When smaller is better

Downsizing: That's what many homeowners elect to do when the old house is bigger than their needs.

Her six kids were grown and gone.

She was cleaning rooms she never went into.

She was paying high energy bills to heat a basically empty home.

But deciding to downsize was still a complex, nine-month process for Laurel resident Marcia Shields.

"I remember rooms where the kids had sleepovers, or where they'd put up tents to play," Shields said. "And the kids were upset, too. They'd envisioned having their own kids back to the house where they grew up."

Though she's excited about her new Laurel townhouse, Shields still feels an emotional loss at being unable to have the gang back to the old homestead for holidays and special occasions. But she had to be realistic.

"I'd have to invest a lot of money into a home they'd be at twice a year," she said, adding as a consolation, "We can take pictures."

When do you know that it's time to go? When is it time to downsize, go from that four- or five-bedroom suburban home that you've lived in for years to a half-the-size condominium?

Everyone says the decision is one of the toughest to make and extremely personal, but there are universal clues that it may be time to start packing.

Homestead or headache? Heirlooms or clutter? Grand staircase or Mount Everest? Garden or jungle? The biggest clue that it's time to downsize may be that it's simply not fun to live there anymore.

"If they're active in the yard, their home may give them satisfaction and activity, and they may be bored if they downsize. But if the work is a pain, and they don't look forward to cleaning and all of the related things, it's time to move," said Pat Hiban, an associate broker with Re/Max Advantage Realty in Columbia.

"If you're in good health and enjoy the yard, I wouldn't go," said Dick Peebles, senior transition specialist at Re/Max American Dream in Lutherville. Those who consider upkeep and gardening to have become chores should consider leaving, he added.

Leaves and snow sparked Shield's epiphany. After months of raking and shoveling practically every weekend, caring for her single-family home definitely wasn't fun anymore.

"I wasn't enjoying it. I want to travel ... and a lot at the house needs to be redone," she said. "It's not where I want to spend my energy."

Under the "it's not fun anymore" umbrella are clues such as finding yourself in a declining neighborhood, paying for increasing upkeep or taxes on property not being fully used - or just having difficulty maneuvering through the house.