Downsizing? Use Our Guide to Move to a Smaller Home

When you move to a smaller home, you can’t take everything with you. Your smaller home won’t have as much space as the larger one, nor as much storage space. That’s why downsizing will involve getting rid of household possessions you no longer need or use or that won’t fit into your smaller home.

 

These downsizing steps will help you make the transition to a home that’s the right size for you.

 

 

How do you envision your smaller home? How much square footage do you think you’ll need? How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Think about the downsized home you’d like to have, and then share your downsizing criteria with your Stone House Properties broker.

 

You may want the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms, but a smaller overall area. You might want a smaller yard to make lawn and garden maintenance easier. Envisioning life in your smaller home will help your Stone House Properties broker find properties that meet your smaller-home needs.

 

 

Do you know what you actually own? Of course you can see the furniture and objects in each room of your home. But homes also have closets and cabinets and storage areas like attics, basements, and garages.

 

We sometimes forget about what’s in these storage areas. Take an inventory of what every room in your home holds, being sure to include every cabinet, closet, drawer and storage area such as attic, garage, basement, and shed. Your inventory will help you start to determine what goes into the moving van—and what you’ll need to purge.

 

 

The next step is to figure out what you’re keeping—the things you’ll take with you to your downsized home. You’ll need to keep essential furniture and household items, of course. But you may also want to keep items that are important or meaningful to you, such as family heirlooms and objects that spark joy, as organizing guru Marie Kondo says.

 

Figuring out what to keep means deciding what to NOT keep. This can be a difficult process. You may have every drawing or school assignment your now-grown children have ever produced. You may have drawers filled with family photos. If your choice is to keep these items, pack them up in durable bins or storage boxes so they’ll be ready to move with you. Digital tools provide another option, however. You can scan or photograph family memorabilia that you’re ready to purge.

 

Check with family members before recycling or discarding family memorabilia. You may be ready to let go of your son’s sixth grade book reports, but he might want to have them.

 

 

Once you’ve figured out what you’re keeping, it’s time to decide what items to sell, donate, or recycle.

 

This category should include items that are very likely to sell. There are plenty of online marketplaces where you can sell household furniture and goods. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist make it easy to list items locally. Often sellers will pick up at your home or a pre-determined meeting place. Be sure to follow the safety guidelines and anti-fraud precautions when using these digital tools to sell items. Guidelines are posted on each individual marketplaces’ site or app.

 

Do some research to find organizations where you can donate household items. Make sure you learn about which items will be accepted. Some organizations won’t accept oversize furniture, mattresses, or non-flat screen TVs, or baby equipment like cribs, car seats, and highchairs. Some organizations will pick up items at your home and others have drop-off centers.

 

You may be permitted to recycle some household items you no longer want. Recycling centers typically accept cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, and metal. As you inventory household possessions, you may discover stockpiled items made of these materials that you can recycle instead of adding to a landfill.

 

We found a great resource from Berkshire REALTORS® that lists recycling and donation resources in Berkshire County, MA. The list includes Goodwill’s Dell Reconnect computer recycling program that responsibly recycles used computer equipment in any condition.

 

In Columbia County, NY, consider donating to the Columbia County Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in Hudson. Get the details on what they can accept and cannot accept. This ReStore center can pick up items or you can drop them off.

 

Here are some other posts we published on downsizing: