You have probably heard of “Moving Up” and “Downsizing”, but do you know about “Right-Sizing”? For those of you who are not sure what I am talking about, the definition of Right-Sizing is: to convert something (in this case, a home) to an appropriate or optimum size. It means to evaluate your current living arrangement and determine if it is still the best fit for you, given your current lifestyle.

What is Right-Sizing?

Rightsizing your home is the process of moving from your existing home to a new, either larger or smaller, home that best fits the lifestyle you want to have NOW

The Many Reasons for Right-Sizing

It used to be that The Family Home was for all-time. A couple would buy a home, raise their children in that home, and forever after, the children, and eventually, their families, would return to the home for holidays and special celebrations. In many cases, the home would then be passed on to one of the adult children to carry on the tradition.

It is a lovely tradition. However, life isn’t always that simple (or linear). Children go off to college, and often settle out of the area. Once they marry, there are two families (and their respective locations) to consider for holidays and special occasions.

Many young couples are opting for less conventional lifestyles. Everything from condos to Tiny Homes and even full-time RV’s and travel trailers and they don’t want the responsibility of a big single family home.

This shift can leave a couple of empty-nesters, in a once-bustling family home, with a whole lot of un-utilized space that is costing quite a bit of money and time to maintain.

There can be other reasons to right-size as well. Perhaps one partner passes away and the surviving partner does not wish to keep and/or maintain the home they are living in. Also, when a couple divorces, there is often a need to divide up the assets and the home gets sold. There could even be an unforeseen job transfer that requires relocation to a more (or less) expensive area. There are many reasons.

Step by Step to Right-Sizing Your Home

Part One: Choosing Your Next Home

If you follow a process to figure out exactly the kind of property that you’re looking for next, the act of rightsizing is an easy one. All you need to do is define the feature, size and must-haves of a new home and start to view properties in the areas that you like. Here are the steps:

Decide on a smaller or larger home

You might come to realize that you actually don’t need all of the space that you have. If you’re in a home with 4 bedrooms, 3 toilets, 2 lounges and a huge kitchen, you might find that it’s all a bit too much. The cleaning can be overwhelming and so you might want to move to a smaller property so that you have the space that you need.You may find that you need less storage now that you kids have moved out and so you could happily move to a smaller space and not have to get rid of anything.

Find the right amount of outdoor space

Some people love to have a lot of outdoor space so that they can tend to a garden and take pride in their flowerbeds. Others don’t have an interest or sometimes can’t tend to a garden.You may want to have some space for children or grandchildren to run around in and so having the right size garden for your needs will help you to rightsize.

Figure out where you’d like to live

Often, rightsizing will lead to the process of downsizing to a smaller home. With this in mind, by moving to a smaller home you’re often able to spend a little more on the location. Finding the ideal location is important to most because they love a nearby city, their friends are around or they might prefer a sleepy little village with a tight-knit community.

Part 2: Getting Ready to Sell

Decluttering and Editing your Home

Once you have made those decisions, you will come face to face with what it will take to fit comfortably into your new place, and that can often mean a large reduction in inventory, or as we fondly refer to it, “Stuff”. Not an easy task, but I give you many tips in my guide that will streamline the process of sorting and eliminating. Then you may have some minor home repairs and prepping to get your home ready to sell.

Selling Your Home

I also include my Ten Step Process to Love Selling Your Home. It takes you all the way from choosing the right real estate agent, to having a successful settlement day. I can also help you coordinate your home purchase and sale so you don’t end up owning two homes, or no home at all.

Part 3: Making your New House a Home

This whole section is dedicated to helping you organize and streamline your new home, and give it your own unique personal touches. By the time you get through this part, you will be ready to start enjoying your home and living life to its fullest, with less maintenance, and more money in your pocket.

Get the Guide

Would You like my full-color, guide: When is the Right Time to Rightsize Your Home?, Sign up HERE to receive the guide.

And as always, I am here to answer any questions you may have, and to be your source for all things home and real estate.