4 Essential Tips for Moving to a Smaller Home
Posted in Moving Tips & Tricks,Planning the Move on August 4, 2022
Despite the popular opinion that living in a large house is a privilege, moving to a smaller home actually brings many benefits. The only problem is that people don’t know how to downsize and organize a move like this. With our essential tips, you’ll learn everything about decluttering, how to organize a small apartment, and original storage ideas.
Is Living in a Smaller House Better?
People find various reasons to move. Whether relocation for college, for a job in a new city, or maybe relocating for love, you should decide what kind of new home you are looking for. This depends on many factors – who you are going to live with and where you are going to live might be the most important ones. These factors are also related to finances. For example, if you plan to move alone, you’ll have much higher expenses, especially if you want to live in a penthouse in NYC.
You also have to be honest with yourself about how much time you spend in your apartment and what your usual activities are. People who work a lot and live in so-called “dream villas” usually don’t spend much time there, and they have maids and gardeners who take care of the place instead of them. So, do you know why a small house is better? What benefits can moving to a smaller house bring to the table? Actually, there is more than one reason people decide to start living in a small place – nowadays this has almost become a trend because of the many advantages.
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How Do You Deal With Moving Into a Smaller House?
The best way to deal with this process is to stay focused on the relocation benefits and learn some relocation tips that will ensure you have an efficient move. Hiring professionals can also be very helpful when moving across the country, plus it will ensure you avoid anxiety about relocation. You only have to learn how to prepare for movers, and they will take care of every needed step when it comes to your move.
Before we dive into essential tips, here are some of the frequently asked questions related to downsizing for a move.
Why Do People Choose to Downsize Their Homes?
Millennials who love staying outdoors and traveling realize there is no need for a huge apartment – especially if you can have all the comfort in a small one. These people also don’t spend a lot of time in their homes. For them, living in a small house is better than wasting money on a huge place you’ll rarely get to use.
Downsizing allows you to lower your living expenses and have more finances for yourself, invest in your business, surprise your loved ones, and so much more. It will also be much easier to maintain the whole place and keep it looking fresh and clean, even if you don’t put too much effort into housekeeping activities.
When Should You Downsize to a Smaller House?
People who live in bigger houses usually don’t live alone- they stay together with their family members. If you are starting to live alone for whatever reason, this is a sign that downsizing is a good idea. It will be much easier for you to handle all the housework in a small place, and you’ll have to pay a lower rent price and utilities. It will also probably be easier to decide where to live because you’ll have many more options if you look for a small apartment.
Other signs that indicate you should downsize are:
- Monthly housing expenses are getting higher in your area,
- If you compare your monthly budget with potential expenses, you have no leftover cash to save,
- Maintenance is too overwhelming or requires a lot of money,
- You’re retiring and want to earn some money by converting your apartment equity,
- You’re not linked to the specific location because you changed your job,
- You’re the oldest resident in the current neighborhood,
- You want to move closer to someone important or to some specific place where small-size homes are cheaper and easier to find,
- You aren’t using every room of your current property,
- You are simply looking for a lifestyle change.
Is It Smart to Downsize Your Home?
When it comes to housing, you have to be considerate about the timing and the current market prices. You don’t want to risk losing money by selling a bigger apartment only because the moment for downsizing was bad. Relocating to a big city usually means higher living expenses, especially somewhere near the town center.
This is another reason to find a small apartment and ensure relocation expenses deduction. Overall, downsizing when moving to a smaller home is a good idea if you want to achieve some of the previously mentioned goals – save money and yourself from extra work when it comes to maintaining your place.
What Are the Disadvantages of Downsizing?
What are the pros and cons of moving to a smaller home? As we already explained some of the positive sides, you might start wondering – is there a downside to downsizing? Sure, there are some negative sides to downsizing your living space, such as:
- You won’t be able to have guests over if you live alone and don’t have an extra room,
- If you start living in a small apartment instead of a house with a backyard, you might not be able to move with a pet,
- You might not be able to live there anymore if you decide to start a family, and you’ll have to look for a bigger apartment,
- You might not have enough space for seasonal clothes, tools, and other belongings, so you’ll have to rent a storage unit outside your apartment.
