Downsizing Move Planner

Who this is for

Decide whether downsizing works before the house goes on the market. Set out what you need now and later, the money the move would release and how running costs change.

Homeowners and couples whose children have left, people looking for a smaller or more manageable home, and the grown-up children helping a parent think it through.

What this helps you track

• What you need from a home now and what you may need later
• The cash left once the sale, the purchase, the fees and the move are paid
• Yearly running costs in your current home against the new one
• Whether to sell first or buy first, and where you would stay in between
• The questions to settle before the house goes on the market

How to use it

1. Write the household, the current home, the move date you hope for and whether you mean to sell or buy first.
2. Fill in what you need now and later on each line, and tick the needs you will not give up.
3. Enter the expected sale price under money in, and every cost of selling, buying and moving under money out, from valuations, quotes and your own figures.
4. Put this year's running costs beside your best figures for the new home; the difference and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
5. Work through the checklist on the order of the move, then talk the figures through with family and your own adviser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Where do the figures come from?

From you: agents' valuations, listings for the kind of home you want, quotes from solicitors and removers, and your own bills. The planner supplies no prices, fees or tax rates, so each line is only as good as the figure you enter.

Should I sell first or buy first?

It depends on your money, the market and how much risk you are comfortable with, so the planner does not decide it. The checklist covers the questions to answer either way, such as where you would live in between.

Why plan for later as well as now?

A move is costly to repeat. Thinking about stairs, distance from family and services, and how much garden you want to look after in years to come helps you choose a home you will not need to leave soon.

Where do I plan which furniture to take?

Use the furniture measurement and fit sheet to check pieces against the new rooms, and the pre-move sell, donate or bin log for what is leaving. This planner covers the decision and the money.

Does the cash released include tax?

Only if you add it. Taxes on a sale or a purchase differ between countries and situations, so enter any that apply as a money out line, using the figure your solicitor or tax office gives you.