How To Downsize Your Home With 3 Simple Tips

Moving to a smaller home could be the right choice for homeowners at any stage of life. However, learning how to downsize your home and putting that knowledge into practice may be a larger project than you realize. The good news is that the end result could be a more manageable household and more breathing room in your budget.

Any move can potentially become complicated and stressful, but moving to a house with less space than your current home introduces its own pitfalls. Fortunately, you can learn to avoid these pitfalls if you plan ahead and follow three simple tips.

Why Downsize Your Home?

Before you focus on how to downsize your home, you should understand why. What can you accomplish by downsizing?

Saving money is a big motivator for many homeowners who choose to downsize. The smaller your home, the less you can expect to pay for utilities, property taxes, and insurance payments. A homes.com survey found that 69% of respondents said their primary reason for downsizing was to save money. The survey summary notes that many of these respondents achieved their goal: “62% said spending less was a major upside to their move, while 50% described the ability to save more money as a major benefit.”

Another good reason to downsize is that a smaller house needs less upkeep, so you’ll spend less time cleaning and performing repairs. This can be a great source of relief for aging or mobility-impaired homeowners and others who want to avoid the stress of maintaining a large house.

Tip 1: Get Started Early

Moving takes time, no matter how advanced your time management and organizational abilities are. To avoid hang-ups from unexpected developments during your move, you should start decluttering and organizing your belongings well before your moving date. Give yourself a few weeks or even months to sort the items you want to keep and get rid of those that aren’t coming with you. 

A written inventory can be your secret weapon when trying to separate the keeps and the keep-nots. When you’re downsizing, format your inventory based on the rooms in your new home rather than the layout of your old home. This way, you’ll have a clearer picture of the space you’re working with. Start with the least-used rooms in your house because these items will be easier to part with or relocate in your new home.

Tip 2: Use Multiple Avenues to Rehome Items

Homeowners who are downsizing should make use of every resource to rehome their unwanted items. You can start by organizing any belongings you will get rid of into three groups: sell, donate, and trash. Then, make a list of all avenues available to you in each category. For example, you can go the traditional route and hold a yard sale, while also listing certain items from the sell pile on online marketplaces.

If you have a large group of items to donate, find out if any charities in your area accept bulk donations. Local libraries are a great way to gift used books, CDs, and other media to your community. Don’t forget to check with family and friends about passing on some of your belongings, especially sentimental items. For your trash item group, renting a roll-off dumpster is the best way to handle large-scale garbage disposal during a move.

Tip 3: Sell to a Cash Buyer Like Simply

Sometimes, homeowners who are downsizing are eager to move into their newer, smaller homes as quickly as possible. If this sounds like you, you may be interested in requesting an offer on your house from a cash buyer. Cash buyers like Simply make the process of selling your home as easy as possible, with no bank appraisals or repeated showings.

Many cash buyers will purchase your home as-is. That means you don’t have to worry about cleaning or performing repairs to get your home ready for the traditional sale process. Instead, you can focus on packing and organizing with minimal disruption to your daily routine until you are prepared to close. Better yet, you will have cash on hand when moving day comes to help the process go as smoothly as possible.

How To Downsize Your Home? Think Small!

Downsizing is a great way to save money in the long term. With these tips, you can also cut costs and use your time more efficiently during your move! Remember to get started with plenty of time before your move, and break tasks like packing, organizing, and rehoming your items into smaller, more manageable chunks.

You already have enough on your plate when you’ve decided to downsize your home. Consider getting in touch with a cash buyer to avoid the stress of listing your house for sale and receive a fair offer quickly. If you’re looking for the ultimate hassle-free move, request a cash offer from Simply today!