16 tips to move forward with the process of downsizing the house

Our last article included 11 tips to help you get started with the process of downsizing your home. While that article focused more on how you can “Get Started,” this article takes you to the next step and provides 16 tips and strategies designed to “Keep You Going” after you’ve begun the downsizing process.

Know the values ​​before you start shooting. “No”, I repeat, “No”, start disposing of anything before someone looks at its potential value. Too often, things you perceive to be of value turn out to be worthless, while things you perceive to be of little value end up having considerable value.

Have a professional help you with values: Before you dump anything, it would be wise to hire someone who is knowledgeable in personal property values ​​to provide appraisals before you begin the dumping process. A professional home personal property appraisal is usually a good place to start for most people. A USPAP appraisal will be more accurate and detailed, but will cost much more due to the time involved in preparing it. The initial cost of either should seem pretty reasonable compared to the potential loss if you throw out the wrong stuff.

What you paid has no relation to today’s value: We’ll cover this concept in more depth in a later article, but at this point you need to understand that what you paid for something has absolutely no relationship…any…to what it will bring in today’s market.

Start early in the process: Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute to get started. Start early, work in smaller blocks of time, and the job will be much easier.

Start with a small room: Begin by selecting a small room to start with. Once that smaller room is successfully completed, it will be easier to move on to a more complex room.

Start with a room that has less sentimental attachment: A bathroom, closet or kitchen can be a good place to start. The most important thing is to start somewhere and then build momentum towards bigger projects.

Start with larger objects: It is often easier to start by removing larger items, such as furniture. The logic here is that you can start to feel like you’re making progress after only making a few decisions.

Start with a part of the house that you currently don’t use much: An adult child’s empty room is often a good place to start.

Start with personal documents and family photos: This won’t save you much space, but it can be fun and is a logical step to start the downsizing process.

Work in limited blocks of time: The process can be very exhausting and emotionally draining. Limit yourself to just a few hours at a time, at least at first. Then, if you feel like it, you can work for extended periods of time.

Stay with a specific project until you finish it: Once you’ve started, do your best to complete a specific project, especially smaller projects. For example, if you start cleaning out a closet, finish that project before moving on to another project. However, recognize that larger projects such as a basement or attic probably won’t be completed in one sitting.

anticipate the weather: Plan ahead, keeping the weather in mind. You don’t want to work in the attic on a scorching July day, and you don’t want to work in the garage or outbuildings in sub-zero weather. Use the weather to your advantage.

Give yourself ample lighting: Little will get done if you can’t see what you’re doing. If the room you’re working in isn’t bright enough, bring in some temporary lighting to brighten up the workspace.

Give yourself ample work space: Not much can be sorted into piles or sorting categories on a single rickety folding table. Try to provide yourself with one or more solid 3′ x 8′ folding tables. Today’s tables have lightweight plastic tops and are much easier to move than the heavy wooden tables of years past.

Use strong plastic bags for disposal: Whether you buy them at the grocery store, home improvement store, or dollar store, be sure to use heavy-duty plastic bags to pack up old clothes and bedding, or toss out unwanted small items in the weekly trash. There is nothing more frustrating than having a lighter plastic bag break after you have spent considerable time packaging it.

Houses with more space can sell better: Selling your personal property can make you even more money when you sell your current home. Clutter tends to make a house look small. By downsizing before you put your home on the market, you can make your home appear even larger than it really is, thereby increasing your chance of a sale. We know of a situation where the real estate agent felt that a home made $30,000 to $40,000 more than it would have made had the downsizing not occurred.

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