Your advice to 40-year-olds: #3 Get your housing in order
There’s no place like (an affordable, accessible) home.
In the 2025 National Seniors Social Survey we asked you what advice you’d give to people in their 40s to prepare for a possible time when they can no longer live independently.
This series of Connect articles showcases the top 8 pieces of advice from our 2,965 survey respondents.
For this week’s instalment let’s cut straight to the chase: older Australians hereby advise younger Australians to plan for their forever home.
In this case we’re not talking about residential aged care or supported housing – though please stay tuned for them in the next instalment.
Here we are talking about a home that a person can live in for as long as possible before needing supported housing.
Getting the home sorted in time for later life was advised by more than 750 survey respondents, or just over a quarter of the total.
These commenters pointed to three crucial aspects of housing that people need to sort out sooner rather than later to make their living situation as easy as possible: affordability, manageability, and accessibility.
Affordability
Income drops for most people as they age, but rents seem to go on increasing. And as you pointed out in your comments on this topic, paying rent or a mortgage on the Age Pension can be extremely challenging.
For these reasons, over 120 of you advised younger people to buy into the property market rather than relying on renting, and to pay off their mortgage before retiring.
“Own your own home” and “Get mortgage free” were the most straightforward versions of this advice.
Others included:
“Try hard to pay off your house when you are young. You will never be able to survive on the aged pension in the years to come.”
“As a female, make sure you own a house or unit. You MUST make sure you have a roof over your head when you are older and income stops.”
Owning property can also be a pathway to quality aged care later on, as a few of you noted:
“Try to own your own home - even if it is small - because you can always reverse mortgage it to pay for services you need.”
“Buy your own house or unit If you can, it will be your main source of financial security. If you have assets then there is some chance that you may be able to purchase some form of assisted living when you can’t be independent any longer.”
Of course, we must acknowledge that owning one’s home outright is easier said than done for many Australians in their 40s, in the midst of a housing crisis.
Manageability
While affordability is about reducing expenditure, manageability is about reducing labour.
A great many of you noted how difficult it can be later in life to manage a large property, move, or sort through a lifetime of belongings.
No wonder you advised younger people to downsize (or “right-size”) as soon as possible.
Part of this is of course moving to a smaller home.
This suggestion was often accompanied by the injunction to avoid houses with stairs. In fact, more than 200 of you recommended people find a home with one or more of the following characteristics: a single storey, no steps or stairs, and a flat (not sloping) block.
Reducing the garden, making it “maintenance free”, or switching to apartment living to avoid garden responsibilities altogether were also common recommendations.
“Look at downsizing, especially if you have a large house and yard.”
“Don't build a house with stairs or buy an acreage”
“Single storey dwelling with minimal yard commitments, e.g., an apartment.”
“When family leave home, consider moving to a smaller property which has little maintenance.”
“Asmaller home that is easily accessible - NO STAIRS. a small garden with somewhere to sit and breath :)”
Ensuring all major home maintenance has been done before retirement is another part of making a home manageable in later life:
“Arrange the home to be easy to keep clean and maintain. Keep on top of maintenance.”
“Keep up regular maintenance of your property while you’re working to ensure there are no large expenditures suddenly required when funds are tighter.”
Another important part of manageability is decluttering, which was mentioned by almost 60 people:
“Start downsizing your possessions now, it becomes an overwhelming problem when you get to 60 or 70.”
“Get rid of unneeded things, do not hoard, be minimalist.”
“It's never too early to stop accumulating stuff. Start the declutter now - your children will love you for it.”
Accessibility
So that’s cut down the cost and work required to be housed. Now people need to make sure they can access everything they do need even if their bodies’ capacity decreases.
Many of you advised younger people to make renovations and furniture purchases with future accessibility in mind, for example:
“Avoid 2 storey houses ensure doorways etc are wide no showers over baths good lighting minimum steps handles that can be gripped easily casters on heavy furniture to assist moving around non slip floors and floor covering Avoid trailing electric cables especially in frequently used walkways.”
“Buy a house on one level with wide doors and ramps. If a garden enthusiast, use raised garden beds and pots. Plant low maintenance garden. Instal walk-in shower and grab rails.”
“Flat, level floors, no stairs. attached garage, internal access, feel safer. Lift chairs are a godsend. Feel safer with railings in bathroom. Removed bathtub, as was too hard to get into and out of.”
“Have LOTS OF DRAWERS rather than shelves EVERYWHERE......much better for access than bending down! Have lever type handles, not knobs [ easier to open]. Have plenty of good lighting as your vision will deteriorate. Get a GREAT BED and a GREAT MATTRESS.......you will spend a lot of time in it!!! Get reclining and 'lift-up-chairs' for the TV viewing.”
Finally, another consideration relevant to accessibility is location, because driving or travelling any distance may be limited in later life.
“Make sure you are close by hospitals, shopping centres, ambulance and good community.”
“Consider location of home and access to essential services (shopping; medical; transport; social).”
“Often a beautiful block of land and a house with spectacular views and large garden on a forty-five-degree sloping block look amazing when you are in your twenties. But by the time you are in your late forties you need a level block with a limited number of stairs along which is easily maintained in terms of the garden and the yard. Isolated or rural properties may look and give you space but in an emergency is a long way from essential services.”
Next month’s advice: don't wait to plan aged care
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