Rightsizing: Streamlining Belongings
So far in our rightsizing series, we’ve defined what rightsizing is, discussed how to know if you could benefit from finding a more optimal home, and reviewed the benefits and financial aspects. This week, we will offer suggestions on how to streamline your belongings.
Whether you are rightsizing your way into a larger home or if you’re moving into a smaller residence, it is beneficial to take time to go through your belongings. Why pay to pack, move, and store things that you no longer need or want?
Accumulating things is infinitely easier than parting with our belongings. Moving into a new home is an opportune time to go through all we’ve acquired and decide what we want and need to take with us and what items no longer fit our lifestyle.
Our environment has a significant impact on our wellbeing. Simplifying and minimizing our possessions reduces stress and anxiety, enabling you to move into and begin enjoying your new residence right away. But many homeowners, especially those who’ve been residing in their homes for years, are overwhelmed by the thought of sorting through everything they own.
If you subscribe to Netflix, you may have seen their new series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. A renowned organizing consultant, Kondo’s unique “KonMari” philosophy approaches organizing as a way of life that focuses on what to keep versus what to discard. At the core of the KonMari Method is appreciating all of your belongings while keeping only those items that “spark joy,” letting go of those that no longer serve you. This method recommends sorting by category (rather than the typical room-by-room process) starting with clothing, then books, paper, miscellaneous, and sentimental items last.
If you have items that you want to pass onto your children, family, or friends, now is the time. Allow them to enjoy and appreciate these things rather than keeping them stored away until “later.”
If tackling a house filled with possessions still feels like a daunting task, hiring a professional organizer is a worthwhile investment. Objective and unbiased, a professional organizer can help guide you through the sorting and streamlining process, including gifting, donating, and disposing of items. They can also assist in unpacking and organizing your new home.
A professional home stager can help you reinvent your style while making the most of your floor plan. Masters at arranging furnishings to maximize traffic flow and space, a stager can offer advice on what furnishings to keep and new pieces to purchase. They can also provide room-by-room furniture layouts for you to follow or, if you prefer, you can hire them to completely decorate every room.
Tips for Rightsizing:
- Streamline your belongings before you move
- Keep only those things you truly need and which spark joy
- Gift things to family and friends now; donate, sell, or dispose of all other unwanted possessions
- Hire a professional to help you sort through belongings in your current home as well as to help you unpack and organize your new home
- Enlist the services of a home stager to guide you in furnishing and decorating your new residence
Moving into a new home, be it bigger or smaller, should be exciting. It’s an opportunity to recreate your lifestyle as well as your décor. By embracing the rightsizing process, you’ll soon be living in a new home that is optimal for your lifestyle.
Whatever your reason for wanting to rightsize your residence, The Dawn Thomas Team is here to help. Our years of residential real estate experience coupled with an extensive list of professionals—including movers, professional stagers and organizers—allows us to help you smoothly navigate the rightsizing process.
Our goal is to help you find your place in this world by artfully uniting special homes with extraordinary lives in Silicon Valley, and the beach communities of Santa Cruz County. Contact us today and we can assist you in selling or buying your home.
Next week, we will conclude our rightsizing series by looking at how to choose a home that fits your needs.
