The Difference Between Downsizing and Moving

Your parents moved you when you were a kid. You moved into a dorm and various apartments during college. You moved when you graduated, when you got married, and when you took an out-of-town job transfer. Throughout the years, you have become a moving machine. Surely your next move – downsizing – will be the same as all the others.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. No matter how many moves you have made throughout your lifetime, downsizing is different. Here’s why:

It may not be happening for a happy reason – In our business, the majority of people that we’re helping downsize are doing it because they need to. Maybe they’ve lost a spouse and can’t take care of the home by themselves, maybe they can no longer manage the stairs to the bedroom or bathroom, or maybe they’ve become unable to live alone. Whatever the reason, feeling like you’re moving because you have to not because you want to is very different and can be a very emotional experience.

You can’t take everything – Oftentimes, you move from one size place to a similar sized or even larger one, so you can take everything with you.  When you downsize, you move to a smaller space than you currently have, which means you will need to downsize your belongings as well. Parting with items that you have owned for decades or have sentimental value can be difficult.

It’s hard to get rid of everything you aren’t taking – Rather than finding a new spot for everything in your new home, you’ll need to find places for those items you decided not to keep. Your family members may want some items, but don’t count on them to take everything. (see Making Your Memorabilia a Gift, Not a Burden blog ). Selling items through yard sales or online can be time-consuming and cause you to deal with strangers trying to talk you down on prices, which can be uncomfortable and less profitable. Donating is always a good way to rid yourself of unwanted items because they will be going to someone else who can use them, but some organizations won’t take certain things or will not come pick anything up.

This downsize is permanent – You may have temporarily downsized before in your lifetime, either from your parents’ home to a dorm room, or maybe to live in a downtown apartment or overseas for a year. But your belongings were waiting for you when you returned. This type of downsize is normally permanent, so unless you have family members willing to house your overflow, whatever doesn’t fit in your smaller space will no longer be yours.

Fortunately, there is someone who can help make downsizing at least a little easier. Here’s how:

Inventory and Sorting– Our team inventories and sorts homes to be downsized to help make the decision on what you want to take and what you don’t. Sometimes just having someone to help you figure out what you can live without and what you can’t will enable you to not feel so overwhelmed with the downsize and move.

Floorplan Comparison – When we’re helping someone downsize, we use the floorplan of the new space to determine what can be kept and what won’t fit. We can show you different layouts that include certain things in one layout, and different things in another, allowing you to choose which will work best for you.

Unwanted Items – After you have decided what you’re keeping and what your friends and family members want, we can take care of the rest. We hold online auctions for clients on a regular basis. We handle all aspects of the process from cataloging and photographing, taking care of payments, and handling the pick-ups. We’ll also arrange for items that aren’t sold to be donated or removed.

Downsizing can be much more stressful than a regular move, but it doesn’t have to be. Let reSettled Life help you get from Point A to a smaller and more manageable Point B.