Why More Homeowners Are Downsizing Mortgage-Free

Downsizing With No Mortgage: How Your Equity Can Buy Your Next Home in Cash

If you’ve been thinking about downsizing to lower your expenses, be closer to family, or just make life easier, here’s a trend worth paying attention to:

More homeowners are buying their next house outright, without taking on a new mortgage. And, if you’ve owned your home for a while, you may be able to do the same. No mortgage. No monthly housing payments.

A Record Share of Homeowners Are Mortgage-Free

According to ResiClub’s analysis of Census data, more than 40% of U.S. owner-occupied homes are mortgage-free – an all-time high. That means 4 in 10 homeowners now own their homes free and clear.

Why? Demographics play a big role. Many Baby Boomers have had time to fully pay off their mortgages. And if you’re part of that group, you may not realize just how much buying power you now have.

How Downsizers Are Turning Equity into Buying Power

Your equity is your biggest advantage in today’s market. If you’re mortgage-free (or close to it), you could use that equity to buy your next home in cash. That means:

• No monthly mortgage payments in retirement

• Less financial stress as you age

• More cash flow if you buy a smaller, less expensive home

• A faster, simpler home-buying process

Here’s how it works: you sell your current house and use the proceeds to buy your next home outright. It’s not just possible—it’s happening more often than you may think.

In fact, a recent survey from John Burns Research and Consulting (JBREC) and Keeping Current Matters (KCM) found that all-cash purchases are climbing across nearly every region of the country.

Why Boomers Are Leading the Way

For Baby Boomers especially, buying in cash means more control over this next chapter. Downsizing isn’t about “downgrading.” It’s about choosing:

• A smaller, easier-to-maintain home

• Lower living costs

• More freedom to travel, spend time with family, or enjoy hobbies

It’s about using the wealth your home has built for you to upgrade your quality of life.

Bottom Line

You’ve worked hard for your house. Now it may be time for it to work hard for you.

If you’re thinking about downsizing, your equity could give you the power to buy your next home mortgage-free. Talk to your agent about what your house is worth today and what options it unlocks for your future.

What would your ideal downsized home look like if you could buy it in cash?