What is the difference between downsizing and right-sizing?

Downsizing usually means moving to a smaller home specifically to reduce cost and upkeep, while right-sizing describes moving to whatever home actually fits your current life, which might be smaller but could also mean a single-level layout, a different location, or more accessible features rather than simply less square footage. The two terms overlap, but right-sizing puts the emphasis on fit rather than size alone. Brian Beatty asks what a client actually needs day to day before assuming smaller is automatically the goal.