According to Ryan Bruen of The Bruen Team at Coldwell Banker Realty in Morristown, New Jersey, the average downsizer reduces their living space by just 100 square feet, a statistic that often surprises those considering a move. This minimal reduction in square footage reveals that what begins as a downsizing conversation typically evolves into a more nuanced lifestyle redesign, challenging conventional assumptions about why people move later in life.
Bruen explains that in Morris County, where he works with empty nesters and retirees throughout communities like Morristown and Madison, the decision to move rarely stems from wanting less space. Instead, clients express exhaustion with maintenance, desire to travel without worrying about property upkeep, and fatigue from heating unused rooms. The square footage remains similar, but everything else changes, such as transitioning from a five-bedroom colonial to a three-bedroom ranch with a first-floor primary suite of comparable size.
Location emerges as a more critical factor than size, with empty nesters increasingly prioritizing walkability to downtown areas, access to restaurants and cultural venues, and shorter commutes to grandchildren over the quiet neighborhoods and large yards favored by families with school-age children. Bruen cites an example where a couple traded their 3,800-square-foot home in Chester for a 3,600-square-foot townhouse near downtown Morristown, essentially trading lawn maintenance and driving for a lock-and-leave lifestyle with walkable amenities.
Family proximity, particularly to grandchildren, often outweighs other considerations like lower taxes or better weather, with Bruen noting that many retirees who move to states like Florida or the Carolinas return within two years due to the pull of family. Timing also proves crucial, as Bruen warns that waiting too long until mobility or health issues arise can make the transition overwhelming, trapping people in homes that no longer serve them.
Bruen advises starting decluttering early, even if moving is years away, as deciding what to keep is more time-consuming than the physical move. The most satisfied clients proactively choose their timing and location, treating square footage as the least important factor. For more information, visit https://bruenrealestate.com.
