It’s true what they say less is more! The trendy tiny house movement has people thinking small, but there are a lot of other great reasons to downsize your home. Smaller homes typically cost less, require less maintenance and result in less mortgage debt, while still creating a cozy environment you can make lasting memories in.
Here are our 6 tips to help you make downsizing a delight instead of a downer.
1. List Your Goals and Restrictions:
Knowing your objectives and where you may face challenges is key to downsizing your home. You might be restricted in the size of your new home, or even your budget, but by identifying potential barriers you can prepare to overcome them.
Write down what you want to accomplish by downsizing—whether it’s time to get rid of the 40-year-old boxes in the garage and simplify your life, or you just need a more manageable space, and work towards those goals.
2. Consider the Life you Want:
When you’re preparing to downsize, planning with a new and attainable lifestyle in mind can help you choose what items you’ll need. For example, if you want to implement a more minimalist decor, focus on function and keeping your space open. Select your favourite pieces that will fit with this lifestyle, and decorate with accessories and art you already have.
3. Measure Your Furniture:
See how your furniture measures up! There’s nothing more disappointing than discovering that your favorite couch doesn’t fit in your new living room, or that there’s not enough space for your pool table.
Prior to moving day, measure all your large items to make sure they’ll have a home in your new digs. It can help to take a look at your floor plan and ensure everything works how you envision it, without being crowded.
4. Organize your belongings:
Once you know the size of the space you’re working with, you can start to prepare your items. Make piles or lists of what to keep, donate, sell, throw away and what to put into storage. This will help you start to remove the items you no longer need and visualize what you’ll be bringing into your new space.
If you’re struggling, implement the Marie Kondo Method—if it doesn’t spark joy, get rid of it!
5. Mentally and emotionally prepare yourself:
Like Elsa from Frozen says, let it go!It’s common to feel guilt or anger when downsizing your home and getting rid of belongings that hold some attachment. Whether it was a gift from your mother, an expensive splurge or an article of clothing you didn’t get a chance to wear, saying goodbye to items can bring up a lot of emotions. Take a deep breath and remember it’s not wasteful if you find a good home for it.
6. Sell what you can:
Most families have a few boxes in the attic that are full of the kids’ memorabilia and souvenirs. Let your family know you’re downsizing and that it’s time to collect their old belongings. Then, take the leftover items and pull out what you don’t use anymore but still have lots of life and are worth something.
Be realistic about what you can earn selling used belongings, and be prepared to barter—after all, you’re trying to get rid of these things. To make the process more fun, invite your friends and family to help, then order a pizza afterward and celebrate another milestone in your downsizing journey.
Downsize to your dream home
Decluttering and downsizing doesn’t have to be a drag—we do all the hard work for you! To schedule a free visual estimate, just give us a call at (702) 381-1200 or drop us an email at [email protected].
