What should a downsizing consultation cover?
A useful downsizing consultation covers the homeowner's priorities, the options they want to explore, known costs and unanswered questions, any support they want involved, and one agreed next step. Staying, adapting the current home, renting and buying all belong in the conversation. Record the homeowner's preference rather than assuming a smaller home or a listing date is the answer.
The Canadian Downsizing Consultation & Follow-Up Kit provides editable conversation and worksheet tools for this stage. It supports living homeowners making housing choices. It is separate from estate administration, a full moving timeline and a financial calculation package.
Ask about daily life before property features
Ask what has become harder, what works well and what the person would like their next year to feel like. A homeowner may want less winter maintenance while keeping nearby friends and familiar services. Another may want a different layout, less unused space or time to think. Do not infer their needs, preferences or decision-making ability from age.
- What parts of the current home and neighbourhood matter most?
- Which maintenance tasks would they like help with?
- What location, transport and community connections should remain practical?
- Which features are must-haves, preferences or still unknown?
- What are they not ready to decide?
The federal Thinking about aging in place guide considers housing, community and support needs together. It can be a useful resource when relevant; it is not a reason to prescribe the same plan to every homeowner. Specific medical, building or accessibility questions need the appropriate professional.
Put staying and moving options on the same page
Record the options the homeowner actually wants to compare. Staying could involve service help. Adapting requires feasibility and cost information. Renting and buying each have location, access, terms and ongoing-cost questions. Keep an option open until there is enough information to discuss it properly.
Use the same household assumptions and the monthly-versus-one-time cost comparison. Write “unknown” beside a missing quote. A blank service cost does not prove that staying is cheaper, and a purchase price alone does not describe the cost of a new home. Avoid choosing the lowest-looking column before the missing information is gathered.
FICTIONAL CONSULTATION EXAMPLE
Robin wants to keep the neighbourhood and reduce winter work. The chosen next step is to request a written snow-clearing scope and estimate, then review whether staying remains workable. No listing appointment is assumed. The example demonstrates a next action, not a recommendation for another homeowner.
Make belongings and participation manageable
Ask whether belongings are part of the concern before turning the conversation into a clearing-out plan. A room, a furniture-fit question or one provider inquiry may be a manageable starting point. Record who can inspect, quote, move or handle items, and which decisions remain for later.
If the homeowner wants relatives or another support person involved, plan the family meeting around the homeowner's participation and sharing preferences. Attendance alone does not establish decision-making authority. Seek the appropriate advice if authority or capacity is uncertain; the kit does not assess either.
Do not circulate financial, personal or household information just because somebody is helping. Use approved records and confirm what can be shared, with whom and for which task. Keep service-provider contact and quotation work distinct from an instruction to proceed.
Finish with one action and a suitable follow-up
Read the working summary back to the homeowner. Separate what they prefer now from what still needs checking. Record one action, who owns it, a realistic date and the contact arrangement they want. If they want to pause, make the pause clear instead of leaving a general follow-up campaign running.
The kit's ten emails are event-based choices: a recap, staying, adaptation, comparing options, missing information or another relevant situation. Personalize the matching message and complete your sending checks. They are not ten mandatory contacts.
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada's housing-options resource includes staying and adapting among the possibilities and points to local programs. Check the current local facts rather than relying on an old national cost figure. The consultation can be complete when the homeowner has a useful next step, even if they have chosen no move.
Official references checked October 20, 2026: Federal aging-in-place planning; FCAC housing options. General information only. Confirm current local requirements and seek appropriate legal, tax, mortgage, medical or accessibility advice for the actual situation.