Top Tips for Downsizing to a Smaller Property
Recently there’s been a huge shift in the property market, with families upping their large homes and moving to smaller ones. It is estimated that 5.7 million people are looking to find more suitable, new properties to reside. Half of this huge number are people 65 and over, that’s 300,000 more than last year, according to recent studies. What’s more, it’s forecasted that 11 million people will downsize from their current homes in the next 20 years. With this in mind, there’s one thing we know these 11 million people will be wanting to know and that’s how to best prepare for downsizing.
Main reasons to downsize to a smaller property
It seems as though lots of people are choosing to downsize – why is there such a trend? Here are some of the reasons why a significant amount of people are choosing to move to smaller homes, these reasons include:
- Cut costs
- Children leaving home
- Retirement
- Seperation
- Moving abroad
- Buying a second property
- Pay off debts
- Reduce carbon footprint
- Simple lifestyle
Downsizing tips
Make an inventory of all of your belongings, do this room by room. Start with the rooms that house large appliances to get a feel for how much room they will take up when in transit. For example, your kitchen may include a: washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, butcher’s block – all of which are large items. Making note of these items will help you with your organisation.
Get rid of duplicate items and offer them to your friends and family – or sell them! How many mugs, glasses, tables, cushions does one household need? Be ruthless with items you haven’t used in the past couple of years – the stuff in your attic would be a great place to start.
Stop those unnecessary subscriptions to reduce the pile of things you ‘don’t need’. Get rid of junk mail and unsubscribe to free high street store magazines, this will free your bin up for the important things you wish to recycle and get rid of.
Do a car boot sale or sell your belongings online to get a bit of extra cash and put it towards your move or a lick of paint throughout your new home. You can get a lot of money for what you may consider as rubbish, including: clothes, children’s toys, books and furnishings. For the things you don’t manage to sell that are still in good, usable condition, pop them over to a charity shop and help a worthy cause.
Downsizing means that there’s less room in your new property than your old one, so you want to make sure your furniture will fit in their dedicated rooms. Measure your furniture to ensure things like your L-shaped sofa will fit nicely in the living room because this is certainly something you don’t to overlook.
As your moving date gets closer, you may be panicking and wondering whether your belongings will fit into your new home. To take the stress out of the equation, consider your local storage options.
At Simon Long Removals we provide a number of services to best suit each and every customer and because we understand what customers want, our process is simple.
- Tell our experts what you wish to store – whether it’s for domestic or commercial purposes – and we will provide you with a competitive price, where you’ll only pay for the space you require.
- Our team will conduct a survey to ensure a smooth and efficient service. During this survey you will be asked whether or not you need transportation and if so, we will organise this for you.
- You will receive quote. What’s better is, we will only charge you for the space you use, not by the size of the unit you store your belongings in.
- We will store your goods in secure units. Here your belongings are safely and securely stored thanks to our excellent CCTV surveillance and full alarm system.
- We offer full flexibility. Whether you need a short or long term storage solution – we offer you all the time and space you need.
For a seamless, bespoke service brought to you by experienced professionals, call us at Simon Long Removals or contact us online, today. We operate throughout Thetford, Cambridge, Norwich, Kings Lynn and the surrounding areas.
