Downsizing is incredibly liberating if you feel like you’re rattling around a large family home. It was once full of noise and laughter but now sits mostly empty because the children have grown up and left the nest.
While there’s a sadness attached to these situations, it can be an exciting time if you can change your focus to make it about new adventures.
As an experienced agent in our neighborhood, I’ve helped create strategies for many couples who have downsized their homes.
There are many challenges to downsize successfully. The most critical is to select the right style of property – a smaller home, condo or apartment – in a location that suits your lifestyle.
Perhaps the most emotional element in the strategy is the need to discard many of the possessions that you’ve accumulated over a lifetime. So, I’ve created a downsizing guide to help you through the process.
- Take your time – Don’t try to do this all in one day or even one weekend. The project will be too big. Give yourself time.
- Go room by room – This will help you take on a larger project in bite-size chunks. Always finish one room before moving to the next, otherwise you might quickly become overwhelmed.
- Think creatively – Not everything needs to be thrown away. You can sell possessions that have value or give items to your family and friends or a favorite charity.
- Create a system – You’ll want a system to decide what you’re going to do with each item, so it’s best to be organized at the start of the project. A clipboard can help here.
- Ask for help – Don’t be afraid to seek the help of family and friends, but be clear with your instructions for them.
- Go carefully – It’s easy after a while to become a little careless. And that’s when you might throw away something that you’ll regret later. That’s where keeping a record can come in handy.
- Make a floorplan – If you’re in the great position of knowing where you’re moving, then make a floorplan for each room of your new home. This will help you qualify what’s in and out. If there’s a chair that has no place in the new floorplan, then it’s out.
- Keep notes – It’s a smart idea to make a note of each item you intend to keep and why. You might add additional information, such as which room it will be kept or stored.
- Call a removalist – Once you’ve completed this project, get quotes on the cost of moving it to your new home. This will help you decide if you need to re-evaluate a few items.
- Call a charity store – You can ask whether the store would like to take the items you’ve earmarked for them. This way, you know they won’t go to waste or if you need to make alternative arrangements.
If you’re thinking of downsizing your home, I’d be delighted to speak with you to discuss your options. I look forward to hearing from you.