How to downsize with no regrets

New Hobsonville Point resident Anne Clifford has no regrets about downsizing home last year. Clifford was living in a large family home in Auckland’s Pakuranga, but often visited her adult children who lived near Hobsonville, in west Auckland.

Clifford knew early on why she wanted to move, which can take downsizers a while to get their heads around.

Two years in a row Clifford picked up a copy of the annual Point Life magazine, and by the time she’d read the second she was sold on downsizing to Hobsonville Point. Never in her life did she imagine that would be to an apartment.

That was until she saw the Universal Homes Te Uru 2 development in Hobsonville Point and realised she could have an apartment with its own front door onto the street. Other factors Clifford had to re-evaluate before downsizing home that she later discovered weren’t deal breakers were not having a garage, washing line, or patch of land to cultivate. Instead she has a dedicated carpark, a small storage unit until her children can take over the family piano, drying racks by the window and a large deck where she can grow pot plants.

Downsizing your home isn’t just for empty nesters. Universal Homes sales consultant Maryanne Bawden has sold to other downsizers as well as Clifford. Recently a family moved from a much larger home in Gulf Harbour to a smaller, well-designed, more modern home in Hobsonville. Their new home, says Bawden, was chosen because it’s closer to Auckland and has less maintenance.

Most Gulf Harbour homes were built in the 1990s and 2000s when building standards were lower, and some have bigger gardens than Hobsonville’s homes.

Compared to her old 150sqm home, Clifford’s 112sqm smaller space costs far less to maintain, and less in utility costs, saving money. She notes the quality of the building materials is higher, which helps to make her new home more comfortable. Clifford has settled into the community by getting to know her neighbours and working part-time on the weekends at the Hobsonville Point Information Centre as well as another job.

Density can be done very well and plenty of New Zealanders living in medium or even high density locations love their home and community. A well designed building or community has variety.

You may be downsizing in retirement. Or you may have other reasons why it’s the right time to downsize your home.

In order to downsize with no regrets, buyers do need to consider a number of factors such as what the real estate market is doing and the cost of moving.

• Consider the developer. Some developers have better reputations than others. They build to standards above Building Code standards and will be there to sort out any teething problems in the first few years. If the developer is building under programmes such as KiwiBuild and Kāinga Ora’s new communities, the developer will have had to jump through hoops to get the work.

• Choose a desirable neighbourhood. If you’re moving into a smaller home, you’ll probably find yourself out and about more. Is there a thriving community? Consider if you will fit in?

• Look at the neighbourhood’s amenities. Where are the supermarkets, public transport and parks? You may not walk or cycle, but walkways and cycleways make for a better community as do shared spaces instead of traditional roads. Good public transport may be important as you age.

• How good is the public outdoor space? Having your own private outdoor space is desirable. A planned community such as Hobsonville or Northcote will typically have better parks and public places. Most developers will usually only provide the bare minimum that’s required of them.

• Can you work locally? You’ll have fewer regrets if you don’t have a long and/or difficult commute.

• Is the home built sustainably? That usually means it’s warmer and more efficient. It’s insulated, ventilated and oriented towards the sun? Even think about where your bins will live. No-one wants to wake up to the smell of rotting rubbish or trip over hundreds of bins littering the streetscape.

• Factor in the cost of moving. It does cost money to sell, re-buy and move. If you can’t get everything into your new home, you may need to pay for storage. Decluttering can be an emotional and time-consuming process.

Having a no-regrets downsize takes a reasonable amount of planning. Clifford put three years of thought into her move and had time to declutter and prepare before downsizing.

If you’re not sure, get out and about in the community first before selling your home. Talk to your family members and to real estate agents. Even rent an Airbnb in the neighbourhood for a few weeks or weekends to get a feel for how it would be to live there.

- This content was created in partnership with Kāinga Ora