 and older plan to downsize in the next decade, and 46% say they intend to stay put — often because the process feels overwhelming, not because the math doesn't work. This guide breaks downsizing into eight manageable steps, from deciding "why" to settling into life on the other side. If you're weighing this move, the biggest risk isn't doing it — it's doing it without the right guidance. Contact Ty Lacroix for a plain-language walkthrough of what downsizing looks like for your specific home.
Why This Decision Feels Bigger Than It Is
If you're reading this, you're probably not looking for a definition of "downsizing." You already know what it means — smaller house, fewer stairs, less to manage. What you're really trying to figure out is whether it's the right move for you, and whether you can trust the process to get there without losing money, time, or sleep.
You're not alone in feeling stuck. A recent RE/MAX Canada survey found that just 10% of Canadians plan to move to a smaller home in the next ten years — and even among homeowners 65 and older, that number only climbs to 16%. Nearly half say they intend to stay exactly where they are. Part of that hesitation is financial. Part of it is simply not knowing where to start, or who to trust to walk you through it.
That's what this guide is for. Not to talk you into anything — to show you exactly what the process looks like, step by step, so you can decide with clear eyes.
Why People Downsize in the First Place
The reasons are usually some combination of these four:
Lower housing and maintenance costs. A smaller property means less to heat, less to repair, and often lower property taxes.
Less clutter, less stress. Fewer rooms means fewer things pulling at your attention and your time.
Easier to manage as you age. Fewer stairs, less yard work, less physical strain.
Access to the equity built up in your home. For many homeowners, the house is the single largest asset they own — and moving to something smaller can free up real money.
On that last point: industry estimates suggest that after selling costs — commission, legal fees, moving expenses — a homeowner selling a $1-million-plus property might net somewhere in the $850,000 to $950,000 range in proceeds, depending on the mortgage balance and closing costs involved. That's not pocket change. It's retirement income, a cushion for healthcare costs, or money to help family — but only if the sale is handled properly and the numbers are laid out for you honestly before you commit to anything.
Start With a Plan, Not a For Sale Sign
The biggest mistake I see is people jumping straight to "let's list the house" before they've answered three questions:
What am I actually trying to achieve — lower costs, less upkeep, being closer to family, or all three?
What's my timeline? Are we talking about this year, or three years from now?
What does "smaller" actually look like — a bungalow, a condo, a retirement community?
Answering these first changes everything downstream, including what your current home needs to be prepped for sale and what you should be looking for in your next place.
Sorting and Decluttering Without Losing Your Mind
Every downsizing project comes down to three piles:
Keep — things you use regularly, or that carry real sentimental weight.
Donate or sell — items in good shape that simply won't fit your next chapter.
Discard — anything broken, expired, or no longer useful to anyone.
The trap most people fall into is trying to sort the whole house in one weekend. It doesn't work, and it's exhausting. A room-by-room approach is far more manageable — and there's a smart order to it.
Room-by-Room: Start Easy, End Hard
Begin with the spaces that carry the least emotional weight — the garage, the storage room, the linen closet. These are quick wins that build momentum. Move next into the living spaces: kitchen, living room, dining room. Save the bedrooms and keepsake boxes for last, when you've got the practice and the perspective to make those calls without rushing.
Making the Actual Move Easier on Yourself
Once the sorting is mostly done, the physical move comes down to a few practical steps:
Measure your new space and your furniture before moving day — not after.
Label every box clearly, by room, not just "misc."
Consider hiring professional movers, and if the sorting itself feels like too much, a professional organizer can be worth every dollar.
None of this is complicated. It's just easy to underestimate how much time it takes — which is why starting early matters more than almost anything else on this list.
The Part Nobody Talks About: The Emotional Side
Downsizing isn't just a logistics project. It's often tied to years, sometimes decades, of memory — a home where kids grew up, where holidays happened, where a life was built. It's completely normal for this to feel harder than the spreadsheet suggests it should.
Give yourself permission to slow down on the things that matter, and involve family members when decisions touch shared memories — a dining table, photo albums, a parent's belongings. You don't have to make every call alone, and you shouldn't have to.
Life After the Move
The adjustment doesn't end at the moving truck. Give yourself time to settle into new routines, and resist the urge to fill your new, smaller space with the same volume of belongings you left behind. The whole point of this move was to simplify — protect that.
Quick Checklist
Set clear goals for the move
Build a realistic timeline
Sort belongings room by room
Sell or donate what you're not keeping
Measure your new space before moving day
Line up movers or a professional organizer
Where Most People Get Stuck — And How to Avoid It
Here's the brutal truth about downsizing in today's market: the process is straightforward on paper, but the execution is where most sellers run into trouble. Pricing a large family home incorrectly, missing what buyers actually want in a smaller property market, or not understanding the real net proceeds after costs — these are the mistakes that cost people tens of thousands of dollars, and they're entirely avoidable with the right guidance from day one.
This is exactly where I come in. As a Broker with 24 years of experience in the London, Ontario market, I've walked dozens of homeowners through this exact transition — from the first conversation about "should we downsize?" all the way through to keys in hand at the new place. My team — Lori, Hope, Jolin, and Dana — handles the coordination and details behind the scenes, but every client call, every strategy conversation, and every number you see comes directly from me. You get one point of contact, start to finish.
If you're even starting to think about downsizing, let's have a plain-language conversation about what it would actually look like for your home — no pressure, no jargon, just real numbers and a real plan.
Contact Ty Lacroix to start the conversation.
Sources: RE/MAX Canada 2026 downsizing survey; Statistics Canada population projections (2024); industry estimates on home-sale transaction costs.
Also find me at tylacroix.com and Totally Preachless
