So, you’re debating whether to downsize? You’re not alone - many people do! There are various reasons why you may consider to downsize your home, all of which can be extremely beneficial depending on your needs and requirements from your home.
Of course, whilst the moving process is stressful regardless and requires some important considerations, there are some additional factors to bear in mind when you’re downsizing to a smaller home. We’ll be covering all of these discussion points in this guide, so keep reading to see our expert advice.
Why Downsize?
There are various reasons why you might choose to downsize. Below are some of the most common.
Money
As convenient and spacious as it may be to live in a big house, the larger your home the more it costs to upkeep. There are various factors at play that are likely to increase the cost to maintain a large home, including:
● Higher council tax bracket (potentially)
● Higher utility bills
● Higher insurance
● Higher cleaning fees
Whilst the size of your home isn’t the only factor considered when determining its council tax bracket, it can have an impact on it. As for utility bills, more space means more energy required to heat the home, more lights turned on, more water being used and so on. There is then physically more to insure when taking out house insurance, with the physical size of your home also impacting the amount that needs to be cleaned should you use a cleaning service - and more cleaning equals more costs!
So, if you’re ultimately finding that you’re struggling with the costs to maintain your current home, or simply would prefer to enjoy a bit more disposable income, then downsizing can be a great way to save some money.
Lifestyle
Another reason you may consider downsizing is if your current home doesn’t match your current lifestyle.
It could be that you simply don’t have the time or energy anymore to continue maintaining a larger home, or perhaps there are rooms that you don’t use as often, such as a home office or a playroom (for example if your working arrangements are different or you no longer have young children).
Another common lifestyle factor that causes people to downsize is if you’re moving to a different location, such as moving for work or moving closer to family. It could be that there aren’t as many homes available at your new locations, they are more expensive in this location or they simply don’t match your tastes or needs.
Space
Speaking of rooms you don’t use as often, space is another key determining factor for someone deciding to downsize.
It could be that you now have empty rooms due to children having left home, or perhaps you simply find that all the rooms in your home aren’t utilised enough. As such, downsizing may simply be the more practical choice, as you’ll be saving money whilst still having enough space to suit your practical needs.
Age
Whilst this may not be applicable to you, a highly common factor for people choosing to downside is age - specifically old age.
Upon reaching retirement, you may find that you no longer have a need for all the space that your current home offers, or no longer have the physical ability to comfortably maintain it. Not only that, but if you’re no longer working and are instead relying on your pension, then you may decide that you’d rather use more of this as disposable income than towards maintaining a home larger than you need.
It may also be a good idea to downsize during the early years of senior-hood, whilst you’re still relatively fit and healthy, as the moving process can be physically laborious and tough to manage - especially the older you get.
Top Tips for Downsizing
Sort Through Your Belongings
Before preparing to pack up all your belongings ready for the big move, we strongly recommend that you first sort through them! Downsizing offers the perfect opportunity for a home declutter.
Naturally, you won’t be taking everything with you to your new home - especially when downsizing, as there simply won’t be the same amount of space to hold all of your belongings. As such, you should sort through your belongings and categorise them into four piles:
● Keep - for any essentials and items you definitely want to take with you
● Maybe - for items you really can’t make your mind up on whether to keep or get rid of
● Donate/sell - for items that you aren’t keeping and are in good enough condition to donate or sell
● Bin - for items that you aren’t keeping, but aren’t in that good condition
Try to be as strict as possible with yourself when sorting through your belongings; while it can be hard to part ways with certain belongings, be realistic about whether or not you really need or want to keep the items that you do. You’ll thank yourself in the long run for condensing your belongings as much as possible!
Pack One Room at a Time
Packing up your entire home ready for a big move can be an overwhelming task - one you really don’t want to leave till the last minute. If you’re unsure when to start, then write a list of every room in your home and pack these up one at a time - ticking them off as they’re done.
By packing up a different room each day, you will gradually be packing up your whole home, yet spreading out this large task into more manageable timeframes. It’s best to start with rooms that you perhaps don’t use as often or don’t contain essential items that you use everyday, for example spare rooms or the living room, then leaving rooms such as the bathroom and kitchen till last.
It’s also best to start earlier than you think you’ll need to. There’s nothing worse than running out of time and panic-packing, so by starting early then you can account for any unforeseen delays or obstacles that may impede on your packing time.
Organisation is Key
If you want to save yourself a lot of time and hassle once you’ve moved into your new home, then remember to be as organised as possible when packing your belongings into boxes and arranging these boxes and your furniture into the moving van.
Be sure to label all boxes clearly, so you know what room they belong to and what items are inside, for example:
● Kitchen - cutlery and utensils
● Bathroom - towels
● Living room - decor
● Bedroom - bedding
When packing these into the moving van, also try to pack them in a particular order so that when they’re unpacked, the boxes that you’re most likely to unpack first (i.e. those containing essential items) are most easily accessible.
Consider Your New Space
One of the most important considerations you’ll need to remember when you’re downsizing is the size and layout of your new home. It’s all very well deciding to keep some of your existing furniture to take with you, but this is no use if it won’t fit into your new space.
Make sure you have the dimensions of every room, so you can measure your furniture and determine whether or not it will A, fit into the designated room of your new home and B, if it will fit well in the position you want it to be in.
If you find that, actually, some of your furniture won’t work in your new home, then this will be one less thing you’ll have to worry about transporting! Although, you will also want to think about investing in an alternative solution.
Enlist the Help of a Removals Service
When it comes to the actual move itself, you may find that you simply don’t have the space in your car to fit all your belongings. There is the option to hire a moving van, but then you’ll of course still need someone else to move your car for you.
These arrangements can end up becoming complicated. Not only that, but the physical moving process itself can be stressful and tiring. That’s why you’d benefit from enlisting the help of
professional movers.
Professional movers have the space in their removals vans to carry all your belongings in one go, and they’ll be able to help you load and unload these - handling your items with care and professionalism. This takes some of the stress off your shoulders on moving day, allowing you to focus on the logistical side of the move.
Consider Self-Storage Services
If you find that there are some items that you can’t take with you, but you also aren’t ready to part ways with for whatever reason, then you may want to consider
self-storage solutions. This offers you time and space to make decisions about what to do with such belongings - a decision you can make once the stress of moving day is over.
House Removals in Devon
So, are you ready to downsize? Let us help here at Rose Removals. Whether you’re moving to or from Devon, our professional team can help with your move, whether it be local or national.
We also offer
packing supplies and self-storage solutions for your convenience. With all of our staff fully trained on-site to the British Association of Removers standards, we’re a removals company that you can trust.
Get in touch with us today to discuss how our services can help with your move.
