Lancaster & Morecambe 01524 843322
Posted on Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Whatever your reason, you are not alone. Some people are doing this through choice, others through necessity. Downsizing is also no longer reserved to those who live in a big house - we have just helped a lovely lady downsize from 2-bed bungalow in Bare to a 1-bed house in Lancaster!
Here are 4 great tips to help make downsizing easier for you.
If you are planning on downsizing, you need to start your plans asap. This doesn’t necessarily mean putting your home on the market today, it’s more of preparation in getting ready. We regularly give advice to potential downsizers 6-12 months prior to their home actually going up for sale. It helps align their thoughts and gives them guidance on what they need to be doing.
Take the couple in Heysham last week. They needed to know the value of their home before they started house hunting in Cheshire. They wanted a realistic price so they could see if it was financially viable to move to Chester to be closer to the family. We could also let them know what little jobs they could do around the home in order to maximise their price. They had lived here for over 30 years so really appreciated the help and our non-pressurising approach.
Downsizing often means that you need to part with some furniture. After all, if you going somewhere smaller it won’t all fit. If you start asap, you can also really think about the furniture you want to keep and what you will no longer need. If you already have excess furniture, now is a great time to get rid of it - before you put your home up for sale.
We recently helped a couple who lived in a large home on Thornton Road with this. They had too much furniture already. Their home was struggling to sell because the rooms look cluttered. By taking out some pieces - the rooms felt bigger. The home went on to sell.
We’ve recently helped another couple downsize that lived in a large terrace home in Morecambe. They knew they had to get rid of furniture but also there were other elements in their life they wanted to minimise. The house they were selling was actually of similar value to the home they were planning on moving to in Torrisholme - but it was still smaller.
In this instance, we helped them re-home their collection of books and CDs. They gave bags and bags of clothes to charity and as they had so many ornaments which they knew wouldn’t all fit in the new home - we suggested that they could always sell some of these, which they did and they made several hundred ££ £s!
If you are like one of our Hest Bank clients, you might find parting with your treasured items too difficult. They may have sentimental value, it could be you just don’t know what you will need in the new home. We understand it can be difficult.
Our client ( now moved ) had been trying to sell for some time. Their home was a collection of items gathered over 40 years. Some were items that the children had left when they had left home. Other’s were actually furniture they were looking after on behalf of their son. Can you believe they had a spare dining room table! They didn’t want to part with anything until they had found the home they wanted. The solution was to rent a storage unit. They had to admit, it made life much easier on moving day!
Downsizing doesn’t need to be difficult, nor does it need to be sad. Don’t view it as the end of an era. See it as the beginning of an exciting new chapter in your life. I’ve not had one client tell me they have regretted it yet!
If you’d like to chat about your future move, please get in touch. At JDG we love to help. We’ll give you an honest opinion and answer any worries or concerns you may have. We’ve already helped over 200 buyers and sellers this year. Can we help you? Don’t forget our friendly advice is free. Call us on 01524 843322.
