{"id":10726,"date":"2019-05-30T12:30:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T19:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=10726"},"modified":"2026-04-23T11:23:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T18:23:36","slug":"steps-to-downsizing-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/steps-to-downsizing-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Steps to Downsizing Your Home in a Truly Organized Fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big homes come with a certain grandeur\u2014but they\u2019re also expensive and take lots of work to maintain. In fact, more than 1 in 4 Americans<\/a> recognize the perks of smaller living and plan on downsizing their residence once they retire.<\/p>\n

Trouble is\u2026future plans to downsize don\u2019t typically reduce our tendency to collect stuff earlier in life. We live in a society where it\u2019s normal to have two refrigerators<\/a> and three-stall garages that are too cluttered to fit a single car<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yikes!<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s nothing more frustrating than trying to put 10 pounds of potatoes into a five-pound bag,\u201d says Jennifer Pickett, Associate Executive Director at the National Association of Senior Move Managers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

…And if you\u2019re smart, it doesn\u2019t have to go down that way. Just stop right now before you toss junk into boxes labeled \u201cMisc.\u201d Instead, follow these logical steps to downsizing your home in a truly organized fashion.<\/p>\n

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Source: (Justin Pauley\/<\/a> Burst<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Step 1: Lock in the details of your destination<\/h2>\n

Now\u2019s the time to set some boundaries on your next move. Before you sign the lease on a fourth-floor apartment<\/a> or put an offer in on a smaller residence in a different part of town, make sure you won\u2019t end up with regrets.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s review a few of your top considerations for downsizing:<\/p>\n

How downsizing will impact your financials<\/h4>\n

If your intent is to stretch your retirement money further by cutting back on housing expenses, it won\u2019t do you much good if you\u2019re taking on a bigger mortgage or adding costs after you factor HOA dues and the higher cost of living in your new golf community.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d be wise to use the proceeds from your home sale<\/a> to buy a smaller house outright<\/a> or at least see if you can qualify for a 15-year rather than 30-year mortgage to save on interest.<\/p>\n

To calculate your home sale proceeds, you can use HomeLight\u2019s Home Value Estimator<\/a> to get a ballpark range for how much your home is worth, then subtract what you owe on your mortgage<\/a> and the costs of selling your house<\/a> (such as home prep<\/a> expenses and agent commissions<\/a>).<\/p>\n

From there, you\u2019ll know how much take-home money you have to put toward your next place, and how much you\u2019ll have left over to stash away in savings or pay off other debts.<\/p>\n

What you want out of this next stage of life<\/h4>\n

The second biggest reason people move later in life<\/a> is to usher in new beginnings. Is it your dream to read mystery novels on the beach or spend more time with your children and grandkids? Do you hope to join a community where residents can attend happy hour and get shuttled to architecture tours downtown?<\/p>\n

Think about what you value most and which type of residence and location would fulfill your dreams. Start with HomeLight\u2019s list of ideas to reduce space and still live large<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How long you want to stay there<\/h4>\n

Downsizing could be your chance to think long-term about aging in place<\/a>. A residence with features like walk-in showers, wider hallways, grab rails and handles, and no stairs could help you put off paying $43,000 per year<\/a> for assisted living.<\/p>\n

Need more help deciding which type of residence will best suit your needs? Use HomeLight\u2019s guide to finding the right housing style<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Create a plan of attack for sorting through each space of the house<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t start the downsizing process with the living room bookshelf because you happen to be watching TV in there. If you don\u2019t have a plan before diving in, you might burn out or lose steam without an end goal in sight.<\/p>\n

Instead work in what\u2019s called \u201cconcentric circles\u201d<\/a> from the least-used to most-used areas of the house. For example, start with storage rooms<\/a>, the attic, those dreaded basement bins, and the overflow in the garage. It\u2019ll be easier to eliminate items from these places first, since you use them less frequently.<\/p>\n

Next, tackle, guest rooms and baths before you get to those core utility spaces like the kitchen, master bed, and master bath.<\/p>\n

Be realistic about how long you think sorting through room will take\u2014one long weekend probably isn\u2019t enough \u201cIt took you 40 years to accumulate these treasures,\u201d says Pickett. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to go away in 40 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once you have your roadmap down, you can sort items using the steps below.<\/p>\n

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Source: (Eco Warrior Princess\/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Step 3: Take an inventory of what you already have<\/h2>\n

Once, while assisting in a move, Pickett discovered a forgotten stash of $4,000 in cash tucked away in the homeowner\u2019s game room. Which is to say, if you don\u2019t know what you have, how can you be expected to move it, or get rid of it?<\/p>\n

Documenting what you already own can help illuminate what you might have too much of, where there\u2019s duplicates (no one needs two avocado slicers!) or what you\u2019re ready to part with.<\/p>\n

With help from The Moving Blog, industry pros that have been in the moving industry since 2009, here\u2019s how you can take a home inventory<\/a>:<\/p>\n