Downsizing Done Right

“We’d like to downsize, but we can’t find a smaller home that will hold all of our furniture and stuff.”

I heard this statement from a client when I first became a real estate agent—in fact, during the very first open house I hosted. At first, I thought they must be joking, but instead, they were struggling with a conundrum that so many of my older clients face. Downsizing to a smaller home may seem easy until it comes to dealing with all of the “stuff.”

Another sentiment I often hear as a Realtor is this: “I’m never moving out. I’m going to die in this house.” After years of working with older clients, this statement gives me pause. Aging in place and staying in your home is wonderful, and it is achievable with some pre-planning, resources, and good support, such as the services offered by SourcePoint. But for those who prefer to avoid the hassles of preparing for it in midlife, remaining at home can cause major difficulty later and become quite costly, especially if professionals are brought in to assist with the sale and removal of belongings.

I’ve worked with so many clients who avoided the entire idea of downsizing until late in life, and I can tell you the results can be devastating. Sometimes it’s declining health or mobility that makes people realize that the house and belongings are becoming too difficult to manage. In other cases, I’ve worked with clients where caregiving has taken its toll. One gentleman I assisted had been maintaining the 4-bedroom, 2-story house alone while caring for his wife in the early stages of dementia, and when her dementia, unfortunately, began to progress, his own mobility and physical health suffered— and only then did he confront the idea of downsizing.

And as we enter the third phase, we should begin the process of downsizing— or, perhaps we should call it “right-sizing.” That doesn’t necessarily mean that we move to a smaller home, or even change homes at all! However, my experience has shown me that preparing for the later phase of life in a planful, open-minded way can help us age with more ease in the home of our choosing, wherever that may be.

Selling a home can be stressful. Moving is exhausting. And sorting through a lifetime’s collection of possessions can take both a physical and emotional toll. These realities are even harsher when done in a short time frame and circumstances of illness or advanced age. And for that reason, it’s so important we begin having the conversation about downsizing sooner in life, rather than later.

In America, we tend to view downsizing as a life event. But it isn’t an event—it’s a process. Working as a Realtor has led me to see life in three phases. In the first phase, we accumulate necessities. In the second, we tend to upgrade and collect.

Take a class on the importance of downsizing and the following month, put those skills to good use in our Take-Back Drive-Thru. Read more details on the back page.

If you would like to learn more about how, why, and when to downsize, join me on Thursday, May 16 for my “Downsizing Done Right” class at SourcePoint. We’ll talk more about the financial and emotional costs of downsizing too late, and resources and strategies that can help you plan for the downsizing phase of life.

Stephanie Steinbeck is a Realtor® with RE/ MAX Revealty who focuses on assisting buyers and sellers throughout Delaware County and the greater central Ohio area.