Downsizing? 3 Questions to Ask Before You Make the Move

The housing market is currently booming and a lot of properties are selling for significantly higher than their market rate. That means that you may be sitting on a chance to make a bunch of money by downsizing. But there’s one problem with downsizing:

Where will I put all my stuff?!

Unfortunately, you’re going to have to get rid of a bunch of things. On the bright side, we can guarantee that most of it is junk! When we settle in place for a long time, we end up collecting sentimental items, unfortunately we often forget why certain things were sentimental to begin with!

How many boxes of old clothes are sitting in your attic, just waiting for you to lose that winter weight from 2015? How many pieces of furniture have seen better days and need to retire? How many old bags, suitcases, dishes, mugs, tools and garbage have gone untouched for years?

All these household items add up and it’s far more than you’ll fit in a standard city trash bin. For this, you’ll want to look into a dumpster rental. It’s a really affordable way to properly dispose of the broken items, trash and worn out goods you have lying around your house. If you’re moving into a smaller pad, you won’t be able to take it all with you anyway.

What rooms will I lose?

Transitioning to a smaller property means you’ll likely have fewer rooms to store things and live in. Because you might be accustomed to having dedicated space for different areas of your life, like a home office or a man cave, letting these go can take some adjusting. For this reason, you want to plan ahead for how you’ll shift your life to function without these isolated spaces.

For instance, if you work from home and are giving up your office to downsize, you’ll want to think about where your desk is going to be moving forward and how to ensure you get the quiet and privacy you need to fulfill your job duties. Will you set up a corner in the master bedroom? Will you carve out a spot in the kitchen? Will you convert the garage into a studio?

The same goes for other spaces you might be sacrificing in order to live more minimally, such as a workout room, a craft room, a guest room, a laundry room and so forth. How can you modify your new home to accommodate these needs with multi-purposed spaces?

What home maintenance can I handle?

Downsizing usually involves more than just smaller spaces; it’s often about home upkeep too. Some people still want to own and manage their own property completely, while others want to have zero responsibility.

Where you fall on the spectrum will largely determine the type of property you move into after leaving your bigger house behind.

For instance:

Want to be able to renovate your home, but hate yard work? Maybe a condo or townhome in a planned, curated community is a fit. These types of communities still give you the benefits of home ownership and control over your interior design, but will often handle the landscaping for all the residents.

Want to be completely rid of all home maintenance and never have to worry again about the heater breaking or the roof leaking? In this case, you might forgo home ownership altogether and rent an apartment instead. The landlord will handle all the updates and maintenance for you.

Downsizing is a worthy goal - you can save money, live more simply and likely reduce stress too. But it does come with certain mental shifts and functional adjustments. So before you take the leap, consider some of these top questions first so your transition will be as smooth and predictable as possible.

I share home improvement tips, ideas and resources for property owners. I love the topics of remodeling, design and overall home living. A house isn't a home until you make it your own and I hope the ideas I share will help more people do just that.