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Call (916) 436-3776Downsizing at 55+ California
How Do I Downsize or Right-Size My Home in California After 55?
Downsizing after 55 in California means trading a larger, higher-maintenance home for one that fits your life now: single-level, low-maintenance, or closer to family and care. Three tools make it affordable: the equity you've built, Proposition 19 (carry your low property-tax base to the new home anywhere in California), and, for buyers 62+, a HECM for Purchase reverse mortgage that lets you buy with no monthly mortgage payment. The result is often a better home and more free cash flow in retirement.
For many Californians over 55, the family home has become more than they need: too many stairs, too much yard, too much upkeep, and often a great deal of equity sitting idle. Right-sizing to a single-level home, an active-adult community, or a place closer to family or care can transform daily life. And in California, three tools make the move remarkably affordable: the equity from your longtime home, Proposition 19 (which lets you keep your low property-tax base), and the HECM for Purchase reverse mortgage (buy with no monthly payment). This guide walks through the lifestyle move and how to fund it, then links to a guide for your area. Serve First, Ashlar Lending, and Ashlar LDA handle the whole move together.
One family. The whole move, made easy.
Sell the family home, land in the right one
A later-in-life move has a few moving parts, and the Ashlar Brands family handles them together so you don’t have to juggle:
- 1.Serve First Realty, sells your longtime home for its full value and helps you find the right-fit replacement: single-level, low-maintenance, near family or care.
- 2.Ashlar Lending Inc. (NMLS #2699657), finances the new home, including a HECM for Purchase reverse mortgage that lets qualifying buyers 62+ buy with no monthly mortgage payment, keeping more of your savings free.
- 3.Ashlar LDA, Inc., a bonded and registered Legal Document Assistant, can prepare related paperwork, such as a trust transfer deed, at your direction.
And with Proposition 19, if you’re 55+ you can carry your low property-tax base to the new home anywhere in California. These are separate businesses in the Ashlar Brands family. Serve First Realty is a real estate brokerage, not a lender or law firm; loan terms are set by the lender, and a Legal Document Assistant prepares documents at your direction and is not a substitute for an attorney.
Free calculator
HECM for Purchase Calculator
Estimate how much a reverse mortgage covers when downsizing (62+).
Run the numbers