My parents felt this way, too. They were both secretly wishing they could move to Carmel and live in a two bedroom bungalow. They each came to me separately and told me the same thing. I went with my mom to look at a couple of small homes. They ended up staying in their large 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house. They have a lot of stuff. The stairs are difficult for my mom. She felt it was too much work to move and kept shopping.
I'm decluttering today, just to keep up on it. I was at my vocal coach's house the other day. She's accumulated a lot of possessions over the years. It made me see that I want to keep my space open and clear.
My current cottage will work for retirement. It's a good feeling to have something small and affordable. It's easier to clean and repair, too. My dad is getting tired of the expensive repairs on his large home.