Moving to a Smaller Home: A Plain-Words Guide to Downsizing in Northern Virginia
Where to start, what to do with a house full of belongings, and how to time the sale and your next home, one step at a time.
Where Do We Even Start?
That's the question we hear most. You may have been in this home a long time, and it's full of things that matter to you.
You don't have to figure it all out this week, and you don't have to be sure you're ready. This guide puts the steps in order, in plain words. It comes from Mike and Claudia Webb of The Mike Webb Team, with RE/MAX Allegiance. We have more than 34 years in real estate.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. A Virginia attorney and a CPA can tell you what applies to you.
Call or Text 703-350-3884
Step 1: Decide What the Next Home Has to Do
Write two lists: must-haves and nice-to-haves. These features come up often:
- Fewer stairs, or a bedroom and bath on the main level
- An elevator building, or a one-level home
- Less yard and less outside upkeep
- Parking and storage that fit what you're keeping
- A location close to the places you go every week
Then compare the full monthly cost of each option: loan payment, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities and any condo or HOA fee. A fee may cover things you pay for yourself now, like exterior repairs. Ask what it covers.
If you buy in a condo or HOA community in Virginia, you get a resale certificate with the rules, the budget and the fees. Virginia law gives you time to cancel after you receive it. The time is whatever your contract says, and three days if the contract doesn't say. Read it before that time runs out.
Step 2: Know Your Numbers
Two numbers shape every other decision: what your home could sell for, and what you'd have after the sale.
What you'd have is the sale price, minus what you owe on the home and your costs to sell. One of those costs is Virginia's grantor tax, 50 cents for each $500 of the price. The seller pays it unless you and the buyer arrange otherwise. Your settlement company's estimate will show every tax and fee.
If you want to know what your home is worth today, we can walk through it with you. There's no cost and no obligation, and you don't have to be ready to sell.
It also helps to know what you'd be buying into. In September 2026, NVAR reported condo and townhouse listings up 49.7% from a year earlier across its Northern Virginia region, while detached listings rose 5.7%. That region does not include Loudoun or Prince William. So there were more condos and townhouses to choose from than a year before.
Step 3: Plan the Timing
There are three common ways to do this, and your finances and your comfort decide which one fits.
- Move first, then sell. That means one move and an empty home to show. It can also mean paying for two homes for a while.
- Sell first, then move. You know your budget, but you may need a short-term place to live.
- Do both at the same time. We can list your home with the sale tied to you finding your next one, so you are not left without a place to go. The buyer has to agree to that.
If you'll need a loan on the next home, ask a lender early how they treat the payment on the home you still own. If you need a little more time in the house after settlement, that has to be agreed in writing in advance.
Step 4: Sort One Room at a Time
Start early, and start with the rooms you use least. Many people start six months to a year ahead, and a few months is still enough to get going.
- Measure your next home before you decide on furniture.
- Tell your family your timeline early. Ask who wants which pieces, and set a date for them to pick things up.
- Go room by room in four groups: take with you, give to family, sell and donate.
- Keep your settlement papers and your receipts for big improvements. You'll want them for Step 5.
You decide what comes with you. We can take care of the rest (see Step 6).
Step 5: Know the Tax Basics
The IRS lets you exclude up to $250,000 of gain on your main home, or up to $500,000 on a joint return, if you meet its tests. In general, you must have owned the home and lived in it for at least 24 months of the 5 years before the sale. You generally can't use the exclusion if you used it on another home in the 2 years before.
If you've owned your home a long time, your gain can be more than the limit, and the part above the limit can be taxable. What you spent on improvements, like a new roof, generally counts toward your cost. Everyday repairs generally don't. Publication 523 has the details.
Special rules can apply if your spouse has died, and the timing matters. If you get a Form 1099-S, you must report the sale even if the gain is excluded. Talk with a CPA before you list.
Step 6: If You Sell, Choose How
Getting it ready. Every seller who lists with us gets The White Glove Home Sale Method at no additional cost, whatever the price or type of home. It covers removing unwanted items and furniture, taking donations to the charity you choose, painting and repairs, physical staging, deep cleaning, carpet and window cleaning, caulking, power washing and landscaping.
Bigger projects. If the home needs new flooring, a new kitchen or other big-ticket work, ask us about Concierge Services: renovate now, pay at closing.
As it is. Sometimes that's the right choice. We can show you what the home could sell for prepared and what it might sell for as it is, and you decide. Either way, we list it, market it and handle the sale.
Nothing happens without your say.
When You're Ready to Talk
Some people we help are ready this month. Others stay in touch for years before the time is right. Both are fine.
If you're staying in the area, we can help you find your next home too. If you're moving farther away, we can connect you with a trusted agent there.
Have a question, even a small one? Call or text us at 703-350-3884.
Mike and Claudia Webb
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