Downsizing is one of those things that people like to talk about, but can be difficult to actually execute. It’s hard enough to declutter one room in a house, let alone an entire home filled with 30 years of stuff. There’s the furniture, fancy china, not-fancy china, boxes of inherited items, shelves of books, layers upon layers of tools and garden supplies in the garage and who knows what in the basement and attic. Where do you start?
For most people, I would suggest by starting with the paper. That’s files, photos and other paperwork squirreled away in drawers and boxes. Those are things that you can’t sell and either need to be shredded or tossed. In the case of photos, you may want to digitize prints or slides. It’s a manageable place to start. Bring it all to the kitchen table and start sorting!
Next, reach out to family and friends to say you’re getting rid of things. Let them know if there’s anything they would like, they can pick it up by the end of the month (or week, or whatever). It’s essential to put a time limit on the giveaway period. Most people have good intentions and want to help, but lack the time or follow through to actually pick up that china cabinet or dish set. A deadline separates the motivated from the unmotivated, and keeps you from nagging and holding up the rest of your downsizing plans.
As you survey what remains, think through the space you are moving to and decide what you have space to take. Know that you don’t have to live in a museum to your former home. It’s okay to acknowledge that something has served its purpose for you – even if that something belonged to your grandmother. In the next step, you’ll be finding new homes for things things and new people to appreciate them.
Next, hire professionals to handle the sale of what’s left. When you choose Bird’s Nest Auctions for an online estate sale, we’ll come to take photos of anything you’d like to sell. We’ll create an auction catalog for you to review, then run an online auction for about a week. Winning bidders will come to a pick up day after the auction closes to collect their items. We’ll be there to handle the whole thing. You can be a part of the process or hand us a key – it’s totally up to you. We can also help arrange for removal services to take the odds and ends that don’t sell, leaving you with an empty house.
All that remains is to move into your new space, if you aren’t there already – and enjoy a less cluttered life!
