Eileen Alexander: Moving to a smaller home is an opportunity to downsize and simplify

There are many reasons why you might be thinking of moving to a home with less square footage than the one you currently occupy.

Maybe the home where you’ve raised your family is too large for the two of you now that the kids have left home. Perhaps you’d like to move to another area of the country for the warmer weather or, if you like winter sports like skiing, more snow! Retirees might find that caring for a smaller home is very appealing. If your goal is to save money, a more modest home could make sense in terms of a smaller mortgage, lower property taxes, and lower heating, cooling and utility costs. Or condo or townhouse living just might be what you’ve been yearning for.