Diablo Gazette December 2021
Four Steps to Pain-Free Downsizing or Preparing for a Move
One thing is certain, the last few years have taught us to reevaluate how we want to live and work going forward. Let’s face it-moving is a lot of work. If a move is in your future, it’s helpful to start with the end in mind to guide the process no matter how far off you are planning. Here are four steps to follow towards a pain-free move.
Choose not to stress out over it
While it is good to have a plan, give yourself permission to take it slow. Start by doing one room at a time or one closet at a time. Tackle something that you can finish so you feel you accomplished something. Spread out tasks over time - days, weeks, months so you are minimizing the stress of getting it done last minute. Begin with small projects such as photographs, collections, kitchen utensils. If the thought of sorting through belongings and getting rid of things makes you anxious, then start in a neutral room, like the guest room, office or kitchen. Completing a task, no matter how small, helps get the momentum going.
Develop a system
An easy and simple system is to use different color sticky notes or tapes. Slap green on things you are keeping, yellow on items you are giving away and pink on things you are discarding. If you are downsizing, you might decide for every cookbook or platter, for example, you keep one and give two away. It also helps to assess how often you use 30 wine glasses during the course of a year. Maybe you keep ten.
Decide what goes and what stays
Keep things you really use, want to use (be honest), need for everyday use, and/or like to look at or evoke memories. If you are downsizing it is necessary to purge. If you are buying bigger or a similar home, think about what is worth paying the movers to move and consider the décor.
You might change up the scale of furniture depending on the new home or update your décor or style. If so, you may not need some of your furniture and can donate it. This allows you to furnish the new home over time, when you know what you need and where.
Making some of these decisions ahead of time- saves time. The worst feeling is walking into the garage a year after moving and having unpacked boxes. Thinking ahead, streamlines the process of moving in and moving on.
Order your presale inspections
This is one thing that can save oodles of stress during your contingency period. If you have disclosed what you know about your home, there is less likelihood that a buyer will come back and renegotiate after the offer is accepted. But if there is anything that could be problematic, you have time to decide what you want to do to remedy it. Once an offer is accepted, the buyer gets to have a say in that.
