Downsizing is an exciting time that normally sees significant changes to your lifestyle and your budget. Here are my top 5 tips for anyone thinking about downsizing. 1. Find a community you want to be a part of While normally in real estate the advice is “location, location, location”, and proximity to family and friends and amenities is an important aspect, a big part of your enjoyment in a retirement community will be the interactions with other residents – to quote a great Australian movie “it’s the vibe” – get to know the other residents by attending open days and other village events. 2. Understand your contract Your legal ownership has wide reaching implications so it is important to know what it is, what rights and responsibilities are attached to it (including after you leave) and the impacts on your pension entitlement and eligibility for rent assistance. 3. Do your sums. The costs of moving to a retirement community can vary widely. If you are comparing the costs of moving to one or another it may help to break the costs into three categories: the ingoing, the ongoing and the outgoing. 4. Have a budget And make sure that it