The 100 Square Foot Paradox: Why Downsizing Is Really About Lifestyle Redesign

According to Ryan Bruen of The Bruen Team at Coldwell Banker Realty in Morristown, New Jersey, the average downsizer reduces their living space by just 100 square feet. This statistic surprises most people considering a move, leading to confusion and skepticism about the purpose of downsizing if square footage barely changes. The answer reveals something fascinating about how Americans approach major housing transitions in their 60s and 70s. What begins as a downsizing conversation almost always evolves into something more nuanced: a lifestyle redesign.

In Morris County, where Bruen works with empty nesters and retirees throughout Morristown, Madison, and surrounding communities, the decision to move rarely stems from wanting less square footage. Clients report being exhausted by maintenance, wanting to travel without worrying about tasks like shoveling driveways, and being tired of heating rooms nobody uses. The square footage stays similar, but everything else changes. A five-bedroom colonial in Mendham becomes a three-bedroom ranch in Morristown with a first-floor primary suite, representing the same approximate size but a completely different lifestyle.

The other major shift involves proximity to activity. Families with school-age children prioritize quiet neighborhoods, large yards, and top-rated school districts. Empty nesters increasingly value walkability to downtown, access to restaurants and cultural venues, and shorter commutes to wherever their grandchildren live. Bruen recently worked with a couple who sold their 3,800-square-foot home in Chester for a 3,600-square-foot townhouse near downtown Morristown. On paper, this represents barely a downsize, but in reality, they traded an acre of lawn maintenance and a 15-minute drive to dinner for a lock-and-leave lifestyle with everything walkable.

Location decisions increasingly revolve around grandchildren, not golf courses, according to Bruen's observations. He notes that colleagues in Florida and the Carolinas report a steady stream of New Jersey retirees moving south for lower taxes and better weather, but within two years, many return. The pull of family, particularly grandchildren, consistently outweighs the appeal of year-round golf. For more information about The Bruen Team's approach, visit bruenrealestate.com.

The biggest mistake Bruen sees is waiting too long to make the move. The ideal time to downsize is before needing to, not after mobility issues or health concerns force one's hand. Preparing a home for sale, sorting through decades of belongings, and coordinating a move requires significant energy. If people wait until maintaining their current home becomes genuinely difficult, executing the move becomes equally challenging. Bruen has seen too many people become trapped in homes that no longer serve them simply because the transition feels overwhelming.

Bruen's advice to clients thinking about this transition is to begin decluttering now, even if not moving for another year or two. The most time-consuming part isn't the actual move; it's deciding what to keep and what to let go. Starting with attics, storage closets, and file drawers makes the process more manageable, as furniture is easy to sort while boxes of photos and decades of paperwork take time. The most satisfied clients Bruen works with made their moves proactively, not reactively. They chose their timing, their location, and their next chapter on their own terms. The square footage turned out to be the least important number in the entire equation.