How to Downsize When Moving House
You might have decided that you want to downsize for a variety of reasons. For instance, you might want to save money, your kids might have moved out, or you might be struggling to get around your home.
If you’re worried that downsizing is going to be a hassle for you, here are some top tips that you should follow when you’re considering whether to take the leap and live in a much smaller home than you’re currently used to.
Look Around for Smaller Homes
The first step that you need to take when you want to downsize is to look around for smaller homes that will suit your needs without feeling cramped or awkward. Rather than settling for the first tiny home you spot, you should look around a few to find one that has a layout that you like and that falls within your budget. You should also consider whether you want to opt for an open-plan or closed-plan design and think carefully about whether you’re looking for a bungalow or a two-storey home.
Once you find one that you like, you should measure it up as this will help you to plan what to take with you, and how you’re going to design and lay out your new property.
Book in a Removals Company
Once you’ve done this, you should then start to look around for removal companies who can help you to transport all your possessions from A to B. They’ll be able to ensure that all your items arrive at their destination in one piece and that you don’t have to be overwhelmed by the stress of packing all these possessions up.
You might also decide to hire a waste removal service or a skip that you can put all the items that you’re getting rid of into. This will help you to dispose of them in an easy way that has little impact on the environment. If you’re concerned that you won’t be able to work out what to take with you and what to leave behind, you should consider looking for guides that can teach you how to downsize with minimalism in mind.
Look at Storage Facilities
When you’re looking to downsize, you should also consider hiring out a storage facility that you can keep any possessions in that you can’t bear to part with but that won’t fit in your new home. This storage facility can enable you to keep your items safe and will ensure that they don’t get damaged by things such as mould and damp over time.
However, you should look out for a self-storage option that’s open 24/7 so you can get anything you want from it when you want it, and so you always have access to the facility. You should also look for a storage location that’s easily accessible so you can transport all your possessions there without any problems, and so that you don’t have to drive a long distance in order to pick up what you’ve stored there.
Sell Your Possessions Online
An integral part of downsizing is decluttering, and it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to escape days of dealing with mountains of bin bags at some point during the process. However, rather than bin everything that don’t want any more or donating it to a charity shop, you should consider selling these items online.
Selling online can allow you to make some money from your decluttering and will mean that you have a little bit of extra cash that you can spend on redecorating your new home. You can sell these possessions on third-party marketplaces such as eBay, which can be perfect for niche products, or Facebook Marketplace, which is a great solution for people who want to avoid the postal system and want potential buyers to pick the items up from their home.
Plan Well
Instead of rushing into decorating your new home, once you’ve moved in, you need to make sure that you thoroughly plan any changes that you make. By doing this, you’ll be ensuring that you have space for everything and that your home doesn’t instantly feel overcrowded and overwhelming.
By planning how to utilise the space in the best way possible, and adding in shelving units and ceiling storage, you’ll quickly find that your new home feels just as large and relaxing as your previous home.
You might also need to be careful when it comes to paint colours and other décor, as neutral colour schemes can often make smaller homes look roomier and more inviting.
Photo by Michal Balog on Unsplash