This is a guest article by Hazel Burton of The Home Reset
Following on from my ‘top tips for moving house’ blog post I thought a post specifically covering do’s and don’ts when downsizing would be helpful.
I have worked on a few downsizing projects over recent months and so here are some ways to help relieve some of the stress involved in this process.
DO – start the process as early as possible – putting it off will add stress and mean the job is rushed and maybe not thorough enough. You only want to bring items you LOVE, NEED, USE and have SPACE for to the new property.
DON’T – underestimate how much of a reduction is required pre move. If the new property you are moving to is 50% smaller then a quick estimate is that 50% of items in your current home need to be sold, donated, or recycled prior to the move. If you feel you have too much stuff and a lot of clutter in your current home that percentage may be higher.
DO – have exit plans for the items leaving your home – where are your local charity shops do they offer a collection service? Is a skip required? If selling items who is going to manage that process.
DON’T – try to do multiple areas at the same time – stick to small spaces and set realistic targets.
DO – get detailed measurements of the new home so you know which large furniture will or will not work in the new home.
DON’T – panic – there is help at hand. As a professional organiser a pre move/pre downsize declutter is a service I provide – I will look after the exit plans for the charity items so another job off the list.
DO – involve other members of the family who may have flown the nest – especially if the items belong to them or are being passed onto them – it allows for quicker decisions to be made about where the items should live going forward.
DON’T – worry my ‘top tips for moving house’ blog post has lots of ways to reduce the stress of moving house.
