Learn the advantages of downsizing your home.
Do you love your house, but not necessarily the chores or costs that come with it? Are you living comfortably, but you’d like the luxury of a bigger budget or a different lifestyle? Selling your home and moving into a smaller space might be exactly what you need. Unlike the board game that goes by the same name, real life isn’t always about the size of your house. In fact, sometimes downsizing is the smartest way to upgrade your life. Instead of measuring your success in square footage, consider these advantages of downsizing your real estate investment.
Downsizing Means Decluttering
Clutter can accumulate in any sized space. However, if you’ve lived in a big house for years, it’s easy to misjudge how much unused–or downright useless–stuff is filling your home. Downsizing gives you a great excuse to declutter and get rid of everything you don’t need, use or like. Do you have unworn clothes hanging at the back of your closet? Time to donate them. How about that extra furniture filling your crawl space? Time to get rid of that too. Even old documents, photos, albums, and videos can be digitized to downsize your storage needs and decrease the risk of damage.
Of course, some of your unused belongings may still have value, so consider selling furniture, appliances, books, jewelry, clothes and anything else that is still functional. You’ll have extra money for your next chapter, but the real benefit is psychological. Stowing things away “for later” creates a pattern of excess and clutter, and getting rid of them is a decision to live in the moment. It also helps you focus on the most significant parts of your life, and surround yourself with items that truly make you happy or serve specific purposes in your life.
Smaller Spaces Are Cheaper to Clean & Power
When you downsize, it’s not just your mortgage payments that get smaller. While this isn’t always the case, bigger houses usually cost more to heat, cool, power, and clean. If your utility bills skyrocket every summer and winter, you could be wasting a lot of money controlling the temperature of rooms you don’t even use. Extra windows and doors make it even easier for leaks to occur and energy bills to rise higher. Of course, more square footage also means more floors, walls, and windows to clean. All those surfaces require time and money to maintain, even if you outsource the actual chore.
You may be able to afford your cleaning and cooling costs, but why not make room in your budget for more enjoyable expenses? If you’d love to have smaller energy bills and fewer cleaning requirements, consider selling your home and finding a space with fewer rooms. High ceilings, multiple stories, and particularly sunny or dark spots are all energy-intensive, and if you upgrade to a newer space with more efficient windows and electrical requirements, that’s even better.
Buying a home you love was a wise investment, but letting go might be just as wise. It’s hard to overestimate the value of financial and physical freedom, especially if you’re used to certain responsibilities and expenses. But without a big house to maintain or a big mortgage bill to pay, you’ll have more time and money to focus on places, people, and hobbies that truly make you happy. Whether you’re experiencing big life changes or trying to jump-start a change at long last, consider selling your home and buying a smaller one.
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CBR, SRES - Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
Phone: 516.849.5895 | [email protected]
As an experienced professional Neil will do the leg work, keeping you up-to-date with new listings and the various market conditions that may impact the home purchase process. Sellers can also benefit from his skills in finance, negotiation, contractual agreements, and RE marketing. Call today and allow Neil to guide you through the complexities of buying or selling your home, eliminating hassles, and stress.
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