Change your living situation in 2015: Consider downsizing your Gold Coast home today

There are any number of reason why people may want to move homes, but one of the most common is downsizing. This means leaving your current home and finding something smaller and more suited to your current living situation. Whether this is because you're sick of maintaining a large property, or your kids have moved out and left their empty, unused bedrooms, there are plenty of reasons to look into downsizing your Surfers Paradise property in 2015. 

Before committing to this decision, it's important to sit down with your partner and write out a list of pros and cons about the move. This will help clarify the reasons why you want to move, as well as giving you a guideline for things to keep an eye out for in your upcoming property search.

What are some of the reasons people downsize?

The decision to downsize often comes down to homeowners wanting to find another place after all the kids have grown up and moved out. These owners – especially those approaching retirement – typically want to make the most of their new-found freedom, as well as find a home better suited to their new family structure.

This can make moving into a luxury apartment in the heart of the Gold Coast a great option. Properties like these can provide a huge range of entertainment amenities to enjoy, with plenty of social events and activities to get involved in as well.  

According a suburb profile of Surfers Paradise by realestate.com.au, the median purchase price for houses in the area was $1,100,000. This is in stark contrast to the cost of units in the area, where the median price was recorded at $329,000. With the possibility of selling your current home for a great return and buying a cheaper apartment in the heart of the Gold Coast, this could be a great option to give some serious thought to. 

Use the process to clean out your belongings 

Of course, moving into a significantly smaller property would mean you won't be able to take all of your belongings with you. This could be a cathartic clean up for you, giving you the chance to be ruthless about whether you'll ever use those skis or wear that horrible Hawaiian shirt again. Furthermore, this gives you a chance to give your grown children sentimental items. 

Whether it be china plates, family heirlooms or an ottoman you no longer have the matching seat for, this could be a wonderful way of getting rid of items you love without necessarily throwing them away, donating them, or putting them in storage. This is also a great time for rediscovering old artefact from your life and reminiscing – and, really, who doesn't love a trip down memory lane?

Earn more freedom with a smaller home 

Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you're purchasing an local piece of apartment real estate in Surfers Paradise, are the potentially huge degrees of freedom afforded by owning a smaller home. Before, if you wanted to travel, you'd often have to organise for someone to collect your mail, tend to your garden and just generally keep an eye on the place.

However, in a luxury apartment complex, there isn't any need to worry about these things. This gives you the means to simply up and leave whenever your wanderlust becomes too much and the desire to travel takes over. This is another thing that retirees could have to look forward too, giving them a chance to visit – or revisit – their dream locations across the world.

These are just some aspects to consider if you're looking to move houses in the near future. Perhaps downsizing could be an option to consider?