11 Highly Practical Tips To Consider When Downsizing Home (Includes Our Downloadable Downsizing & Moving Home Checklist)
Have your children all fled the nest? Need to release come equity? Or perhaps you’re just looking to move to a smaller and easier to maintain property?
Whatever your reason for downsizing home there are lots of things to consider first. Read our 11 highly practical tips for downsizing home below to help you in your pursuit.
Table of Contents
Why Should You Downsize Home?
Downsizing home is a liberating process. Many downsizers often report a new and less encumbered life, with lower household bills and a smaller house to manage.
According to a report by the Intergenerational Foundation, downsizing allows young families to enjoy the space they need to thrive, and frees older generations from the tyranny of cleaning, upkeep and unwieldy gardens.
Below are just a few of the reasons why you should consider downsizing home:
- Downsized bills – If you are paying for a smaller home chances are the mortgage payments will be less expensive as well. Freeing up extra cash allows you to spend it on other vital outgoings such as food shops and monthly bills. Did you know current guestimations suggest that you could make annual savings of £500 on energy bills alone by downsizing from a five or four bed property to a two bed or below.
- Release vital equity – with the rising cost of university tuition fees, downsizing is an excellent way for parents to release equity and fund their child’s education or perhaps somethign else they have always wanted to pursue.
- Reduced maintenance – Less space and fewer rooms means there is less general upkeep. Lots of older or time-poor people report this as a real time-saver as it means you can spend less time cleaning and more time doing the things you enjoy.
- Live a more minimalist livestyle – Yo may have heard the saying ‘Less is More’. Well minimalist living teaches us to enjoy the things we have use for and spend less on other consumer trends. You’ll have a newfound appreciation for what you have, less focus on material things and more focus.
- Reduced removals costs – Having a clear out or declutter before you move into a smaller property means you have less items to move. Less items = lower cost of removals.
Whatever your reason for downsizing, it will take careful planning and preparation to do it right. Get on top of your move with our top tips to consider when downsizing home below:
Plan Ahead
Moving home is stressful enough but downsizing also presents logistical challenges.
All the items you have in a large home simply won’t all fit in a smaller one. It really is a case of move it or lose it.
Whether you’re moving to a smaller terraced property or a thatched cottage, you will need to plan ahead.
A good starting place is the loft or garage. These are the main areas where junk accumulates over the years. Under the beds and in the wardrobes are other common offenders.
Draw Up A Floor Plan
This way you can assess whether your current furniture will fit. If not, you will need to sell or replace them.
Be realistic. If the furniture fits, will it look right? It’s no good transferring furniture and other items if they stick out or do not fit with the décor of the new home.
And If you have no room, get rid!
Get ahead of the curve by downloading our Downsizing and Moving House Checklist Here.
Organise Your Packing
This week’s top moving tip:
Get some permanent markers and mark up the contents of each box and directions for placement.
If you have small kids you could even turn it into a game, getting the kids to colour in the boxes.#movinghacks #movingtips pic.twitter.com/1ZEOSvAGRd
— GoodMove Moving & Storage Ltd (@Good_MoveLtd) February 20, 2019
Use a colour coded system to mark boxes destined for each location.
This will help you keep on top of things and assess whether there is any more available space.
It will also assist your removals team in allocating where everything needs to go.
Assess The Practicalities Of Your New Home
Besides reduced space you need to think about the practicalities of the new property you are moving to.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the property accessible?
- Will I be able to maintain the garden?
- Is the location suitable if I no longer drive?
If you are downsizing home to retire, you will need to ensure the property continues to be accessible for you and your family. Houses with lots of stairs or with difficult outside access will need to be assessed.
There are certain items you will simply not need depending on the property you are downsizing too. For example, If you’re moving to a flat without a garden you’re not going to need a lawnmower.
Do Away With Duplicates
Do you really need 8 or 9 mugs if there are only three of you? How many garden tools do you have in the shed?
Unless the items are of real sentimental value throw away duplicate items that will only take up space and increase the cost of your move.
Keep extras for entertaining guests but otherwise throwaway unnecessary duplicates.
Clear Unnecessary Paperwork
Downsizing home is the perfect opportunity to get on top of the bundles of paperwork you’ve been amassing over the years.
Depending on how much you have and what you need to retain you might wish to use a shredding service.
Lots of people now file electronically using a hard drive or cloud-service option. Explore your options and where possible retain records In electronic format to save space.
Cash In On Your Clutter
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It makes no sense to pay for stuff to be moved which you no longer can use.
It makes even less sense not to cash in on this opportunity.
A car boot sale is a great way to raise some extra cash and shift some stuff.
There are also various online websites and apps like eBay, Gumtree and Schpock to sell unwanted items. You can even put the money towards the cost of your removals service.
Enjoying this post? Need help decluttering before you move house? Why not read our blog post: How To Declutter Your Home Before Moving — A Minimalist’s Guide
Consult Your Family
While the process of downsizing home is liberating be sure you’re not getting rid of anything valuable or of serious sentimental value. Particularly if it belongs to someone else.
If you have older children who no longer live at home they may still have items of theirs from the childhood stored away in their old room or attic.
Consult them and give them the opportunity to salvage anything before you throw it away.
Check Your Storage Capacity
It might be worth thinking about storage facilities. If you have reduced kitchen cupboard, shelf and office space.
Consider stamp duty
Retirees looking to downsize and make a profit on their existing home should remember they must still pay stamp duty.
Homebuyers in the UK (except first time buyers) pay stamp duty on any property with a value over £125,000.
Those looking to live off the proceeds of downsizing should factor this into their considerations.
Hire A Removals Company
Even if you’re physically fit and healthy, a removals company can help lighten the work.
Removals companies move belongings between houses almost every day of the year.
They have a pretty good idea therefore about what will fit where and what won’t. They are also knowledgeable on access issues and can advise on whether a particular item of furniture will need a certain approach.
For example, whether a king size bed will need to be airlifted into a property.
Need Help Moving & Downsizing Home ?
GoodMove has over 35 years’ experience in the removals industry. We offer a full or part-load removals and storage service from our site in Colchester, Essex.
Our expert removals team are fully trained and can move everything from furniture and antiques to everyday household items.
All our services are tailor-made to the client to ensure their moving day experience is as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Whether you’re moving from a detached property in the suburbs to a flat in the city, or a farmhouse to a country cottage we’ve got you covered.
We can advise you on all aspects of moving home and come prepared with ready made solutions tailored just to you.
To find out more about any of our services, and to see how we can hep you downsize home, don’t hesitate to give us a call today.
