5 Things The Middle-Class Should Sell Before Retirement

Even in the best of times, those looking to enjoy a comfortable retirement should still be working and planning to ensure they have the funds to maintain the quality of life they're envisioning. To do this, Fidelity recommends that you should have 10 times your annual income in savings by the time you reach 67. However, even that amount may not be enough according to celebrity financial advisor Suze Orman.

In an interview on the Afford Anything Podcast back in October 2018, Orman said people need at least $5 million before they consider retiring — and that was years ahead of the rampant spike in inflation that took place in 2021. Without that level of financial reserves, Orman posed that people risk being put out by unforeseen tragedies and accidents like natural disasters, car crashes, or illness.

Of course, these figures might not be achievable to those on middle-class incomes, but your salary and savings aren't the only ways to give yourself a financial cushion in retirement. Those who may have fallen short on their savings goals might still have valuable assets like real estate properties, vehicles, and personal artifacts they could sell for a pretty penny. In some cases, selling these items can even be beneficial beyond the potential financial gain.

The two big reasons retirees in the baby boomer generation sell their homes are to move closer to their families or move to a smaller place, according to an April 2025 report from the National Association of Realtors. In fact, a larger portion of people aged 60 and older who sold their homes in 2025 were looking to downsize their living situation, rather than scale up — and it's easy to see why. As Joe Buhrmann, a senior financial planning consultant at eMoney Advisor, noted to GoBankingRates, selling a big house could help save money on a gaggle of expenses such as property taxes, insurance fees, maintenance, and utility costs ahead of retirement. Plus, in many cases, the IRS gives people who make a profit selling their house a tax break on earnings up to $250,000 for single filers and $500,000 for couples filing jointly. As Buhrmann observed, "The profits or savings from reduced expenses can shore up your retirement."

Some potential sellers may think twice before selling their home and renting ahead of retirement since they'd be giving up potential tax benefits and making themselves vulnerable to rent hikes. However, Zillow reports that renting was still more affordable than owning in 58% of major metros in the U.S. as of early 2024.

On a smaller scale, furniture is another type of possession you might want to sell before retirement. This can be especially helpful if you're downsizing, as selling off furniture before a move could save someone significant costs in moving expenses. According to Home Advisor, movers often charge up to $100 per hour, and big bulky items like couches, pianos, and pool tables can cost as much as $600 to move. Whether or not you're moving, selling furniture online via eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist is a frugal hack that could make you money and clear space. The scope of what you could make through furniture sales varies pretty widely, but older pieces can be especially valuable and certain brown antiques can be worth a fortune. 

The best way to sell bulkier items online would be to clean the furniture first, photograph the item in a bright room, and establish a fair price. If you suspect the furniture is vintage or valuable, do some research or pay for an appraisal. Conversely, if you're about to retire and trying to sell your home, bundling in a nice piece that's already in the house could be beneficial to both you and a buyer. As San Diego realtor and I Buy SD founder Phil Green reflected to Realtor.com, "I once saw a sale close faster because the seller threw in a fully furnished patio, which sealed the deal for buyers who loved to entertain. Sectionals, dining tables, and [...] patio sets can really make a buyer fall in love with a space."

Too many clothes, knick knacks, decorations, or pieces of jewelry can be difficult to manage. A lifetime's worth of these personal items can take up valuable space in a home, and odds are not everything you've collected over the years is still getting the use or offering the value it once did. At some point as you age, a time will come where it doesn't make sense to keep everything around. And while you could always put some of these items in storage, Neighbor.com reports storage units can run renters hundreds of dollars a month.

That cost and clutter can go away if you sell some of those items, and depending on what you sell, the money you make could be substantial enough to fund a nice vacation or pay off debt. 

Precious gems, rare artworks, and gold are obvious choices, but you might have other items of untold hidden value like glassware made by Tiffany & Co. worth up to $2,600 or vintage jadeite that can fetch up to $1,000. You might even have old watches lying around worth a ton of money. Even things that look like unremarkable junk could turn out to be so unusual, hard-to-find, or unique that collectors may pay huge amounts to have it. Some examples of items that have gone for hundreds or thousands of dollars include unopened VHS tapes of classic movies, clothing, toys, and even rare coins that may be in your spare change.

Even if a vehicle is fully paid off, owning and driving a car can come with thousands of dollars in annual expenses between insurance, gas, and maintenance. If, as you get older, you find you're not driving as much as you once did or that you can get around well enough by walking, biking, or using public transit, selling your car can eliminate a world of expenses while potentially putting cash in your pocket in the process. 

According to AAA, the average cost of owning and operating a new vehicle was $11,577 per year — or $964.78 per month — in September 2025. These expenses become less and less worth it as time goes on, as cars depreciate quickly after they're purchased. According to Experian, a car can lose more than 50% of its value in just five years from wear and tear, mileage, market demand, and other factors. If you own a luxury car, it's likely to shed its worth at an even faster pace than regular models due to its high initial sticker price and lower demand as a used vehicle. Plus, luxury vehicles tend to be much more expensive to maintain and insure than more affordable alternatives. So, if you don't make too tidy of a profit selling your vehicle, it can still be a great way to cut down on some very costly and consistent expenses before you stop working.

Much like with cars, second homes and timeshares that you only use for part of the year can still come with year-round costs in the form of maintenance and insurance. They also come with the added complications of utilities, tax-related expenses, and mortgage payments. With that in mind, second homes should be among the things someone raising cash for their imminent retirement should consider selling. In addition to eliminating your costs of ownership, selling a vacation property could even yield you a profit depending on its location and condition.

Of course, there are complications that come with selling a second home. For one thing, the capital gains protections in place for selling your primary home won't be there if you sell a secondary home, so you could be on the hook for upwards of 20% in capital gains taxes for the transaction depending on your income level. However, between the money brought in from the sold property and the eliminated costs of keeping the place up to spec, even that added expense might not wind up feeling too unmanageable once the sale goes through.