Blog · Active Adult Living
Victory and CantaMia: Downsizing Considerations in 2026
Moving from a larger home into Victory at Verrado or CantaMia is a sequence of decisions: what to keep, what the new home really costs, when to sell, and how the dates line up. Here is the 2026 downsizing process, with the verification steps built in.
By Andrew Texidor Realtor · Founder, Clearly Sold Updated October 8, 2026 
The direct answer
Downsizing into Victory at Verrado or CantaMia in 2026 is a sequence: verify the community's current age rules and fees, sort and measure what you will actually keep, price your current home from comparables, and coordinate the selling and buying dates with real numbers. Space, storage, maintenance, recurring costs, and timing each carry their own tradeoffs, and none of them can be assumed from a community name or a 55+ label.
Key takeaways
- Downsizing is a sequence, not a single decision: sort and declutter, verify the new community's rules and fees, price the current home, and coordinate the selling and buying dates.
- Space and storage differ by floor plan: compare square footage, closet and garage space, and what you will actually keep, not just the number of bedrooms.
- Maintenance and recurring costs change with the move: HOA fees, recreation memberships, utilities, and upkeep on a smaller home all belong in the monthly model.
- Timing is the hard part: selling first, buying first, bridge financing, and the overlap between closing dates each carry real tradeoffs.
- Age and occupancy requirements are community-specific and must be verified with each community for 2026, not assumed from the 55+ label.
Where do you start the downsizing sequence?
Start with the two verifications that shape everything else: the community's current age and occupancy rules, and its full fee schedule. Victory at Verrado is K. Hovnanian's Four Seasons 55+ community in Buckeye, and CantaMia at Estrella is a gated 55+ enclave in Goodyear. Each sets its own occupancy policy, so confirm the current requirements with each sales office for 2026 rather than assuming the rules you heard last year still apply.
Then sort before you measure. Decluttering is the cheapest part of downsizing, and it changes the space math: the home you need is smaller than the home you have once you stop carrying what you no longer use. Make the keep, sell, donate, and discard calls before you compare floor plans, so the comparison is honest.
How should you compare space and storage?
Compare the things you will actually live with: square footage, closet and cabinet space, garage capacity, outdoor storage, and how the floor plan works for the furniture you are keeping. A smaller home with better storage can feel larger than a bigger one with none, and the reverse is true too.
Both communities offer a range of floor plans, and the right one depends on what you keep, not on a label. Measure the furniture you are keeping, walk the model or the resale with a tape measure, and test the storage with your actual items in mind.
What changes about maintenance and recurring costs?
Maintenance usually shrinks with a smaller home, but the cost picture is not automatic. HOA fees and recreation memberships may be new or higher, utilities change with square footage and efficiency, and the community's fees fund the amenities you will use. Build the full monthly model: mortgage or no mortgage, property tax, insurance, HOA and master assessments, recreation membership, utilities, and a realistic maintenance reserve.
At CantaMia, HOA dues are split between the CantaMia association and the Estrella master assessment, and the combined amount varies by home and floor plan. At Victory at Verrado, recreation and HOA fee schedules should be requested in writing from the community and its governing documents. Both are verify-in-writing items for 2026, because fee schedules change and are parcel-specific; no fee amounts are quoted here.
How do timing and the selling and buying sequence work?
The sequence is the hardest part of downsizing. Selling first gives you a known budget and avoids carrying two homes, but it can mean temporary housing and a rushed buy. Buying first avoids a second move but depends on bridge financing, contingencies, or the ability to carry both payments. Model both with current numbers: your equity, the current sale price range, the new home's price, and the carrying costs of any overlap.
Interest rates and loan terms change, so get current quotes in writing and confirm how long they hold. If you are financing the new home, the appraisal and the sale of your current home are linked events, and the dates should be coordinated with buffer days for contingencies.
The downsizing checklist
- Current age and occupancy rules verified with each community's sales office.
- Full fee schedule: HOA, master assessment, and recreation membership, in writing.
- A keep list and a decluttering plan before you compare floor plans.
- Space and storage measured against the furniture and items you are keeping.
- A written net sheet for the current home and a written lender estimate for the new one.
- A coordinated selling and buying timeline with buffer days for contingencies.
Frequently asked questions
Should I sell my current home before buying in a 55+ community?
Both sequences are real options with different tradeoffs. Selling first gives you a known budget and no double-carrying costs, but it can mean temporary housing. Buying first avoids a second move but depends on bridge financing or contingencies. The right sequence depends on your equity, your dates, and the market, and it should be modeled with current numbers.
What recurring costs change when I downsize?
Typically the mortgage, property tax, and utilities shrink, while HOA fees and recreation memberships may be new or higher. The net effect is property-specific, so build the full monthly picture with the new community's current fee schedule and the current home's actual costs.
Are the age rules the same at Victory at Verrado and CantaMia in 2026?
No. Each community sets its own age and occupancy policy. K. Hovnanian's published Four Seasons rule requires at least one resident 55 or older with limits on younger residents, and CantaMia's exact wording should be confirmed with its sales office. Verify current requirements for 2026 rather than assuming.
Related resources
- CantaMia vs Victory: downsizing An objective, Fair Housing-safe comparison of the two age-qualified communities.
- Victory at Verrado vs CantaMia A two-community comparison of location, amenities, access, age rules, and fees.
- Moving to CantaMia A practical look at the Estrella-area 55+ community, its location, and what to verify.
- Arizona home selling options Every seller strategy compared by what it includes, what it costs, and who it fits.
- Senior transition guide The adult child's checklist for helping parents sell: authority, options, tradeoffs, and what to verify.
- Market Launch If you are also selling, full-service representation with clear, upfront pricing.
Educational note: community details, age rules, fees, prices, rates, and market conditions change, and each situation is different. Nothing here is an appraisal, a price prediction, a health or lifestyle promise, an endorsement, or a guarantee of any outcome. Verify current numbers with each community's sales office, a lender, and a net-sheet analysis before you commit.
Sources and dates: K. Hovnanian's published Four Seasons occupancy rule and community pages, and community and listing sources for CantaMia at Estrella, all verified October 8, 2026. Current HOA, master assessment, recreation, and membership fee figures are not quoted here; obtain the current fee schedules in writing from the community, its HOA, and the membership office. No market prices are quoted here because they change.
Next step
Planning a 2026 downsizing move?
A strategy call is the fastest way to line up the community verification, the net sheet on your current home, and the selling and buying sequence with real dates. No pressure, just a plan.
- Phone
- 623-400-5957
- andrew@clearlysold.com