Maybe you’ve crunched the numbers, and you can’t justify the amount you spend to live in a house every month. Maybe you want to move closer to work or to a better neighborhood. Whatever your reason, if you’re moving from a house to an apartment, you’ve got a major transition ahead of you.
Downsizing isn’t easy, but it can be done. Plan ahead for your move with these tips. If you’re careful about your choices, your move will be less of a hassle and more of a joy.
- Stay Positive About the Benefits
Living in a house has many advantages, like privacy and extra space. When you downsize to an apartment, you may worry about missing these benefits, and if you have children, they might worry about living in a different environment.
However, apartment living has its own perks. Unless you’re moving to a very expensive place, downsizing should decrease your rent or mortgage and your utility costs. You can save money from this move, which you can use for other things.
Additionally, apartments require less upkeep and maintenance from you. Instead of spending hours to clean multiple rooms, you can clean the whole place in a day, and you can rely on a landlord or building manager for repairs. Perhaps best of all, you won’t have to worry about yardwork —no more Saturdays weeding or mowing the lawn.
If you have children who are worried or anxious about leaving their house for an apartment, make sure to listen to their concerns and tell them that you understand. However, also make sure to explain to them the benefits of where you’re going. Maybe you’ll be closer to parks they can play in, or maybe your apartment complex has a pool they can use. Help your children get excited for where they’re going to ease the transition.
- Deal With Your Possessions Carefully
The biggest choices you’ll have to make when you downsize is what to do with your stuff. If you have less space, some of your things will have to go—and you’ll have to make some hard choices about what to get rid of and what to keep.
Begin the process with some of your easier choices: what things should obviously go? Start with items that you don’t like, that you never use, that won’t work or aren’t necessary in an apartment (like a lawnmower), or that are too damaged to use. Sort these items to either give away to charity, sell, or throw out entirely.
When you’re going through your things, remember to cut out duplicate items as well. Chances are that you don’t need that extra mattress in the basement. Sell it instead. After all, if you do end up needing an extra mattress, you can always use the money you earned from selling it to buy a new one. There’s no need to hang on to extra stuff just in case you might need it.
However, it’s likely that you won’t declutter enough without taking further steps. Next, tackle the items that maybe you like, but that aren’t a good fit for your lifestyle. Maybe you love a certain pair of shoes, but you never wear them because they don’t fit right or they don’t match anything you own. Let the shoes go—wishing that they worked for you will not change the fact that they don’t.
This kind of careful, in-depth decluttering is difficult, often because homeowners feel emotionally attached to their possessions, no matter how impractical. This is normal and understandable. Some people smooth the process by remembering that by getting rid of items they never use, they’re sending them to someone else who can use the items well and with joy.
- Be Smart About Size and Storage
As you declutter, don’t forget that you may need to trade out some items for different versions. Your wall-sized TV may not work in your new apartment, and you may want to switch your enormous sofa for a smaller loveseat. As you choose your possessions, don’t be afraid to sell what won’t work in your new space so you can buy something that will.
Lastly, when you’ve finished paring down and editing your list of possessions, you’ll need to find the exact right storage solutions for what you keep. Your apartment might not come with a lot of built-in storage like closets, so you’ll need to use your space carefully. When you look for storage space, remember that it’s better to go vertical than horizontal: use the space under your bed, and make your bookshelves tall.
With these tips, you can make your house-to-apartment move easier. Don’t forget to get help with the move itself, though. Contact Island Movers. We can help you pack and transport your things, cutting down your workload. Call us today for a free estimate.
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