We are here to help you with the process of downsizing.

Are you downsizing? Do you not know where to start? Do you need help? If you have already decided or are just exploring the idea of downsizing, we are here to help you with the process.

Do any of these situations apply to you?

1. You have lost your job in this bad economic downturn.

2. Your kids flew out of the nest and the house is too big for you & your spouse.

3. Unfortunately you lost your spouse and you just feel too alone in that big house, maybe thinking of moving to a retirement community.

4. You or your spouse cannot handle the stairs anymore, and need to change your living situation to a one floor home.

5. You & your spouse have decided it's time to move to a retirement community.

These are situations that many of our clients are experiencing. Many of them had lived in their homes for more than 20 years. I put together some info to make your life easier and to give you some help with your needs.

Check out our tips for downsizing:

I think the biggest question is where to start?

1. Start the downsizing with your furniture.I am sure over the years you collected a nice amount of furniture. The problem is that you won’t be able to take everything with you. You should start to decide what to do with the furniture. Create different groups: keep or sell. If you are planning to give some of your pieces to your family, mark them with the person’s name who you are going to give them to. I suggest using colorful stickers to mark them. Choose a different color for each group & write the first letter or the whole word on the papers. For example: K or Keep.

2. When you are done with that process, you should call a professional home stager. Invest in staging; it will help you out in the long run. The stager will make your home very sellable & save you some headaches in the process of preparing your home for sale. Discuss your decision with this professional; make sure you are not getting rid of something that he/she can use for staging in your home.

3. Follow the same process with your accessories & all your belonging in your home. Are you overwhelmed? The best thing to do is go room by room. Pick a room each day & go at your own speed. If it’s too much for you, ask for the home stager to help you with it.

4. Do you have lots of things to get rid of? Just don’t know where to start? If you aren't sure what you have, or you think you may have something very valuable, perhaps an antique, call an appraiser. Maybe you can gain some extra cash.

5. How do you sell your items? One option is to have an estate sale. Don’t worry if you don’t know anything about it, there are people who can help you set up everything & handle the whole process.

6. The other option is to have a garage sale. The easiest way is to make it a tag sale. People can see how much you are asking for each item. But it does require time & energy. If you don’t want or cannot do it yourself, you can ask a family member or friend or hire a pro to do it.

7. You can put up some items on www.craigslist.com. The best thing is that it’s free. Take some pictures & download them. If you are not computer savvy, don’t worry - a pro can help you with that as well.

8. If you have a couple of items left that you couldn’t sell anywhere you can put them on craigslist as “free” items, and there is a big chance that somebody is going to be very happy to come and take them off your hands.

9. Do you still have some items left? Try to donate them. Call local churches, shelters etc…

Sell, Keep, or Toss?: How to Downsize a Home, Settle an Estate, and Appraise Personal Property

A Step-by-Step Guide to Helping Seniors Downsize, Organize, and Move

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