Top Tips for Downsizing when Moving House

If your circumstances change, downsizing to a smaller home can often be a smart decision. It could be that your children have grown up and flown the nest, you’re having to move because of your career or perhaps buying a new property simply makes financial sense.

However, one problem you’re likely to encounter when moving somewhere smaller is deciding which possessions to take. While the minimalist trend remains big in interior design, the truth for most of us is that we buy items which will fill our rooms. But when moving, this can mean we may have to either; leave a few things behind, donate them to charities or sell them.

Here at Britannia Sandersteads, we’ve come up with some basic tips we hope will be helpful when planning your relocation.

List everything you cannot live without

Sometimes we don’t realise how much we rely on an item until we need to use it. The easiest way to ensure nothing gets forgotten or discarded is by writing things down and then prioritising.

This will ensure that only the items near the top of your list will make the cut, anything else can be given away to relatives, charity or binned.

Reduce your belongings well in advance

The last thing you want is to have loads of items laying around when you start packing up. If you can, start thinning things out weeks or even months prior to your moving date.

Know the dimensions of your new home

When you agreed to purchase your new home, your estate agent should have given you a drawing showing the dimensions of each room. If not, ask for this as it will allow you to gauge how your furniture will fit. Guessing can be disastrous.

Get a friend to help

Making decisions are not always easy and sometimes it’s best to get the opinion of a friend or relative. They will be able to help you go through items, remind you about the significance of some artefacts and even provide some common sense when you do not want to let go of items which really have little value or purpose.

Set aside time

Prior to your move, try to take some time out of your life to get started on organising your items. The sooner you do this, the better as things can become very stressful if they are left until the eleventh hour. Setting a schedule is a good idea.

Use an online auction site

Moving house is costly, but you can recoup some money by using websites such as eBay to sell any items you cannot take with you.

Even items which appear to have little value can bring in a good sum. People are often nostalgic and will pay a pretty penny when you have something on offer that reminds them of the past.

Have a colour system

When packing things up, try to colour code your boxes so you know where everything is.

This system can used to group things which belong together and will be going into certain rooms. For example, kitchen appliances could go in a box with a red label, while items for your bedroom could be placed in one with a blue tab.

Hire a professional removals company

Not only is moving stressful, it is also exhausting. Many of the items you need to move will be large and heavy so the sheer logistics of moving are often very difficult to manage.

Professional removals companies understand these issues and are experienced in ensuring the process is as smooth as possible, project managed from beginning to end so you can sit back and enjoy your move with minimal amounts of stress.

If you’re looking for professional removals services to assist with your move, then please feel free to get in touch with the experts here at Britannia Sandersteads. With over 50 years’ experience we can execute high quality relocations throughout Croydon, London and Surrey.