Downsizing is exciting for some, but heartbreaking for others. If you fall into the latter category, it can be difficult to decide when the time is right. knowbut this is not always the case. (Especially if it’s not something you’re looking forward to.) Below, two real estate agents share five signs that it’s time to downsize and move on to the next chapter of your life.

You are an empty nester.

First, let’s talk space: “Once your kids have grown up and all moved out, your house that once seemed the perfect size might now be too big,” says Abby Spiro, a real estate agent with Amazing Realty in Austin, in Texas. “Unless your bedrooms are used regularly, it may be worth downsizing them to a space suitable for your next phase of life.”

“It’s also possible that the location no longer fits your lifestyle,” adds Whitney Dutton, real estate advisor and residential sales director at Native Realty in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With no schools or extracurricular activities to worry about, you may now want to be close to different things: restaurants, friends, or hobbies.

It’s getting too expensive.

“If you’re struggling to make your home payments, whether it’s the mortgage, maintenance, utilities or property taxes, it may be time to consider downsizing. the size of your house,” advises Spiro.

Are you retired? “The financial shift could be because your ownership costs are now disproportionate to your new fixed income and not your old salary when you were working,” says Dutton.

You can’t keep up with maintenance.

Spiro recommends using the rule of 10: “If your list of deferred maintenance items around your home has grown longer than ten important items, it may be time to downsize. » At that point, whether because of time, money, or lack of usage, it becomes more manageable.

Push interview Returned items could make the problems you are facing worse, i.e. more expensive and more inconvenient. Although moving is inherently stressful, you may end up making your life easier.

It’s physically demanding.

Whether due to injury or age, your mobility may not be what it once was. No matter how much you love the place you’re in now, Spiro insists that you need to be able to live inside too. Downsizing reduces movement as well as any unused space, meaning you’ll be able to focus more on enjoying your home.

For those in wheelchairs, this also offers the opportunity to get rid of annoying stairs and make fewer renovations such as widening doorways.

You need a fresh start.

A major change in your life, such as the death of a family member or a divorce, can leave your house empty and feeling less like a home than before. In this case, another major life change may be necessary: ​​downsizing. “Sometimes after experiencing trauma, you deserve a fresh start in a new place,” Dutton says. It seems counterintuitive, but downsizing might just provide you with the space you need to heal.