Forty plus years in one house leaves a lot to get through.
The linen press stacked with sheets. The good dinner set that comes out at Christmas. A garage full of tools, paint tins and boxes marked "miscellaneous". Every room holds a story, and most of them are worth keeping.
So when you decide to move to a retirement village, the hardest question is not where to live. It is what comes with you.
Downsizing is one of the biggest moves you will ever make. It deserves more than a long weekend and a skip bin. Give yourself about six months and the job becomes a series of small, manageable steps – and your new home is ready to live in from the first night.
This guide walks you through those six months, stage by stage, with a checklist you can print and share with the people helping you.
Start with the feelings, not the furniture
We will be honest: sorting a lifetime of belongings can feel heavy. You might feel relief one day and grief the next, both are completely normal.
In times like this, it helps to remember what you are moving towards. No more gutters to clean or lawns to mow. Neighbours who wave on the way to the village café. Help close by, day or night, if you ever need it. Friends, and less feelings of isolation.
You are not giving up your home. You are choosing the parts of it that matter most and taking them somewhere easier to live. Remember, home is where the heart is.
If you or your family has not had a conversation yet about moving to a retirement home, start with our guide on how to talk to a parent about moving to a retirement village.
Six months out: go and see for yourself
Brochures only tell you so much. Walk the paths, sit in the café and ask residents what they wish they had known before moving in – most will happily tell you.
This is also the time to get your independent advice lined up, before any dates are locked in.
- Visit two or three villages and take someone you trust
- Talk to residents, not just the sales team
- Ask for a cost guide, a floor plan and the village rules on pets, guests and parking
- Check the distance to your GP, shops, church and family
- Book an independent financial adviser and a lawyer
- Clear one small space – a drawer, a shelf, the bathroom cabinet.
That last one matters more than it looks. An early win makes the bigger rooms feel possible.
At Wesley Mission, you are welcome to look around Alan Walker Village in Carlingford or Frank Vickery Village in Sylvania – bring the family. Before you visit, read our guide to retirement living costs and ownership so you can ask the questions that matter to you.
Four months out: one room at a time
Now the real sorting begins. Pick the room you use least – the garage, the spare room, the shed – and start there. Leave the kitchen and the photo albums until last. They always take longer than you think.
Try the four-box method. Everything you pick up goes into one of four places:
- Keep. It fits your new home and you use it or love it.
- Give. A family member or friend would treasure it.
- Sell. It has value and someone else will use it.
- Donate. It still has life in it, just not with you.
If you pick something up three times and cannot decide, put it in a "maybe" box and come back in a month. You will usually know by then.
- Measure your new home and check which furniture will fit
- Offer heirlooms to family now, while you can share the stories behind them
- Photograph the things you love but cannot take
- Get your house appraised and choose an agent
- Book any repairs or touch-ups before your home goes on the market
- Gather your papers: will, powers of attorney, title, bank and super details – and update your will and powers of attorney if needed
- Ask the village for its disclosure statement and draft contract.
Two months out: sign, sell and set a date
This is where the dates start to line up. The aim is simple: settle on your house close to your move-in date, so you are not paying for two homes at once.
In NSW, the village must give you your contract at least 14 days before you sign it. Use every one of those days. Read it with your lawyer, ask your questions and sign only when you are sure.
- Pay your holding deposit to secure your new home
- Review your contract with your lawyer, then sign
- Book removalists who have moved older people before, and ask the village about move-in rules such as time windows, lift bookings or preferred removalists
- Arrange charity pick-ups for donated furniture
- Redirect your mail with Australia Post and update your address with your bank, super fund, doctor, pharmacy, Medicare, Centrelink, insurers and the Australian Electoral Commission
- Transfer your phone, internet and electricity, and cancel or update council rates, home insurance, alarm monitoring and regular deliveries.
Moving week: pack the kettle last
Keep this week simple. Say yes to every offer of help – and give each helper one clear job.
The secret to a good first night is one well-packed box that travels with you, not in the truck.
