When you are selling a house so that you can downsize, there are a lot of things that you have to do. Selling a house to downsize can be very hard on you because it usually will involve parting with some of the treasures that you have collected over the years. Below are 9 tips that you can use when you are selling your house so that you can downsize.
Begin Early When Selling a House to Downsize
Give yourself lots of time to do this, since it’s likely going to take you more time than you think. Take some time – you shouldn’t try doing it in a single day or even a weekend. Usually, it will take 2-4 weeks. Go through each room separately and take some breaks during the process.
Go through the items and give each of them 1-2 seconds. It’s also going to help you with developing a great system for making decisions since you are learning the way to focus and select.
If you’re not rushing, you are going to find that it’s not as stressful.
Begin Small When Selling a House to Downsize
Chances are that there are already things that you know that you want to part with inside your garage or kitchen. But you want to avoid starting with a huge room. Begin in an area that doesn’t have a lot of emotional attachment. Your linen closet or laundry room are both good options.
Understand what you are going to need. if you are going to move into a house or apartment with just two bedrooms, 4 sheet sets are likely enough to keep. You can get rid of the others.
Attics, basements, and garages are some of the most difficult places that you will tackle. These are the places that often have your holiday decorations, clutter, boxes, and old hobbies. They’re also very cramped and uncomfortable. During the summer it’s going to be really hot and during the winter it’s going to be too cold. During spring, it’s often really humid.
Eliminate Any Rooms That Aren’t in the New House
If you’re going to a townhome or apartment, you may not have office space or a garage. Almost everything that you have in these two spaces you’ll have to toss, relocate to another room, or sell. These kinds of areas could be good places to find your garage sale and consignment items. Nice furniture for the office and tools for the outside often will bring in more money than a sofa.
Eliminate Duplicates When Selling a House to Downsize
This is something that is often found in a kitchen. You might have 2-3 ladles and spatulas, a few oversized stockpots, and four cookie sheets of different sizes. This is the time that you want to reduce this clutter. If you don’t want to get rid of an extra roasting pan since you are always using it at holidays, but it collects dust during the other parts of the year, you can have someone hold onto it for you. they can bring it over when they come for the holidays and then take it with them when they go home.
Make Yes & No Piles When Selling a House to Downsize
When you are going through your belongings, some of them will make you verklempt. It’s possible that you are going to want to make another pile of those things you’ll keep if you’ve got enough room.
This is a trap. You are going to end up with a huge pile of Maybe items and it’s probably going to be bigger than your Yes & No piles. When this occurs, there’s no progress that has been made.
Take a good look at each item picked up. If it’s used regularly, you want to keep it. However, if you didn’t use it in the past year you want to get rid of it.
There’s a reason why you didn’t use it. Maybe you didn’t like it. If that’s the case, why take the time and energy to pack it, unpack it and find a place to put it?
Creatively Reduce Collections When Selling a House to Downsize
This is something that can be hard to do. If you have a lot of snow globes or sneakers that you have collected over the years, you may have trouble getting rid of them. however, they are going to use up lots of space at your new home. they also might be stored inside a box.
A good way to do reduce your collection is to choose 2 or 3 that you want to keep. Then take pictures of the others. You can then make a photo album out of the others in your collection. This way, you are able to enjoy the collection and the memories that you made with them without taking up a lot of space. Do you have a lot of photo negatives? Go to a site like Fotobridge.com and you can have them converted into digital files.
Sell Things On Your Own When Selling a House to Downsize
With things like smartphone apps, eBay, yard sales, consignment shops, and Craigslist, there are a lot of ways that you can sell your belongings. Chances are that you won’t make a lot of money. So you want to consider the amount of time you’re interested in investing.
A yard sale is usually faster. However, you aren’t going to get a lot for the items. There are drawbacks to Craigslist. However, your audience is going to be a lot wider and chances are that you will get more money. If you have items like handbags, high-end furniture, and other kinds of accessories, the prices will be reasonable. They sometimes will even pick up the heavier furniture.
Give Yourself Reminiscing Time When Selling a House to Downsize
This is going to be emotional for you. So, give yourself reminiscing time. While you are sorting and cleaning, there are going to be days when you’ll want to take a break from emptying rooms out and look through your old mementos, once-prized possessions, and drawings. This is totally fine. Pause and allow nostalgia to take over. Give yourself some time to cry, if necessary. You can also go to a different room and return later. This is the reason that you began early. You just want to make sure that the job gets done eventually.
Think about the way an item makes you feel. If you are feeling something negative, then you want to get rid of it. If the item is bringing back good memories, keep it. You just want to be surrounded by those things that make you happy and you love.
Bond Over the Experience with Friends & Family
If you’re a senior, invite some family or friends over and tell some stories about the items that you love. You may find that they’re willing to help with packing and that they might want some of the items you’re getting rid of. It’s also a great time that you can spend your loved ones prior to the big move.
This also can be the last moment that’s shared between you in the house you loved before you start to make memories in the new house. Keep in mind that it’s those people that you should cherish, not the items around you.
These are 9 tips that you can use to help you when you are selling a house to downsize. Are you having trouble with finding a buyer for your home? We buy houses no matter what condition they are in. contact us here to get a fair cash quote for your home. We are always happy to answer your questions and let you know what we can do for you.
