If you own your home and are retired or nearing retirement, you might feel caught between two very different stories.

On paper, Australian homeowners have enjoyed an extraordinary period of wealth creation over the past two decades. But right now many downsizers face a more immediate challenge: what happens when much of your wealth is tied up in your home and the timing to sell doesn’t feel right?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) found total household wealth rose 1.2 per cent, or $224.9 billion, in the first three months of 2026, reaching about $19.2 trillion. Much of that growth has been driven by the family home.

That is reassuring over the long term, but it doesn’t remove the frustration many homeowners feel in a softer property market, where some sellers are having to rethink their plans.

People have seen this before

If you were trying to downsize in the UK during the 2008-09 housing downturn, the core challenge was very similar: prices fell and buyers were scarce, making it harder to sell at a fair price.

Downsizers basically had two very stark alternatives: accept a reduced price and move on or stay in the family home, and wait for the market to recover.

There are options to deal with these difficult conditions

For most people, the family home is the largest asset they own, often worth more than their super. This also includes the holiday home or an investment property.

We’ve all seen shifts in sentiment before, where momentum shifts towards buyers and away from sellers. The depressed situation won’t last forever, and the markets generally return to their normal longer run trends.

The question is how long will conditions take to normalise.

Focus on what you can control

You cannot change the current auction clearance rates. But you can shape the things closer to home: the size of your cash buffer, and how you manage your buckets of wealth.

If you simply need a modest top-up to your retirement income, then you should consider applying for the government’s Home Equity Access Scheme which offers loans at an attractive interest rate of 3.95%.

If you want to buy a new EV or refurbish the bathrooms, then you can access more of your wealth through home equity release. Money at 60 has written a free comprehensive guide that runs you through the above options. Click here to download it now.

We’re here to help

We set up Money at 60 to help you best understand your options. As your guide, we do the legwork for you. We research the market, compare what different products offer, and weigh up the options against your own situation, so you don’t have to wade through it alone.

Our service is provided at no cost to you. We are regulated by ASIC and under the Best Interest Duty, we must put your interests first. That means any solution we recommend is the one that genuinely suits you, not the one that suits anyone else.

You get to make your decision with the full picture in front of you, knowing someone in your corner has already done the heavy lifting.

See it as a whole

When the super statement arrives, it is easy to treat it as the full story. It is not. The wealth in your home is the hidden story here, and it is one of several pieces that makes up your wealth position.

The most important step you can take is to get the full picture before you decide anything. Talking it through with our team who help people like you do this every day. The more you understand about how your home wealth works alongside the rest of your plan, the more confident your decision will be.

If you’re ready to explore your journey, click here to schedule a brief 15-minute consultation with one of our retirement funding experts – it’s completely free and carries no obligation.

As the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Money at 60, Chris Moutzikis serves as a dedicated Retirement Funding Specialist. He is committed to assisting Australians aged 60 and over in navigating their financial future with clarity and confidence, prioritising education well before any product is considered. For a relaxed discussion about your retirement goals at a pace that suits you, visit Chris and his team at moneyat60.com.

Money at 60 is a credit assistance provider, not a lender. CRN 577820. Authorised under Invictus Finance Solutions Pty Ltd, ACL 392962. Content is general in nature and not personal financial advice.