My husband and I moved last year from Arizona to New York. Our three kids were 18, 14, and 12. Unfortunately, we only had one week in New York to find a house before the move, which limited our choices. Our first two offers on other homes fell through, so we ended up with our third choice, a 2,040-square-foot, four-bedroom house. However, our oldest decided to move out of state for college, so quickly we had a house that was too big for our family. My husband and I have discussed this situation at length, as having this size house seems wasteful.
What to Do When Your House Is Too Big for You?
Ultimately, even though the house is too big for us and will only get bigger as our younger two grow up and move out in the next five to seven years, we’ll stay in the house until we’re much older, likely our 70s or 80s. We plan to stay in this house for 20 to 30 years more. Here’s why:
We’ve Already Put Significant Repair Money In This House
When we moved in, the house had several issues we needed to address; the most important was the leaky basement. We’ve spent a few thousand dollars on repairing the leaks. In addition, we’ve had to fix the garage door, replace the washer, dryer, and stove (all were original to the house and broke within the first year we moved in), and update the electrical outlets. We don’t want to think about moving again only to have to update another house. Now that we have this one in good working order, we’d like to stay here.
The Interest Rate
We bought this house when interest rates were on the rise. I was unhappy to pay 5.375 percent interest when we bought the house in August 2022, but now, when I look at how high mortgage interest rates are, I’m happier with the rate we have. If we moved within the next year or two, we’d have a much higher interest rate and a payment that would be several hundred dollars more per month even if we bought a house at the same price we bought our current home.
Smaller Houses Aren’t That Much Cheaper
In our area, most houses are two-story houses the same size as ours. There are fewer smaller, one-story houses. They’re hard to find, and when you do find them, most tend to be in less desirable areas, making eventual resale more difficult.
In addition, we don’t find utilities for our house expensive. Utility prices are cheaper here than in Arizona, so moving to a smaller home wouldn’t make much of a difference when it comes to those costs.
Kids Might Move Back for a While
Even though all of our kids might leave to go away to college, one or two of them might return for a while. I had an interrupted path through college myself and moved back home two times for a total of four years I lived with my mom after I graduated high school between the ages of 18 and 27. Our children might do the same, and it would be nice to have room for them.
We’ll (Hopefully) Need a Big House When We Have Grandkids
Our kids are now 19, 15, and 13. Within the next 10 to 15 years, we likely will have grandkids. When we do, we want to have a big house to accommodate our grandkids and all of our kids’ families when they come to visit. Staying in this home makes that possible; moving to a smaller home does not.
The House Will Grow in Value and Appeal to Families When We Move
Our subdivision is filled with families since most of the homes are larger. The subdivision was built 20 years ago, but it’s still well-maintained and a desirable place to live in our small city. I don’t see that changing, so selling will hopefully be easier when we are ready to move. In addition, we’re hopeful that our home will continue to increase in value, especially as we make necessary changes and improvements.
We Hate Moving
Finally, we hate moving! We have had three major moves during our marriage: from Michigan to Illinois, from Illinois to Arizona, and from Arizona to New York. Moving requires a large time commitment and is also expensive. Since we’re already settled in this house, we see no point in moving again.
The Downsides of Living in This Home
Of course, even though we have many reasons to stay in this house, there are downsides to keeping a house that is too big for us.
Yard Maintenance Is Time-Consuming
Our property is .67 acres, so mowing takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours each week in the summer. We currently use a self-propelled mower, but as we age, we could buy a riding lawn mower to make the job easier and less time-consuming.
In addition, our yard has five pine trees and four maple trees. For most of the spring and summer, the pine trees drop pine cones that we need to rake up before we mow. In the fall, the leaves can take 10 to 20 hours or more to clear from our property. We plan to cut down some of these trees in the next few years, which should also help reduce yard maintenance.
No First Floor Bedroom
Some of the two-story houses we looked at had one first-floor bedroom, which would be helpful as we age. However, our house has all the bedrooms upstairs. The downstairs does have two living rooms, so we could convert one into a bedroom. However, the bathroom downstairs is a half-bath, so we would also need to remodel the bathroom. That will be an expensive endeavor.
Final Thoughts
What should you do when you have a house that is too big for you? You’ll have to consider all variables, as we have, to decide if it’s worthwhile to stay in place or if moving makes more sense.
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Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.