There is no reason to stress or have difficulty if you are a senior and wish to downsize
By Joseph Marovitch
August 12, 2026
There are several times in life when downsizing is a consideration for reasons such as:
- When the kids move out due to too many rooms and no need
• - Financial stress due to inflation, interest rates, job loss
• - Couple separation due to divorce or loss of a spouse
• - Retirement – less expense, less maintenance, more mobility
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The focus of this article is retirement, the experience of aging and the trepidation or fear of what is next and what to do next. Over the years, I have worked with older individuals to downsize or relocate to assisted facilities.
I recall one instance in which an older couple decided to sell their home and find another that would be easier to navigate and maintain. The one more motivated to downsize was the wife. She found the house too large to maintain and difficult to enter with groceries, climb the stairs, cut the grass, and more.
The husband, on the other hand, who was much older, did not want to move at all. He did not like change. At his age, the idea of packing and moving was too stressful to consider, and he did not want to leave his comfort zone, where he had lived for over 40 years. However, he knew his wife was unhappy and tired all the time. She was also concerned that if there were an accident or other issue requiring assistance, they might not be able to reach a phone to call for help. As a note, I am often told men are much more averse to change than women as they age. My wife tells me this too!
The focus of this article is retirement, the experience of aging and the trepidation or fear of what is next and what to do next. Over the years, I have worked with older individuals to downsize or relocate to assisted facilities.
We eventually did sell the house and purchase a beautiful 3-bedroom condo in Ville Marie, adjacent to Westmount, with a doorman, security, 24 hr concierge, indoor and exterior parking, a lovely garden in the rear courtyard, gym, sauna, pool, and excellent service where the doorman would bring up the groceries, park the car and remain on call if help was needed. Three months after the couple moved, the husband called to thank me and say their standard of living improved dramatically.
Over the years, concerns stated by older couples considering downsizing were:
- They had to find a property before selling. The reason being they were afraid the house would sell and they would have nowhere to go.
. - Fear they would lose their autonomy in another house or in some cases a retirement home.
. - Packing is strenuous. How would they organize and pack?
. - What would they do with all their possessions in a smaller property?
. - The process of changing their addresses for Medicare, social insurance, doctors, hospitals, licences, and all other services would be daunting.
. - Cleaning the property before passing it to the new owner.
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To address these concerns, it was explained:
- It takes an average of three to six months to sell a property, and in the Centris listing, the possession date can be stated as 30, 60, 90, or more days after the accepted offer. This condition includes the time it takes to sell the property, plus the additional days needed to find another property if one has not already been found.It is also noted that the seller does not have to accept an offer if they are not ready, though I would suggest not listing a property until it is thoroughly ready. It must also be stated that if one purchases a property prior to selling their own, what the downsizers fear could be worse in reverse. As the possession date of the new property approaches, if the old property has not yet been sold, the downsizer could become desperate and end up selling their first home for far less than its value.
. - In terms of autonomy, a smaller property can provide increased autonomy rather than less. With less maintenance, there is more time for more enjoyable activities and more energy. If the move is to a retirement home, autonomy increases because transportation is provided when needed, meals are available if desired, and there is the option to live in a unit with a kitchen. The social life is enhanced, and there is assistance when required.
. - Packing can be arranged with the moving service, or family and friends. These are things some brokers can arrange at a discount for seniors, as in my practice.
. - Possessions in surplus are sorted into 4 categories:
•- Items that are defective and of no use
These can be placed in the garbage and recycling or removed with YOU GOT JUNK or other similar service.
• - Items that are of no use currently but can be of use to others.
These can be donated, sold in a yard sale, or given to a service like YOU GOT JUNK, which offers a program to provide useful items to those in financial need.
• - Antiques & valuable paintings
– Antique dealers all over Montreal are pleased to visit your home, provide an estimate, purchase the antiques and move them out.
– Art dealers also provide estimates of art value and either purchase the pieces at a discount or they can be commissioned to take the art and sell it for you.
• - Furniture
Can be donated through removal services to those in need or provided to organizations that provide tax receipts to reduce income expenses.
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- Items that are defective and of no use
DONATION SERVICE:
Salvation Army: 1-800-725-2769
Sun Youth: 514 842-6822
Meuble Liquidation: meubleliquidation@hotmail.com – Anwar: cell 514 679-8706
MADA: 514 342-4969 – www.madacenter.com
You Got Junk: 1-888-412-1124
- The Quebec government offers a service online:
Service québécois de changement d’adresse (SQCA)
This free service updates your address for your Licence, Medicare, Revenu Québec, Elections Canada, CNESST, Social Insurance, and more.
For your personal services such as your doctor, lawyer, notary, hospital cards and others, these are changed by calling or when you visit.
For a PDF list of numbers and links to services for address changes and more, contact me directly.
• - To professionally clean your home for the next owner, there are several services that offer special rates to seniors who are downsizing. Contact me for a list of names and numbers.
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There is no reason to stress or have difficulty if you are a senior and wish to downsize. For more information, feel free to contact me.
The information in these articles is summary. Should you have questions or comments, or wish to discuss further, please refer to the comments section at the bottom of the page or contact me directly. As well, to view past articles, click here.
State of the market
Despite the ongoing global conflict, the Canadian economy appears to be holding steady, with inflation decreasing to 2.8% and the Bank of Canada interest rate remaining at 2.25%, according to Reuters.
However, some of the major 5-tier Canadian banks are raising the 5-year fixed mortgage rates above 4% to mitigate the risk of rising Bank of Canada rate increases between now and December. Yet excellent rates are still available. The 5-year insured fixed rate at Citadel Mortgages is 3.87%, according to Rob McLister of the Financial Post.
‘The Canadian economy appears to be holding steady, with inflation decreasing to 2.8% and the Bank of Canada interest rate remaining at 2.25%, according to Reuters.’
These are all real-time figures and reports; however, the global situation and U.S. politics are unpredictable and change day to day. The U.S. is randomly imposing 50% tariffs on Canada due to conflict between the President and Canada over non-compliance and our popular Prime Minister.
The measure of certainty in the economy is tenuous, and it is a good idea to be fully informed globally when making real estate decisions to invest, purchase or sell. There are opportunities in the market, but not without risk and a gamble. If purchasing is an option, this golden advice is to go to the lender with the best rate and lock in a pre-approval.
Till next week, take care and have a wonderful weekend.
Let’s not forget that people with cancer are vulnerable too!
You are invited to keep giving to the following organizations since it’s now more important than ever to support cancer research! Click on the logos below to find out how:
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Joseph Marovitch has worked in the service industry for over 30 years. He was first director of Camp Maromac, a summer camp for children, before becoming a real estate broker, where he applies the same values of reliability and integrity. You can reach him at 514 825-8771 or at josephmarovitch@gmail.com
