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When is it Time to Downsize?

At Peabody Retirement Community, we understand that the thought of leaving your long-time home after years of living in it can be a hard concept to think about. However, it can be very beneficial to you in the long run and help you to move forward with the next chapter in your life. Do you find yourself overwhelmed with the monthly home maintenance and expenses? Downsizing and selling your home can help alleviate these struggles and help you get on the right track to enjoy your retirement. Learn some tips on how to efficiently downsize your home.

5 Downsizing Tips for Seniors

When you make the decision to downsize, be prepared to do a decent amount of organizing and de-cluttering of your personal belongings. It can seem like a big job, but we’ve put together some useful tips to help you stay organized and move forward:

1. Take Your Time. When you begin downsizing, keep in mind that it’s a process that’s going to take time and something you can’t get done in a weekend. Give yourself a realistic timeline and allow yourself to make thoughtful decisions when you begin to go through your items and decide what you are taking with you and what you’re donating or leaving behind.

2. Organize and Declutter. When you make the decision to downsize, a good way to stay organized is to go through each room systematically and organize your items. It may also be a good idea to review the floor plan and dimensions of your new home to determine which items you want to bring with you.

3. Get Appraisals and Set Fair Prices for Your Items. After you organize and declutter, make sure you take your time when you decide how to get rid of some of your items. You can look online to find items similar to your own, and see what price they are selling for. You can also look into local consignment stores, buyers and auctioneers who are taking items.

4. Set Deadlines and Stick to Decisions. Downsizing can be a very emotional and time-consuming process, so it’s important that you set deadlines for yourself and stick to them. Once you make a decision about an item, stick with it. It may also help when you are going through your items, to limit each session to no more than three hours.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help. The process may become easier if you have a second pair of eyes there to help you when looking through your belongings. It also may be beneficial to have someone there that has no association to your items if you’re noticing you’re too emotionally attached to properly organize them.

Attend Our ‘You Can Move Now, Why Wait?” Webinar

For even more helpful tips and advice, you can attend the first part of our ‘You Can Move Now, Why Wait?’ webinar taking place on June 25^th and hosted by nationally renowned Moving Station.

Find Your New Home at Peabody Retirement Community

At Peabody Retirement Community, we offer a variety of senior living options for you to explore and find a community to call your new home. Whether you’re interested in an independent living option or an assisted living option, Peabody is sure to have the perfect fit to meet your needs and allow you to live a vibrant lifestyle.

We understand what it means to celebrate the ageless spirit, and we aim to give all residents the option to live well, pursue new opportunities and live out their retirement to the fullest degree. We invite you to learn more about our senior living options, by contacting us  today at 260-201-2701. Our friendly staff looks forward to speaking with you soon.