Many home sellers are making moves because they realize they have too much house. Perhaps the children have grown and moved out and that 4 bedroom house has turned into a two bedroom with an office and storage area. Finding a smaller home usually isn’t a problem. The challenge becomes one of what to do with all that “stuff” you’ve collected through the years. If you are ready to make a move into a smaller home, here are 5 downsizing home tips for those who have a lot of stuff.
1. Are you mentally prepared?
Downsizing, when you have a lot of possessions, is going to take mental acceptance as much as it takes physical work. It helps to understand the multiple benefits to downsizing but you will still have to be prepared for the litany of excuses you will give yourself to justify keeping something.
- But I may need that someday.”
- My Aunt Millie gave that to me.”
- I won that trophy in 5th grade.”
- It took a long time to collect those.”
- I’ll need that when I lose 15 lbs.”
You’ll then need to prepare yourself to make one of four choices for everything in your house. You will either:
1. Throw it away. These are items you will be trashing.
2. Give it away. These items you will donate to a non-profit or give to a friend or family member.
3. Sell it. These items will go into a garage sale or be somehow otherwise be sold.
4. Keep. These are the items you will ultimately keep.
If you get rid of something and need something similar in the future, you can always repurchase the item. It may be a good time to upgrade furniture, lamps and other items in your home. Sell what you have and buy new when you get to your downsized location.
2. Are you afraid the project is too big?
Downsizing an entire home can seem to be overwhelming. That’s why, if you have a lot of stuff, the problem is best attacked one room at a time. Some rooms, like a bathroom will be relatively easy. Others, like a garage or kitchen will be more of a challenge. Go through every drawer, cabinet and closet. Make one of the four choices with every item (throw it away, give it away, sell it or keep it), and keep moving on. Remember, after your garage sale, you will have some funds to replace items like old towels, artwork and small appliances to give your downsized home a fresh look. Be brave. The tough decisions will involve items that have emotional attachment. Keep in mind, someone you love may appreciate that item just as much as you. Giving it away may give you as much or more joy than keeping it.
3. Are you dealing with OPS?
Many people who are attempting to downsize get frustrated with OPS. They had OPS for years. They accept it. It is easier to ignore the problem than dealing directly with it. Overcoming OPS takes conversations with close family members, and that can be the biggest challenge. OPS, of course, is Other People’s “Stuff”.
OPS is an issue suffered most frequently by parents of adult children. The children have moved out and in some cases have even married and moved into their own homes. Oddly, the homes the children buy may have more storage space than available at the parent’s home, yet…the “stuff” remains. This stuff can include a variety of materials:
- Old artwork. “It was tough enough to take down from the refrigerator. Now you want me to get it out of the basement?” Yes we do.
- Sports equipment. Baseball gloves and jerseys may be bad enough, but many OPS sufferers also have stored golf clubs, old hockey sticks, bicycles and weight training equipment.
- Whatever. “Whatever” may be a piece (or six) of furniture you are holding, it could be a poker table, or a collection of invaluable beer cans that your son sought to collect that is now collecting dust.
- Dealing with OPS can be handled in three distinct ways. Pitch it, invite the owner over to collect it, or if it is an adult child, order pizza and have a memory night. Then let them take it with them.
4. Have you worn it in the last year?
The average person owns about 20 pairs of shoes. Clothes and accessories our overtaking our closets. If you haven’t worn it in the past year, get rid of it. We know you think you will fit back into it again someday but celebrate that moment with new clothes. In the meantime, donate clothes you haven’t put on your body in the past 365 days. Don’t get caught up in the details. If you can’t remember the last time you had it on, toss it.
Now, what about those tools, cooking utensils, fancy dishes and glassware? These items get a little more slack than clothes, but not much. If they haven’t been used in two years they must go. Now, here’s the good news. If they are small items that would be expensive to replace (socket wrenches, kitchen knives etc.) they can be exempt.
5. Do you have a large collection of some type?
Books and collections are a significant space eater. From Coca-Cola items to Barbie Dolls to the Harry Potter series, homes across America are giving up tens of thousands of square feet just for storing these items. Many believe they are collecting because the items are valuable. Consider the first ever Barbie made in 1959 was sold mint, in the box, for $3,500. That may seem like a bonanza, but that is a very rare edition. The reality is, you will find Barbie dolls at garage sales and flea markets every weekend. The Coca-Cola Collectors Club has over 5,000 members. The Harry Potter series has sold over 400 million copies.
Many homes have bookcase after bookcase of reading material. Google, in an effort to document the world’s information, says there have been about 130,000,000 book titles published. The odds are, however, that you will never read most of those books again, if they were read a first time. Books are a great gift. Choose some titles that fit your friends and family and donate or sell the rest.
If you are actively collecting something and take joy in the activity, go for it. If a collection has just been sitting in an attic, it is more likely moths or mice will get to it than you will. You probably know the value of your collection more than someone who may ultimately inherit it. Sell it yourself and use the money on something you’ve been depriving yourself.
