Downsizing
A house-to-condo move is three decisions in one.
When to sell. When to buy. How to bridge the middle without a bridge loan. The order isn't obvious, and it matters more than the unit you end up in.
The promise
Most downsizer marketing is marketing. What you need is a specific plan (buy first, sell first, or parallel) built for your financing and your inventory, not a brochure.
After decades in a house, you're not downsizing space. You're trading maintenance for maintenance fees, a mortgage for a status certificate, a garage for visitor parking, a garden for a balcony. Each trade has a number behind it.
The useful work is matching those numbers to what you actually do in a day: how you cook, where you put things, how you host, how the grandkids visit. That's what I spend our first conversations on.
How I actually work
Five stages. One agent. Both files.
I stay on the sell-side and the buy-side at the same time. One calendar. One set of handoffs. One coordinated move, not two.
01 · The order of operations
Sell first, buy first, or run parallel: we'll pick on purpose.
Each path has trade-offs: bridge-financing cost, sleeping in two homes, losing the unit you wanted. The right order depends on your financing, your timeline, and the specific condo inventory available when we start.
You won't guess. We'll diagram it.
02 · What changes when you move from a house
Maintenance fees aren't rent. Status certs aren't a home inspection.
The vocabulary is different; the decision points are different; the rule book is different. I'll walk you through every major mechanic (fees, reserve funds, bylaws, pet rules, visitor parking) before we see a single unit.
03 · The unit search
Real two-beds, real storage, real elevator reality.
Most 'downsizer' marketing is marketing. The real criteria are different: unit square footage vs usable square footage, kitchen size for actual cooking, storage for the decades of things worth keeping, elevator wait and ride time on your floor, bathroom count for how you actually live.
04 · The sell-side plan
Your house has its own timeline. We'll plan backwards from the move-in date.
Prep, staging, photography, listing week: all sequenced against the condo we're buying. The goal is one move, not two, and no bridge loans unless we choose them on purpose.
05 · The move
I stay on both files, all the way through.
You don't want two agents coordinating two deals. I coordinate both sides, talk to both lawyers, and keep the PDI/status-cert updates moving.
Clients who've done it
Downsizers, in their own words.
“I have had the pleasure and fortune to count with Big City, specially Elliott Macgregor as my realtor for years! Elliott really takes the time to understand your needs and possibilities to ensure he focuses his research and suggests the best opportunities for you. My trust is based on Elliott's knowledge and support team as well as his emphatic, friendly, humorous and professional approach to get you what you need (a property, a buyer or tenant). I will recommend Big City and Elliott without any hesitation. They are just awesome! Bravo!”
“We met Elliott Macgregor by accident and glad we did. We signed up for information about an upcoming condo project and keep getting calls from him. We finally decided to answer. At first, we were wary, but my husband and I quickly warmed to him. He is so easy to deal with and has a great sense of humour. He went above and beyond to show us properties and provided great options. He also has a great connections and we now have a wonderful new accountant! Thanks for your persistence Elliott!”
“Elliott Macgregor helped us close our first home, and he made the entire process smooth. He really takes his time to understand your needs, looks for the best opportunities and educates you on the pros/cons of each property you visit. Thanks for all your help, and I would highly recommend Elliott when looking to buy a property!”
“Elliott was extremely professional. He took all our concerns and budget needs and delivered. He is honest, hardworking and does his homework to achieve positive results for his clients. We do not hesitate in recommending Elliott for your realty needs.”
Frequently asked
Downsizer questions I get most often.
- Usually, but not always. It depends on your financing, your risk tolerance, and the specific inventory. We'll plan it on purpose rather than defaulting to one answer.
- More than most downsizer-marketing materials suggest; less than you think on square footage alone. The usable square footage matters more than the total: a 1,050-sqft two-bed with a real living room and a real kitchen often feels larger than a 1,250-sqft unit with a lot of hallway.
- Not necessarily. We'll take measurements of the condo floor plan and the pieces you want to keep. The plan comes before the purge.
- That's a conversation for you and your accountant. I'll tell you what I see other clients consider, but the tax advice comes from your accountant, not me.
- Yes, and most of my downsizer clients do. Six months is common. The constraint is usually inventory, not time.
Connect With Elliott
Sharp insights. Expert guidance. Powerful advocacy.
Whether you're buying, selling, or leasing, start with a conversation. I'll ask a few questions, tell you what I'd do in your position, and send a short follow-up you can act on.
Typical response within one business day.