Is life feeling chaotic, packed with responsibilities for maintaining possessions that you don’t really want or value any more?
It’s not an unusual feeling, especially among those who are beginning to think seriously about downsizing their home and creating a simpler life as they get older.
As an experienced neighborhood agent, I’ve worked with many clients who saw the logic in downsizing their homes but expanding their lifestyle, creating space for new adventures.
Downsizing your home isn’t easy – it’s an emotional decision that has practical elements. You may want to move to a smaller home, but you need to find the ideal area, decide whether you want a smaller house, or switch to a condo or apartment.
And then there’s the challenge of getting rid of your “stuff”. Dispensing with life-long possessions can be the most difficult part. So, I’ve listed five tips for how to approach the challenge. I hope you find them useful.
- Don’t wait for a good time to start. There isn’t one. You just have to grab this bull by the horns.
- Start small. Try getting rid of that college yearbook, or all those football trophies that once littered the kids’ bedrooms.
- Step it up. Let go of something that has some value to you. You’ll find it liberating.
- Start to appreciate that the pleasure of having less outweighs the sentimental value you have placed on some items.
- Moving out of your home to smaller accommodation accelerates the process. But it will be less painful if you’ve chipped away at the problem over an extended period. Perhaps try renting somewhere over a few months and see how you find it.
If you’re thinking of downsizing your home, I’d be delighted to talk with you and help form a strategy. There are many elements to consider, but making sure you purchase the right style of property in an area you love is the most critical.