When the time comes to downsizing from your family home to a smaller condo or apartment, you’ll be grateful that you made some plans in advance.
Downsizing can be stressful if you try to fit all your possessions, especially large furniture, into a smaller home.
As an experienced local agent, I’ve helped many couples create a strategy for downsizing without stress.
This goes beyond selling the family home and buying something smaller. It’s essential to be clear about your plans for the future. You must select a suitable area that will meet your lifestyle needs and go through the challenging task of purging possessions.
If you’re approaching this time of life and wondering how best to downsize, I’ve made a list of tips to help you prepare.
- Lifestyle choice – It’s essential to know how you wish to live this next stage of your life. If you’re looking to reduce your bills and have less responsibility, don’t entertain thoughts of a property with a swimming pool, big garden and even a steep staircase. Also think about where you want to live. Are you staying local or making a sea or tree change?
- Stay positive – It is emotionally tough to sell your family home, and then let go of possessions that have been part of your life. Focus on the positive aspects of the new lifestyle options and adventure that’s ahead of you – and the free time you’ll have without a large home requiring constant maintenance and attention.
- Engage with the family – Don’t do this in isolation. Discuss your plans with family and friends. Many will envy your choice and be a source of encouragement. Get your kids to help with the decluttering.
- Is employment on the agenda? – If so, then let’s find somewhere with a cool home/office area. If you intend kicking back, then don’t invest in a home that offers more space than you need. Perhaps a small nook will suffice for a work area to pay bills and manage correspondence and internet time.
- Travel agenda – Many folks who downsize want to travel around this great country and the world. And once we’ve seen the back of Covid, it’ll be a priority for many. If this is you, then consider a property that’s easy to lock up, walk away and feel it’ll be secure in your absence.
- Make a plan – List the possessions you love and don’t want to lose. This will help when you start the task of purging the rest.
- Get the tape out – Once you’ve chosen your next home, measure the rooms and create a floorplan. This way, you’ll be able to decide in advance which furniture pieces will fit and those that’ll have to go. Oversized furniture makes a home feel cramped and uncomfortable. Consider spoiling yourself with some new furniture specially ordered to fit your new home.
- Be brutal – When it comes to sorting through your possessions, be ruthless. Make piles of items that you’ll keep, sell, give away or take to a charity shop. I recommend attacking this challenge by going from room to room. And give yourself a deadline.
- No maybes – Don’t make a “maybe” pile when deciding on the items to keep, as this adds to your workload and stress. Make a decision, and move on. Tell the kids when they need to collect their stuff you’ve stored for them. If they miss the deadline, out it goes.
- Be storage smart – When you consider furniture that better suits your new, smaller living space, make storage a priority with these pieces to ensure your home stays clutter-free.
If I can help you find a new home to suit this new time in your life, and even work with you to sell the family home, please do not hesitate to contact me.