More and more, downsizing into something stylish, comfortable and convenient is becoming a great option for younger couples too – with clever home design to maximise space the perfect solution.

Long gone are the days where the great Aussie dream of owning your own home is synonymous with a house on a quarter-acre block with a massive mortgage tied to it.

The benefits of smaller homes

Building on a small lot offers a fantastic opportunity to minimise maintenance and maximise lifestyle while also reducing the home’s running costs – and your debt! For many, it’s a great way to rid themselves of the shackles of a mortgage for good.

Imagine life without home loan repayments – or even with them being substantially reduced! What would the greater lifestyle flexibility and freedom this brings mean for you? More holidays and adventures? More time for rounds of golf or other hobbies? Fully embracing the café lifestyle?

The four stages of property ownership

Downsizing is common practice.

The most common phases of property ownership for modern families are:

1. Buying your first home: Typically a two-bedroom or three-bedroom home as close to work as affordability allows.
2. The family home: Upgrading to a slightly larger home when a baby comes along, including upgrades from townhouses or units to a house with a back yard to ensure the kids have space to run around freely.
3. The larger family home: Upgrading again to something more spacious to accommodate the needs of teenagers, often with multiple living areas.
4. The lifestyle home: Downsizing after the kids have left home, to minimise maintenance and ensure a better lifestyle.

No one wants to spend their time mowing, weeding, cleaning or repairing a larger, ageing property when there’s no many other incredible ways to enjoy your days – especially on the Sunshine Coast!

Avoiding body corporate fees by building a small lot home

When considering downsizing, some people worry about having to pay body corporate fees for the rest of their life, but it doesn’t need to factor into the decision if you choose to build a new small lot home instead of buying within a complex.

New Sunshine Coast estates provide plenty of opportunity to invest in a smaller home with the bonus of lots of people to meet, plenty of facilities on your doorstep and all the amazing lifestyle perks of living in this beautiful corner of the world. Plus no body corporate!

Once the decision is made to downsize, the process couldn’t be easier, either. Here’s a few tips:

1. Sell anything you don’t use any more or donate it to charity. Be sure also to ring your kids and tell them to come get their stuff or else it will be added to the donation pile!
2. List your property for sale, cash in and call upon Vantage Homes to build you a small lot new home.
3. Enjoy your debt-free, maintenance-free small lot home!

In terms of Sunshine Coast and Brisbane home builders, we’re proud that Vantage Homes leads the way as a small lot specialist. Our range of award-winning smaller homes combine visually appealing facades with efficient design, reducing wasted space while creating a sense of spaciousness – even on the tightest block.

Whether you’re considering home designs for your own block of land or affordable house and land packages, Sunshine Coast terrace homes and other small lot homes by Vantage Homes feature clever use of space and a high level of inclusions to offer extraordinary value for money.

If you’re considering downsizing your home, whatever the motivation, be sure to get in touch with our team today to find out more about our small lot home designs, call into one of our Sunshine Coast display homes for a chat or check out the house and land packages currently available to see if there’s anything that might perfectly suit your lifestyle.