For many retirees, downsizing sounds like an obvious financial move: Sell the large family home, move into a smaller space, and reduce housing expenses in the process. If you're worried about depleting your retirement savings or you didn't manage to save a lot of money for your senior years in the first place, it's a move that might seem logical.
In some situations, downsizing could result in a world of savings. But that's not a given. Here are a few reasons you may not save as much money as expected if you downsize.
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1. Higher mortgage rates could erode the benefits
If you've been following mortgage rates lately, you know they're pretty high. It's one thing to downsize and use the proceeds from your home sale to buy a less expensive home outright. But if you'll be taking on a mortgage and increasing your loan's interest rate in the process, downsizing may not save you a whole lot of money.
Plus, remember that home prices are up these days. Granted, if you're selling and buying at the same time, things should even out. If you're forced to pay more for a new home, you should, in theory, get more for your current home.
But that's not guaranteed. You'll need to run the numbers based on housing prices and mortgage rates to see how much cash you'll actually save by moving to a smaller place.
2. Costly HOA fees could wreck the math
It's not so uncommon for retirees to sell a larger home and downsize to a townhome or condo. But if your new home is part of a homeowners association (HOA), you could be looking at costly fees that eat into your savings.
And remember, HOA fees aren't set in stone. They can rise from year to year. And the more amenities your new housing community has, the more you might take on the risk of that happening.
3. Ongoing expenses could be more than you've bargained for
If you move from a 2,500-square-foot house to a 1,200-square-foot bungalow, there's a good chance your utility bills will decrease, since it takes less energy to heat and cool a smaller space. But that doesn't mean your ongoing costs will be lower.
For one thing, if your new home has a less efficient HVAC system, your utility bills may not shrink that much. And if your new living space isn't as well-maintained as your current home, you could end up spending more money on upkeep and repairs.
Plus, moving to a new home could land you in a flood zone, requiring extra insurance. So you'll need to account for all these costs, not just a lower mortgage payment and property tax bill.
Even though downsizing might seem like a money-saving move in retirement, a smaller home may not translate to lower costs. Before listing your home and making plans to pack up your life, do your research to see how much savings you're actually looking at. You may find that it makes more sense to stay in your current home and find other ways to cut costs.
