There has been a marked increase in the number of people who are downsizing their properties and choosing to live simpler, smaller lives, and it’s not just the elderly. The costs of running a larger home, with rooms that you and your family may not need or be using can become unfathomable and many in middle age and beyond have chosen to move into smaller homes that suit their scaled down lifestyles.
Why downsize?
As aforementioned it is becoming increasingly popular to downsize and not only for the elderly.
The home is too expensive and too big to maintain
As soon as you begin to debate whether you actually need to have the lawn mown so often or whether you should leave a wildflower section in your garden, it might be time to look for a smaller garden and home.
If your current home is too big for your actual needs
If there are rooms in your home that you and your family don’t use then it’s time to find a property that has the space you need and will use, rather than one with space that you want and yet will never use.
Want to use the equity you have built up
Many people use the equity built up in the larger family homes to fund their retirement or at least some of it. So, selling up and moving into a less expensive smaller property makes the most sense.
Planning to travel
For those who are planning to do some later-life travel for more than the regular holiday periods, then having a smaller place that’s easier to simply lock up and go, will both assist to fund the travels as well as providing a much easier, safer process than a larger property.
How to successfully downsize
De-clutter and sell, sort or store
Tidy the current space and being as pragmatic as possible, pack away the things that you want to keep and donate those you don’t to a charity shop. This may not solve the problem of a lifetime of collecting things, and many have resorted to using self-storage. A great example in the south of the country is More Space Storage, where you can keep the excess items until you decide exactly what you want doing with them. Garage sales, car boots, Gumtree and local online community sales platforms are a fantastic way to clear out and make a few pennies in the process.
Determine if it’s really possible
Before you start making offers on a new home in the country, you need to do a thorough needs analysis. What do you and your family need in terms of space and what are the lifestyle requirements that you can’t do without?
Start as soon as you can
Once you know it’s a go and that you can do with moving into a smaller, less costly, home, you need to start the process. While the viewings are ongoing and the search is on, you need to begin to sort through your current home contents and begin to sort and pack.
Moving into a smaller property can be a daunting process for many who may have lived for most of their adult life in the property that they are leaving. If, however it is a well thought through and planned process then you are likely to gain the most from it.
