Some of you reading this may be planning a relocation as part of your strategy to downsize.

You may have already committed yourself to finding a smaller home, or are at least considering it. But what else should you think about? 

• Think carefully about what downsizing means - few bedrooms? few baths? overall less square footage? no family room? Are you ready to give these up?
• What about storage? What are your plans for all the stuff you will no longer want or need if you downsize?
• Are you interested in moving from a 2-story to a single story home?
• Do you want to give up having a large yard, or perhaps give it up completely?
• Are you want a change in the type of neighborhood? Live closer to the city or in the city? Or perhaps more in the suburbs?
• If you are leaving jobs and "retiring" are you interested in becoming a one-car family? Or perhaps no car? Is public transportation going to be more important?
• Do you want to give up having the responsibility for maintenance on a home (inside and out)
• Have your personal circumstances changed through marriage, divorce, or loss of a loved one, so that you can and should make other choices and decisions?
• Consider the financial aspects as well - are you hoping to find a home you can buy outright so you have no mortgage?

I believe it's important to carefully consider all the reasons you want to downsize and what that means to you personally, so you can be more effective when looking for a new home, wherever that may be. This will also be helpful for your agent.

If your relocation is for a job transfer, it is pretty straightforward. Probably not a whole lot of choice, or perhaps you decided to take the transfer. But in any case things are likely pretty well defined and timing may be decided for you. This can make some of your decisions easier.

So why else do people decide to relocate? And what about you? Here are some of my reasons and those of past  and current clients:

• family - wanting to be near other family members (grandkids, parents, children)
• downsizing - the kids are gone and it's time to move to a smaller home with less responsibility
• health - need to be in a drier or warmer climate
• weather - desire to get away from your particular weather (mine was to escape winter!)
• returning back to roots - back to where you grew up
• friends - you moved away and miss your friends and want to return
• cost of living - you want to move to a less expensive (or, rarely, more costly) locale
• living a dream - your have always wanted to live in a particular place (I wanted to be in Southern California)
• retirement - time to settle in a different area, perhaps one catering to retirees (e.g., Florida)
• sports interest - golfing, sailing, skiing, etc.
• schools
• new job - better pay, more challenge, better suited to interests, etc.

So why are YOU thinking about it?