How to Downsize Your Home: 3 Expert Tips
Scale Down the Size of Your Home with 3 Expert Tips
Downsizing is far from a downgrade. While you may be giving up some square footage you are accustomed to in your current home, there are plenty of benefits to finding a smaller place. Whether it’s a life situation when the kids are heading out on their own or it is a life choice to reduce your monthly mortgage payment and property taxes or be more environmentally friendly, shaving off square feet can start a fresh chapter in your homeownership journey. Here are three tips to make the process of moving to a smaller new home a win.
Location is Still King
Just like any other real estate opportunity, the details of where you land on GPS are important. An experienced real estate agent can help you choose a neighborhood that fits your needs and personality. Look for a new home where you’d want to spend less time roaming an expansive home and more time exploring your new surroundings. If you’re downsizing to a smaller house so that you don’t have to take care of a giant yard—but, you really love beautiful landscaping—be mindful of the outdoor spaces around your address. If going smaller means you are looking for an urban feel, access to neighborhood eateries may replace the need for a large kitchen.
Tetris only what you must
Smashing every item you once needed into your new, smaller space isn’t a pathway to a happy home. Before you start paring down your goods, take inventory of the amenities your destination offers. Moving into a townhouse with local shopping and public transportation within walking distance? Ditch the extra vehicle.
For other goods, map out your new space before you start making the hard decisions. If your downsized home maintains the number of bedrooms but slashes communal living space, cut the extra couches rather than giving away reusable bedroom sets. Many homeowners are shocked by how liberating the decluttering process can be after years of living in a larger home with more storage space.
Make home a base camp
A new, smaller home can eliminate an overwhelming mortgage, the cleaning of endless rooms, maintenance of a sprawling yard, and potentially commuting to an outer-edge suburb. But, what will you do with the new free space in your schedule and brain bandwidth if you decide to downsize? Scope out what you want to be passionate about. Engage in community activities to build social awareness of your new neighborhood and indulge in escaping to new adventures with fewer worries of taking care of a big home.
A big secret to making downsizing a breeze is to look for properties with layout that maximize the available square footage. West Line Village in Lakewood, Colorado has seven distinctive layouts to browse and use for planning as you move into a smaller home. Already into its fourth, and final, phase, West Line Village makes downsizing an exciting move with unparalleled public transit access. With Downtown Denver just five RTD Light Rail stops away, energy-efficient homes that help save money and a blossoming community of culinary and social happenings, Westline Village is perfect for homebuyers looking to trade in their bigger home for a low-maintenance lifestyle. Reach out to schedule a tour at West Line Village today.
