Tips for Downsizing to a Smaller House

It's amazing how many of our belongings can accumulate over time. Often, it isn't until people decide to downsize their homes that they realize just how many things they've collected and stored away in closets. However, when you move to a smaller home, it's essential to leave most of these items behind. Making this transition can be incredibly jarring and challenging. In this article, we'll share our tips for downsizing to a smaller house.

Take Your Time

Downsizing a home, especially homes that people have lived in for multiple decades, is no easy task. Although it is best to begin downsizing your residence an average of three months before moving to a new home, there is no need to rush this process. Rather than becoming overwhelmed, declutter your house room by room.

Tips for Planning Your Downsize

• Declutter one room every week or month
• Choose a downsizing theme for each week or month (ex. painting, donating, upgrading)
• Allot rest weeks to keep yourself from developing moving burnout  

Ask for Help

When you downsize your home, there are so many different factors to consider. What items should you throw away? What appliances need upgrading? What will realtors need you to change before putting your house on the market? Instead of tackling each of these questions yourself, ask for help from your friends and family.

How Your Family Can Help You Downsize

If you have older children who have all moved out of the house, gather them for a collection party. Each child will be responsible for taking whatever items they consider sentimental from their childhood rooms. You can even recruit your family and friends to paint a room to help make your move more manageable.  

Invest in Removal Services

Once you've decided what items to donate or hold onto, it can feel like a waste of time to throw away the rest of your unnecessary belongings. Instead, consider investing in a junk removal service. For example, you can call a junk removal service in Dallas to declutter and clean your home of any unwanted items so that you can focus on other components of your move. 

Measure Your New Living Space

Moving to a smaller home can be jarring when you're used to more space. Before moving furniture from your old home to your new home, outline your floorplan. When you first measure your new home, you can compare these numbers to the measurements of your current furniture.

You can donate or sell couches, chairs, tables, or appliances that take up too much space and are nonessential. Proactively comparing these measurements will prevent you from moving furniture that is too big for your smaller home.

The goal of downsizing is to simplify. After years of collecting furniture, items, and other appliances, downsizing is an opportunity to declutter your belongings and move to a smaller space. If you need help during this process, refer to our tips for downsizing to a smaller house to make your move more manageable.