Downsizing in Springfield

Of all the reasons to sell a house, the Four Ds dominate in Springfield. The four Ds are Death in a family, too much Debt, Downsizing in Springfield after the kids leave home, and Divorce.

We hadn’t thought too much about downsizing in Springfield until a friend’s mother decided to sell the big house after her husband died. People accumulate “stuff” over 30 to 40 years. When the house just becomes too big, or maintenance overwhelms, a smaller place is logical.

It’s not just the elderly, but 80 million boomers will retire over the next eight and a half years. Many will want to move to warmer weather and smaller quarters. It can be painful to worry about all the collectibles, the furniture, and clothes in the smaller space.

Tiny Homes are a phenomenon of downsizing that are showing up in all parts of the country. The tiny house movement is a recent architectural and social trend that advocates living simply in small homes.  Living in a Tiny House, they say, is a responsible way to consume less.

For more on downsizing in Springfield, WikiHow has 7 steps to downsize your house or move into a smaller house. They include:

1. Assess your needs – Deciding what you need requires a good long look at how you live your life daily and prioritizing the activities and items that are already a part of your actual lifestyle–not those activities or items that you want to be part of your lifestyle but haven’t gotten around to yet.
2. Go through your home. Clear every cabinet, shelf, and closet
3. Measure your furniture. – You will need to know how your furniture will (or won’t) fit into your new space – particularly large items such as your sofa and your bed – so measure everything.
4. Assess your new storage areas. – Yes the house or apartment is gorgeous, and the views are terrific, but assessing how much storage space you have will give you an idea of the volume of items you need to dispose of before moving in.
5. Sell your stuff.
6. Move large items first. – Move your furniture into your new home first. You will have the most energy for this task at the beginning of the move and it will also give you a better indication of where the smaller things will go.
7. Organize your space as you unpack. – Utilize closet and cupboard storage solutions as you unpack. This way, more can be stored in these tight spaces, and you will be setting a precedent for how to use your new, smaller

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