As you get older and your life circumstances change, you might feel like it is time to downsize your home. It can be very overwhelming to create a plan for downsizing and realize you have a lot of belongings that need to go. If you’re getting ready to downsize your home in Northern Virginia, here are five tips to help make the process easier. 

Re-Evaluate Your Needs

It’s easy to realize you have too much space, but it takes a little more insight to figure out what you truly need in your new, smaller home. Create a list of everything you want – or don’t want – in your home to get started. Think about your current life circumstances and what you think might occur in the future.

If you’re beginning to have mobility issues, you may want to look for a ranch-style home with wider doors and walk-in showers. Or, at the very least, you will want to make sure those changes could easily be made in the future. If you have grown children who have moved out of your house, you may not need so much living space but might want to keep enough to make visits easier. 

Set a Realistic Timeline

You may be anxious to get out of your home and into a smaller property as soon as possible. However, making such a big life change takes time. Before you find a new property and make an offer, think about how much time you’ll need to get out of your current home. There will be a lot of cleaning and packing to do, and a rushed timeline might leave you in a situation where your closing is approaching and you’re not ready to go.  

Be Picky

Since you already have a place to live, don’t be in a rush to make an offer unless you’re totally sold on the home. The excitement of buying a new home can cloud your judgment about the practicality of the new place. Wait until you find the home that offers that excitement and meets all your practical needs. 

Don’t Put Off Decluttering

As soon as you begin the search for a new home, start decluttering your current home to keep on track. Otherwise, you’ll end up close to moving day and still be under piles and piles of belongings. Since the entire point of downsizing is to have less space and less stuff, you’ll need to make some difficult decisions of what can stay and what can go at the end of the process.

If you find it difficult to decide on what to do with your possessions, ask a friend or family member to help with the process to provide a different perspective. 

Don’t Sit on Your To-Go Pile

As you’re going through your belongings, create separate piles for the items you will keep and the items that will go somewhere else. However, don’t allow the items to sit in your house for too long. If you have decided to pass on a family heirloom, give it to the intended owner right away. If you plan on donating things to charity, arrange to get the items to them as soon as possible. The longer the items stay in your home, the more confusion you may have around whether you should be getting rid of them.   

Ready to Downsize in Northern Virginia?

The Reynolds Team understands how challenging and exciting this time in your life can be! We have helped hundreds of families downsize, or as we like to call it, “right-size” into a home more suitable for their needs. There is not a better time than NOW to take advantage of this market and sell your home for top dollar! Don’t put off this monumental time in your life when the market is this good! You could get thousands more for your home and head into sweet retirement with more money in your pocket than you thought possible. If you are considering making a move, please call us today at 304-316-6412.