The latest Downsizers Report from Lloyds Bank has indicated how trading down from a detached house to a bungalow or a semi-detached house could raise a significant amount of money.
Those moving to a bungalow can free up £103,715 on average, with those moving to a semi-detached house standing to raise even more money, up to £121,686.
Significantly, 52% of homeowners planning to sell their property in the next three years saying they’d like to move to a smaller house.
For those trading down, the potential amount that can be raised by downsizing from a detached property to a bungalow has risen by 8% (or £8,081) over the past decade; a downsizer today would receive an average of £103,715; compared with £95,634 in 2004.
The potential amount of cash homeowners could raise by downsizing their property from a detached home to a semi detached stood at an average of £121,686 in 2014; an increase of 6% (£6,943) since 2004.
Three in four expect to make money when they downsize. Of those, 43% will reinvest this money in a new property, 26% will invest in other financial products and 13% will invest in their pension or give to their family members (13%). 26% are planning to move to a more affordable area, 5% less than in 2013.
63% said one of the main reasons for downsizing is to find a smaller property that better suits their current circumstances.
After this, the key drivers for downsizing are largely financial, with 40% looking to downsize to help reduce bills and outgoings. 28% of downsizers are also looking to release equity from their property, and 25% are looking to help support their retirement plans.
25% of downsizers are also trading down earlier than expected and there are a variety reasons for this including health, change in relationship status and proximity to amenities. The average downsizer is 56 years old, with the greatest proportion having lived in their current property between 11 and 20 years, and having moved in to that property at the age of 39.
“Downsizing is clearly still a major part of the housing market with over half of potential homemovers considering a smaller property,” said Andy Hulme, mortgages director at Lloyds Bank. “The volume of downsizers is therefore helping to keep the market moving, freeing up larger properties for those making their way up the ladder.
“Once people do look to trade down, the benefits are clear. Downsizing can generate significant amounts of money, on average over £100,000 in 2014. It also helps to lower the cost of household bills and frees up funds so that people can enjoy their retirement or invest their money for the future.”
Downsizers in the capital stand to make the most in monetary terms, with potential sums to be made reaching an average of almost £289,927 from trading down from a detached home to a bungalow.
Buyers downsizing from a detached home to a bungalow in East Anglia saw the largest average increase of 38% (or £24,500 – the largest rise over 10 years in monetary terms), followed by the South West (32% or £22,664) and Northern Ireland, (29% or £11,477).
Those moving from a detached home to a semi in the South West saw the largest overall increase in the average amount that could be made over the past decade, at 18% (or £19,707), followed by the North (15% or £37,367). London is again at the bottom of the table for the changes over 10 years, with a 12% reduction, equivalent to £32,014 less, despite the windfall still being the highest in 2014 at £237,614.
