Six Tips for Downsizing Your Home

There are plenty of reasons to downsize your home. Maybe you’re getting ready to retire and you’d rather spend your time traveling than maintaining more house than you need. Or perhaps you’re getting ready to become an empty nester and you just don’t need all of the space you currently have. But no matter what your reasons for downsizing your home, it can be a daunting task. Nonetheless, it can also be quite freeing to slim down on your worldly possessions and focus on other goals.

In this post from the cash home buyers at Bill Buys Houses, we’re sharing a comprehensive list of tips for downsizing your Minnesota home. To meet Bill and sell your house fast, give us a call today!

1.   Make a Plan

As with anything else in life, it’s always a good idea to start with a solid plan. Creating a strategy gives you a place to get started without putting too much on your plate at once. While deciding on a plan of approach, you may wish to consider using a popular organizational strategy like Swedish Death Cleaning, Hygge decluttering, or the KonMari Method. These are just a few examples of organizational strategies aimed at helping you decide what to keep and what to do with the things you’re getting rid of during your downsizing.

Additionally, consider downloading an app to help you manage your downsizing project from start to finish and keep you on track throughout the process. Or if you prefer a more analog strategy, pick up a notebook or journal and start listing out the details of your downsizing plan.

2.   Decide How Much to Keep

While you’re developing your downsizing strategy, you’ll need to determine exactly how much space you plan to have after your move and what this means for the belongings you’ll keep. Even if you haven’t yet found a new home, you should have an idea of how much square footage you plan to work with.

Based on your post-move goals, make a guesstimate that informs the type and amount of furnishings and belongings you’ll need in your new space. If you’re not sure whether your current furnishings will work out with your new floor plan, it may be worth reconsidering some furniture and starting fresh after the move.

3.   Consider Your Downsizing Goals

Before determining which of your belongings you’ll want to downsize when you move, spend some time carefully considering your reasons for downsizing. If your move will accompany a significant lifestyle change, make plans accordingly so that your new accommodations will be well-suited to your post-move goals.

Someplace on your downsizing strategy plan, create a list that explores your reasons for the downsize. Consider some of the things you currently have in your home that you won’t miss after the move, but also explore some things you may not want to give up. For example, do you enjoy having a quiet place to read every day? Do you plan to continue pursuing a favorite craft or hobby? Finally, consider any lifestyle changes you plan to adopt after your move. For example, if you plan to have grandchildren over to visit, you might consider getting a pull-out sofa for them to sleep on when they spend the weekend.

4.   Don’t Take On Too Much at Once

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they’re downsizing is trying to do too much too soon and then quickly burning out on the work that’s involved in the process. Include in your original downsizing plans a strategy that allows you to break down the entire downsizing into manageable projects.

For example, you may decide to work on downsizing only a single room at a time or a single aspect of the downsizing like going through your dishes or bathroom cabinets. Use a calendar to decide which project component to tackle on a given date, and make a commitment to stick to your plans.

5.   Create a Resource List

While downsizing, you’ll need to decide which items to sell, donate, recycle, or trash. Decide if you plan to plan to sell items on websites like Facebook Market and Poshmark or you’d prefer to work with a local consignment shop or host a yard sale. You should also include any donation spots like your local Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity store. Some nonprofits will even gladly arrange pickup from your home. Or consider joining a local Buy Nothing group where you can share your used items online with individuals living nearby.

6.   Be Purposeful About Keepsakes

Everyone has their share of personal belongings that bear sentimental or nostalgic value. But over the years, the number of nostalgic keepsakes can gradually swell, and trying to downsize can be an emotionally draining experience for some.

Sometimes knowing that your special items will be moving on to loved ones who will cherish them as much as you do can help ease the pain of letting go. If you don’t have anyone to pass them on to, you may also consider selling them and using the proceeds as a donation or putting them toward your savings. If your more sentimental keepsakes include a lot of ephemera like greeting cards, consider scanning them and saving a digital copy so you can feel safe to throw out the original item.

Selling Your House When Downsizing Your Home

If your downsizing plan includes a move to a smaller home, Bill Buys Houses can make the move even easier by purchasing your home fast for cash. To get help downsizing your home from Minnesota cash home buyers, connect with us online or give us a call at 651-270-9191 today.