- Pack your first-night box: medicines, glasses, chargers, toiletries, sheets, a towel, the kettle and two mugs
- Keep your important documents in your handbag or car
- Label every box with the room it belongs in at your new home
- Walk through your old home one last time – check the cupboards, roof space, garage and shed – then hand the keys to your agent
- Take a photo of your final meter readings
- Make your bed first. Everything else can wait until morning.
The first 90 days: give it time
The boxes will be gone in a week. Feeling at home takes a little longer, and that is fine.
Say hello to your neighbours. Choose one activity in your first fortnight and go, even if you go alone. Most friendships in a village start with a simple "Are you new here?"
- Learn how your 24-hour emergency call system works, and test it in your first week
- Join one activity or group in your first two weeks
- Register your car with the village and check your fortnightly fees are set up correctly
- Invite family to visit once you have unpacked.
At our villages, you can play croquet or bowls, swim in the heated indoor pool at Alan Walker Village, train in the gym at Frank Vickery Village or sign up for a course with Wesley School for Seniors. Family can stay overnight with you or in one of our guest units, subject to availability.
Kay moved to Frank Vickery Village after losing her husband. Read how Kay found her new haven.
What happens to the money from your house
Selling the family home can change your finances in ways that are easy to miss. Here are three rules worth knowing.
- You may be able to add up to $300,000 to your super. If you are 55 or older and sell a home you have owned for at least 10 years, you may be able to put up to $300,000 of the proceeds into super as a downsizer contribution. A couple can put in up to $300,000 each. You generally need to do it within 90 days of settlement. See the downsizer contribution rules from the Australian Taxation Office.
- Your sale money may not affect your Age Pension straight away. Money you plan to use for your new home may be exempt from the Age Pension assets test for up to 24 months. Anything left over is assessed. You need to tell Services Australia within 14 days of selling your home. Read about selling your home and the assets test on the Services Australia website.
- What you pay to move in changes how Centrelink sees you. Centrelink calls the amount you pay to move into a retirement village your “entry contribution”, however your contract is set up. If it is more than a threshold called the extra allowable amount, you are treated as a homeowner. If it is the same or less, you are treated as a non-homeowner, which can change your pension and may make you eligible for Rent Assistance.
Everyone's situation is different, so check the details with an independent financial adviser.
The law gives you time to be sure
Retirement villages in NSW must follow the Retirement Villages Act 1999. That gives you three clear protections:
- Time to read. You must have your contract at least 14 days before you sign.
- Time to change your mind. You have a seven business-day cooling-off period after signing.
- Time to settle in. If village life is not right for you in the first 90 days, you can leave without paying a departure fee.
NSW Fair Trading explains your rights in its guide to entering a retirement village contract.
What our team sees on moving day
"People worry about the packing, but it is the easy part. The hard part is the dinner set their mother gave them, or the desk their husband built. We tell everyone the same thing: bring what makes you feel at home.
The photos, the favourite chair or the good teapot. A few weeks later, the same people are knocking on our door to tell us they really didn’t need to bring much at all to feel at home!"
-Manager, Wesley Mission Retirement Villages
Your downsizing questions, answered
Start about six months before you want to move. That gives you time to visit villages, sort your belongings, sell your house and get independent advice without rushing.
Measure your new home first. Then offer pieces to family, sell what has value and donate the rest to a local charity.
Not always, but most people use their house sale to pay the entry cost. Try to line up your settlement date with your move-in date, and talk to the village and your adviser about timing.
Possibly. If you are 55 or older and meet the Australian Taxation Office rules, you may be able to contribute up to $300,000 from your home sale into super as a downsizer contribution.
Yes. In NSW, you have a seven business-day cooling-off period after signing and a 90-day settling-in period after you move in.
Ready when you are
Come and look around Alan Walker Village or Frank Vickery Village. Bring your family, your tape measure and every question on your list. We will walk you through the costs, the contract and which of your furniture will fit.
Call us on 1800 931 107 or email retirementliving@wesleymission.org.au. You can also explore retirement living with Wesley Mission.
Want a little help at home before or after your move? Find out how the Support at Home program works in 2026.
