5 Signs It’s Time to Downsize Your Home in Tri-Cities, Washington

Here are some common signs it’s time to downsize:

• You’re using less and less of your home.
• The stairs or yard are becoming a physical challenge.
• Home maintenance has become a burden.
• Your priorities have changed.

Those are just a few of the reasons I’ve heard from my Tri-Cities clients. Over time, they realized that the house they bought made perfect sense then, but doesn’t make as much sense now.

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. According to a 2024 Freddie Mac survey, 66% of Baby Boomers who plan to move say their next home will be smaller. Among that group, 88% currently live in a home with three or more bedrooms, and 45% have lived there for 20 years or more.

Hi, I’m Cari McGee. I’ve helped more than 650 Tri-Citians buy and sell, and downsizing is one of the most common conversations I have with Tri-Cities homeowners. Heck, it’s a conversation my husband and I are having amongst ourselves, too!

I’m not going to push you toward anything in this article. I’m writing this to share an honest look at the signs that tend to show up when downsizing starts to make sense. Read through them and see what resonates.

Signs It Might Be Time to Downsize

1. You Have More House Than You Need

Walk through your home and count the rooms you haven’t used in the past few months. Maybe it’s a guest room that sees visitors twice a year, or a formal dining room that mostly holds stuff. If you have extra bathrooms, extra closets, or extra space that costs money to heat, cool, clean, and maintain — but doesn’t add anything to your daily life — that might be a sign you’re ready for something different.

2. Your Financial Picture Has Changed

Tri-Cities home values have risen substantially over the past several years. If you’ve been here a while, that means you probably have real equity built up.

For people heading into retirement, or just looking to reduce monthly costs, you may want to think about whether that equity is working hard enough for you while it’s tied up in a larger home. Downsizing doesn’t just mean a smaller mortgage. It can mean

• lower property taxes
• lower utility bills
• lower maintenance costs
• more financial breathing room

No matter what your financial situation is today, those benefits might be worth pursuing.

3. The Maintenance Feels Like a Second Job

There’s a difference between taking care of your home and being consumed by it. When the to-do list never gets shorter — the landscaping, the exterior paint, the furnace filter, the fence that needs fixing — it can start to feel like you work for your house instead of the other way around.

That’s probably a signal that the home you bought for one chapter of your life might not be the right fit for the chapter you’re in now.

4. Your Lifestyle No Longer Fits the Home

When we bought our current home, it was about having good schools nearby, a big backyard for kids and pets, and a home office for my work-from-home husband. That was more than a decade ago. But our lives have changed, and the things that made our house the right choice then aren’t the same things that matter today.

Maybe for you, a lifestyle change is more about getting closer to family and friends. That’s a really common draw for my downsizing clients — some just move across town, while others move out of state or across the country. According to NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the median age of repeat home buyers hit an all-time high of 62 — and their top reason for purchasing was a desire to live closer to friends and family.

We often think of downsizing in terms of getting into a smaller house — heck, it’s right in the word: “downsizing.”

But for some people, the lifestyle change isn’t about square footage. It’s about having more time and energy for the things they actually want to do.

I’m a believer that words have weight, so if the word “downsizing” is getting in the way, look at it as “rightsizing.” Rightsizing is all about finding the home that fits your current lifestyle, and prioritizing comfort, functionality, and ease over square footage.

5. Stairs, the Yard, or the Layout Have Become a Physical Challenge

Let me say this plainly: There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that your home’s physical demands have changed.

Stairs that weren’t a thought in your 40s can become a daily frustration in your 60s or 70s. A yard that you once loved working in can become a source of stress when your body doesn’t cooperate the way it used to.

If that’s where you are today, or where you see yourself soon, a single-level home, a low-maintenance lot, or a simpler floor plan might be a better choice.

You Don’t Have to Have It All Figured Out

Did any of that sound familiar? Recognizing the signs is step one. It doesn’t mean you have to have a plan, a timeline, or answers to every question. It just means the conversation might be worth having.

I’ve worked with people who knew immediately what they wanted to do and just needed someone to help them do it. I’ve also worked with people who needed six months of conversations before they felt ready to take a step. Both are completely fine!

If you’re somewhere in that range — past the wondering about it and ready to talk it through with someone who knows this market — I’m happy to be that person. No pressure, no obligation. Just a gentle conversation about what makes sense for you.

Downsizing Questions My Clients Often Ask

What if I regret selling/leaving my home?

The home you’ve lived in carries real meaning — memories, identity, a sense of place. It makes complete sense that leaving it would hurt, even when it’s the right decision.

What I can tell you is that you almost certainly will feel a sense of loss! We felt that when we “rightsized” from our old house to the one we live in now (the one that now feels too big). I think it’s totally normal. But understand this: The vast majority of my clients who felt this fear going in came out the other side feeling lighter and more settled than they expected.

What will I do with all my belongings?

The million-dollar question. A lifetime of things doesn’t sort itself out overnight.

The good news is you don’t have to solve this before you start. I work through this with clients all the time, and there are practical ways to approach it without it taking over your life.

What you’re reading right now is one of a series of articles I’m doing on downsizing, and I’ll cover this in much more depth in a future article — but the short answer is: Take it one room at a time, and give yourself permission to do it slowly.

How do I know where to move next?

You don’t have to know yet. When we talk through your situation, part of what I’ll do is help you think about what you want in the next home — not just fewer square feet, but the right neighborhood, the right layout, the right kind of community.

There are some great options in the Tri-Cities for homeowners who are thinking about this kind of change. Finding the right one is something I’m glad to help with.

Again, same offer I mentioned above — when you’re ready for a gentle conversation about downsizing rightsizing to another home in the Tri-Cities, or somewhere else that makes more sense for you now, drop me a note. Use the form below to send me an email, or call/text me directly at (509) 430-5342. You can also use the TEXT US button below to reach me directly.

-Cari

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