To downsize, or not to downsize?

What a load of garbage! I will downsize when I am good and ready to. The older generation is not to blame for the cost of housing. Tell our politicians to stop allowing rich overseas investors to buy up our homes. These are the people who have pushed up the price of inner city housing.....not the older generation who have raised their families in these homes. As stated, a lot of the 'affluent' inner city suburbs were once just mainstream suburbs, some of which where not very nice to live in at the time. 

Hands off my house ! I own it I paid for it. I did not get baby bonuses, paid maternity leave ,parental leave, superannuation, for most of my working life. We also provide child care 5 days a week for two grandchildren not only freeing up two places in childcare centres, but also saving the govt. the cost of childcare rebates. This also frees up both parents to work and pay taxes and provide for their own retirement in time. Looking at foreign investment in Australian homes and taking appropriate action would alleviate the situation .All political parties would do well to remember that we vote! 

They will have to remove us with a front end loader, we have no intention of moving. We had our first home built at Seven Hills in 1971 and paid 18% interest on our loan, we ran our own business and put our three children through private schools. In 2000 we built another house in the Blacktown area as we needed a house without steps and large enough for my husband to be able get around in a wheelchair, I think it is a bit rich for THEY whoever THEY are to expect older people to vacate their homes because young people "need" them because they want to be close to everything. This is taking the Age of Entitlement to the extreme..........it is disgraceful! 

I live on 16 acres 28km north west of Melbourne. 80% of residents in my neighborhood are over 60. Most of us would love to be able to move onto 1 acre in the same neighborhood or subdivide our land into 1 or 2 acre lots. The government won't let us subdivide or have another area close by with 1 acre lots. So we stay here. Most of us have kids in there 20s or 30s living on our properties or visiting and staying for weeks at a time. We need the larger homes and I could never live in a flat. I grow my own vegetables and fruit. 

Don't downsize if you don't have to. I had to downsize at age 62 for health reasons. It cost a great deal to move, I've lost a huge chunk of pension, which I worked hard for, raised two children, paid my taxes, paid off my home, and, I maintain expensive private health insurance. I never had any Government assistance for anything, ever. I'd love to go back to work. There is definitely age discrimination by employers, 3 years of applying for any job, full or part time, has proved fruitless and demoralising. Although happy, I have a distance disconnect to my former friends, medical appointments, transport and social groups. I'm adjusting, it is challenging, and I'm not complaining, however, no one should be penalised after a life of hard work and social responsibility. 

Alan from QLD When I came Sydney in 1973 houses were so cheap to purchase I brought a new 4 bedroom house for $27,500 the mortgage was $138.00 a month on a 25 year plan , but I paid it off in 5 years , most Australians would not pay their mortgages off but go the whole 25 years , good for the banks , not good for the person , then I went out and brought 3 more houses , my wife did not work , and I only had a regular job , with regular pay , but I did have a Company car . I had two children , but watched what I was spending , we had holidays , went out and about on weekends , I paid all our bills on time . People in the road where I lived , some had better jobs than me , but they where always in the poor house , it's all down to money management , most people waste most of the money they earn , because they were never shown how to manage it , they call it living , at the end of the day they have to pay the price . 

As we are 69 and 72 we moved into a over 55's Village 5 years ago and we are very happy here and have not regretted our move .we had a 4 bedroom home and pool on a large block .so easy living here and you always have company and plenty of things to do Pauline 

This is just ridiculous! The only people who can afford to purchase detached houses in Sydney are people on high incomes, buyers phoning in from China and developers who want to get their greedy paws on your plot of land and rip down your family home. I resent the opinions of this armchair think tank. Was he alive and paying off a mortgage when interest rates were 17%? Buying a family home requires sacrifice and this asset should not be stolen from the older generation. Maybe it's because these champagne sipping socialists don't want us to leave anything of worth to the next generation! Cheers to all you hard working people out there who bothered to provide a home for your family. Yvonne N.S.W. 

leave us alone! I wonder how many pollies would like to downsize? we've lived here 44 years and like the shops, rail, bus, doctor and hospital nearby. I like my space, shed and back yard. Flick off!. the young ones can travel and overseas buyers are not pushing us out! pollies can get on their bike!! 

Yes, why should we be guilty of hanging onto our family home. We paid the mortgage for 30 years and now that we can relax and enjoy the other side of life's, freedom of choice, without having to put the children first. THh government should be providing more services to the elderly to keep us in our homes. Many, if not all of us, somewhere along the line, babysit the grandkids. We live in a 3 bedroom villa, here in beautiful Forster. The house is used as a holiday destination for the children and grandkids at least 6 times per year. The 'big' house allows us to see the grandkids more often as we don't travel too well now at our age. One son is looking to buy a few acre block up here for him and his wife to retire on, he is only 49. If you want to live in the city and inner suburbs, start a saving plan now, you cannot expect the elderly to move out so you can satisfy your own selfish desires.