How to Declutter and Downsize Before Your Move
Declutter Checklist Before Moving
The thought of simplifying your lifestyle and surroundings may sound wonderful. However, for many, this task can be daunting and challenging. Most of the time, a big change in life such as downsizing might involve a lot of emotional and organizational challenges.
In this article, we will talk about downsizing tips that will help your transition to be less stressful. But before getting into that, lets’ talk about the benefits of downsizing and moving to a smaller home.
Why Decluttering is Important
To scale back from a larger, fully-furnished home to a smaller, simpler one can mean leaving behind years of comfort and convenience, which many people may find challenging. However, doing this comes with many benefits. Here are the top reasons why downsizing is a good idea:
• Energy and heating bill will drop significantly
• Your house will not be the first option for big family gatherings, which will save you from dealing with the preparation and post-party cleanup.
• Less area to clean and maintain.
• Lower tax bills.
• Lower mortgage payments.
How to Downsize Your Home
How you go about downsizing your home will depend on your specific situation. However, there are some basic questions that need to be answered by anyone who is looking to move and downsize their home.
Moving After Declutter
The first thing you have to do is to decide on your housing situation. Consider the number of family members moving to the new house. Do you need a single-family home? A condo or townhouse? Maybe an apartment? How many rooms do you need for everyone to live there comfortably?
What Will You Be Keep
When moving into a smaller home, it’s important to decide what things you’ll be keeping. Because you’re moving to a smaller place, you probably would not be able to take all the stuff you own. For some, deciding on what to keep and what to let go of can be challenging.
So, prepare yourself for it as early as possible. Aside from deciding what to keep, you might also have to decide what to give away, what to sell, what to donate, and what to dump.
How Small is the New Place
The moment you have the new home confirmed, you can start planning the floor plan. This will help you with decision-making in terms of what to keep and what to get rid of. Even though you have not decided on a specific new home yet, it’s never too early to think about what items you think are worth keeping.
Prepare Everyone for the Change
Downsizing by moving to a smaller home is usually more intimidating than it looks. This is especially true for kids. So, if you have kids in the family, it’s important to figure out how you will prepare them for it. Moving to a new place alone can be difficult for some kids, how much more if they have to live somewhere smaller than they are used to! So, as much as possible, explain to them all the changes and the reasons and benefits of downsizing.
Smart Home Decluttering Tips and Strategies
• You must NEVER sell or throw away anything until you know what it’s worth.
• You must consider having an In-Home Personal Property Valuation done by a skilled personal property expert early on in the home downsizing process.
• Before getting rid of anything, make sure to consider your next housing situation.
Organizing and Decluttering Services
If you’re thinking about downsizing and buying a smaller home anywhere in the country, consider working with Poseidon Moving & Storage! We can help you move to your next ideal home, no matter where you are and where you are moving to in the country.
If you’re nervous about downsizing and would like to make sure that you’re doing the right thing every step of the way, we are here to help! We can give you recommendations and tips to make the process easier and less stressful for you.
Give us a call today or contact us online by filling out our request form in order to learn more about how we can help you downsize into a new home that you will surely fall in love with!