Thinking of downsizing? You’re not alone. As the baby boomer generation ages many are deciding to sell their family homes and opt for smaller dwellings. Regardless of your reason for downsizing, the process can be overwhelming.
Sorting, assessing and evaluating can be an enormous task and not one you’d want to take on in the midst of staging, selling, and moving. If you can, begin to purge your belongings before you plan to move. The sooner the better. It will make the process seem less arduous.
Start with what’s easy. Oftentimes kitchen or bathroom items have the least amount of sentimental attachments. Whatever you identify as your “easy room” is where you want to begin. From that point, move room by room, sorting and evaluating your belongings.
Keep your new space in mind while you sort through your things. Don’t just consider the square footage of your new home but imagine the lifestyle you will have when you get there. If you’re retired and have taken up hiking then you can probably part with your dress shoes and suits.
As you downsize, you are likely to come across sentimental items that won’t fit into your new space or lifestyle. Try reaching out to family or friends who may be interested in providing those items a new home. Start divvying things up early to allow time to schedule pick ups or drop offs well in advance of your move day.
With the right checklist and a sufficient amount of time, the process of evaluating and parting with your belongings can be very liberating.
