Downsizing

Downsizing isn’t an easy decision however, there can be many benefits to it like saving
money by selling your larger home to move to a smaller less expensive home where
carrying costs will be less. Making life simpler. Maybe you are moving to a smaller
property that requires less maintenance and gardening. Freeing up your time and
money to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. It’s best to speaking to a financial
advisor before starting this process.
Determining your home’s value is a very important step prior to making the decision to
downsize as then you will know the amount of money you have to work with and help
you to decide if you should rent or buy your next home.
When downsizing, it’s best to start as soon as possible. Decide what type of lifestyle
you would like to have going forward. Condo apartments are great for worry free;
maintenance free turnkey homes. Depending on what you chose, you can literally just
walk into your suite and live. It’s the perfect solution for people who no longer want to
upkeep of a yard, snow removal and all the things that come with home ownership.
Smaller homes are a great option too and there are communities that offer the same
type of services but with a house, so you still have a small backyard to enjoy depending
on the area.
Hire a Realtor to help you with this move. Decide your timelines of when you would like
to be in your new home. Begin your search in your preferred areas that suit your
budget. Work with your agent to prepare your home for sale.
Once you have decided on the amount of space you are going to downsize to, it is
important to start going through your belongings as soon as possible. Decide what you
will keep, what you will sell, donate, and throw out. There are many services that help
with this process. Ask family member if there is anything that they would be interested
in. Your real estate agent would also have contacts that would be able to assist.
There are many online platforms that can help with selling your contents such as:
Facebook Market Place, Kijiji etc. There are also companies that help with removing
items that you were going to throw out. Just Junk and Got Junk are services that come
to your home and you point to what you would like to throw out and they take it away for
you.
Go through one room at a time so that it doesn’t become overwhelming.
An advantage to getting this process done prior to listing the house is that it will make
packing and moving a lot easier.

Get ready for your new life in your new home and at the end of the day, downsizing
should be a move that will make life more stress free to give you the opportunity to do
the things you have always wanted to do.