My husband and I downsized to a condo last year, but between our hobbies and grandkids, we already feel cramped. Is it crazy to go bigger at 70?

Now they’re rethinking their decision.

They made the move thinking it would free them up to travel more, but they’re spending more time at home than they expected. Christine has turned the spare bedroom into a crafting and hobby room.

Plus, their daughter and son-in-law have turned to Christine and Steve for regular babysitting duty during the week. Now the couple are wondering if it actually makes more sense to upsize.

Christine, who has started quilting, wants a bigger space to work on larger sewing projects. Steve wants a ‘man cave’ where he can watch football and drag racing.

Is it worth upsizing?

The upsides of upsizing in retirement

Upsizing can enhance quality of life, providing more space for family visits or home-based hobbies as many retirees are “realizing their dreams” of spending more time with family and friends (58%) and pursuing hobbies (43%), according to 2024’s Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey (2).

It allows for flexibility along the continuum of life. It could make sense for multigenerational households — say, if you’re regularly babysitting your grandchildren, as 19% of the Transamerica survey respondents are — or if your adult children help out with caregiving duties.

It could provide space for a live-in caregiver, or serve as an extra source of income if you rent out a room, basement apartment or garden suite.

Bigger house, bigger challenges

Moving is costly — from selling your home and buying a new one to moving costs themselves, which can range from $1,200 to $29,000, depending on how much stuff you’re moving, how far you’re moving and if you want professional movers to do the heavy lifting.

You may not net as much from your sale as you hope, meaning you may have to dip into your retirement savings or borrow money to get a bigger home.

Currently, it’s a buyers’ market. In fact, Redfin said summer 2025 was the strongest buyers’ market to date (3).

Meanwhile, the average 30-year mortgage rate sits at 7.04%, according to data from Freddie Mac.

Even if you buy a big home in a more affordable area (4), larger homes come with higher utility bills, maintenance and insurance costs.