The better question is whether the current pace and available supply support a smoother move for your next chapter.
If you are wondering whether this is the right moment to simplify your move, my rule is to judge timing by pace and available options, not by guesswork. In Birmingham, MI, supply stood at 2.67 months recently, which gives you choices, but not endless time to deliberate once the right fit appears.
Here is the constraint I plan around based on the previous 30 days the market still favored sellers, yet the selection was meaningful enough to create real comparison shopping. Birmingham, MI had 96 active homes recently, and new listings over the same period totaled 42. That is enough availability to compare layout, upkeep, and convenience carefully before you commit.
The practical impact is timing your two moves together with discipline. A typical sale took 33 days last month, while homes sitting on the market were closer to 40 days. Pending homes were moving through a much longer timeline at 128 days, and 25 properties were waiting to close. I read that as a reminder not to build your next move around assumptions about an easy handoff.
Short and important. Sequence matters. If your goal is to leave a larger property behind without creating unnecessary overlap, I recommend narrowing your must-haves first and touring only the homes that genuinely solve the next-stage living question. Then decide what level of move-in readiness you require before you list or buy, because the current pace in Birmingham, MI does not reward casual indecision.
One more number deserves respect recent offers were landing at 97.9% of asking. That changes your plan because negotiation room exists, but it is not wide open. Go in with clear priorities, keep your timing realistic, and line up your sale and purchase strategy before you commit to either side. That is how I would protect a downsizing move in this market.