#1 Start Downsizing Preparations in Advance
How to start the task of moving from a large home to a smaller one? One of the most important steps in the preparation process is to actually start preparing on time. A last-minute move to a small place can be more challenging because, in a short time, you’ll need to adapt to a big change and decide what to get rid of, which can cause more relocation stress. As soon as you find out this relocation is necessary, start mentally preparing and decide what are the essential things to relocate and what items you barely use.
This will make the whole relocation process much easier, even if you plan to hire professional cross-country movers. On that note, when getting professional cross-country moving services, the company you contact will require the details about your belongings and a precise relocation inventory list. If you give them all the needed information, you’ll get a free quote and know the potential price of the required services in advance. This can help if you are relocating on a budget and want to plan all of your expenses.
#2 Begin Preparations With Decluttering
Once you start with preparations on time, the first thing you have to focus on should be decluttering. This is the process where you decide what things to move with you and what you don’t want. Decluttering is a serious task, especially if you’re currently living in a large household with a lot of inventory in different areas of your apartment – kitchen supplies, clothes, stored items, furniture, decorations, and so on.
Check out this video about decluttering and learn how to organize your space in a better way.
#3 Know the Layout and Measures of the New Space and Decide What Furniture Can Fit In There
When deciding what to move to in your new apartment, it is essential that you know the precise measurements and layout of every room in your living space. This is significant for larger furniture pieces such as beds, tables, chairs, sofas, and wardrobes. You have to know how much closet and storage space you’ll have and how much you’ll be able to fit in the kitchen cabinets. Check if you’ll have some additional shelves where you can fit your books and decorations.
You should also know if there already are some furniture pieces in your new apartment and make a plan including that information. If it’s already completely or partly furnished, there is no need to move all of your stuff there – this can also help you save money when long-distance moving.
Creative storage ideas are the most important things for a good organization. With good storage options and smart relocation and packing hacks, you’ll be able to keep everything tidy.
#4 Decide What to Do With Extra Stuff and Consider Renting a Storage Unit
Once you finally make a list of the inventory you’re going to relocate, decide what to do with all the extra stuff from your previous apartment. One of the most common things people choose to do if they have many items they don’t want to move or have nowhere to keep is rent a storage unit.
This can be a very convenient solution, especially if you don’t have much time. In case you decide to hire professional long-distance movers, they can offer you amazing units to rent at different locations. Conditions in these units are usually controlled, so you don’t have to worry about your items deteriorating over time. Units are often under camera surveillance – which is another great advantage. You can comfortably keep your items there until you decide what to do with them.
Get Rid of the Clutter and Stuff You Don’t Use
For example, you may store too many clothes in your apartment and still actively wear only 20% of your wardrobe. In the decluttering process, you should decide what clothes to move and what to do with the rest of the things you don’t wear. There is no need to move everything with you – plus you won’t have enough space to store it there.
One of the Best Tips Is to Sell or Donate Some of the Belongings You Won’t Move
In case you want to save money for furnishing your new apartment and earn some more cash during the relocation process, the best thing you can do is sell some of the unused objects. There are a few ways to do this, and some of the most popular ones are organizing a garage sale or using some of the trending reselling apps and websites. If you don’t want to sell these belongings, and they are still in good condition, donating is another great solution.
Renting a storage unit is a phenomenal solution for all the extra belongings that don't fit in your new apartment
Hire Professionals to Help You When Moving to a Smaller Home
Moving cross country doesn’t need to be stressful at all – quite the opposite; you will enjoy the whole process if you choose to hire reliable professionals. You can get packing services and not worry about breaking something during the relocation, or you can use professional storage services and keep extra belongings in a secure unit. This might be the ultimate solution if you consider relocating to a small apartment.
