Downsizing Tips: How to Scale Back and Enjoy Your Senior Years
For many older adults, a time will come when they need or want to downsize. Seniors may downsize for a variety of reasons — to cut expenditures, to address medical needs, to move closer to family, or just to simplify their life. Although downsizing and moving to a new home can be overwhelming at times, these tips may help make the experience a little less stressful.
Find the Right Place
If you want to retain your independence, moving to a condo could be the answer. With a condo, you won’t have to worry about fixing the roof, mowing the lawn, or a number of other maintenance duties. A smaller space also means less cleaning, upkeep, and costs. You could sell your current home and, if you have enough equity, be able to pay for a smaller condo in full.
If you need a little assistance with daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming, and eating, assisted living could be the right option. In addition to personal care, assisted living facilities typically provide meals, medication, housekeeping, laundry, social activities, and some medical services. There are often different fees for different levels of care. For higher levels of medical needs or memory care, a nursing home might be the right choice. Once you’ve decided where to move, you need to start preparing to sell your current home.
Start Slow with Decluttering
Decluttering your home will take longer than you might expect. It's unreasonable to think you can go through your entire house over a weekend. Give yourself enough time to go room by room and consider whether you should keep, sell, donate, or trash each item. If you aren't rushed, you will be less stressed by the process. Start with small rooms you don't care much about, such as the laundry room, and work your way up to the kitchen and the garage, where you've undoubtedly accumulated a lot of stuff.
Be honest with yourself. If you haven't used something in years or it’s not going to fit in your new home, then it's time to get rid of it. When you simply can't bear to sell a particular item or if you intend to pass it on to a relative when you die, consider giving it as a gift now. This can be an opportunity to bond with your children and grandchildren. Invite them over to help you pare down your belongings, reminisce about days gone by, and pass along your favorite heirlooms.
Use technology to your advantage. Have your favorite photos turned into photo books, and convert the rest to digital files. Scan important documents and store the files online using cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox. After you’ve scanned them, shred the originals.
Sell What You Can
The potential to make some money might be a motivator to get rid of some of your belongings. You can hold a garage sale, take items to a consignment shop, or sell them online. For online sales, you aren't limited to Craigslist and eBay anymore. These days, Facebook Marketplace, Carousell, and LetGo are also terrific options to sell locally. After selling what you can, give what's left to charity. Homeless shelters, crisis centers, thrift stores, and many other charities will be thankful for furniture, clothing, and other donations.
Once your home is decluttered, you are ready to put it on the market. Choose a trusted realtor to help stage the home, decide on the right asking price, and get your home sold for a nice profit. According to Zillow, the average home takes 68 days to sell.
Get Some Moving Help
Moving can be physically and emotionally stressful. Don't attempt to do it alone; have family and friends help you pack and load the moving truck, or hire a full-service moving company to pack, transport, and unpack your belongings. The national average cost of hiring movers is $1,081.
Downsizing from a home you’ve lived in for years can be a difficult task. But by scaling back your belongings and moving into a smaller place that requires less upkeep and fewer expenses, you can experience a new sense of freedom and truly enjoy your golden years.
Photo credit: Pexels
written by Alice Robertson of TidyHome.info