You may not know this but I have a designation known as SRES, which stands for Senior Real Estate Specialist. This means that I have taken continuing education to qualify me to address the needs of adults 50+. This was something that I was already doing, helping senior clients down-size, right-size, age in place, etc. With that said, I wanted to create a series of blogs to talk about senior living and this is the first topic of that series. One big buzzword for seniors these days is “rightsizing” your home. This is often a challenging task and sometime people just don’t know where to start. I want to go over 10 tips for seniors trying to rightsize their home. Here are the 10 tips:
1. Start with the easy stuff.
Eliminate anything that’s broken, damaged, or no longer wanted. Then, go to the out-of-the-way spaces like attics, crawlspaces, and garages. Progress in these “easier” parts of your home will help you build momentum and tackle the harder-to-decide areas.
2. Ask yourself, “If this disappeared tomorrow, would I run out and replace it?”
If you wouldn’t miss it or need to replace it, it’s probably not worth keeping.
3. Don’t be a storage unit for others.
If friends or relatives have left things for you to store, it’s time to ask them to pick up their possessions—or arrange to have them shipped. You may need to be tough and set a firm deadline, after which you will donate the items.
4. Ask for help.
Although you can do much of this work on your own, a family member, a good friend, or even a professional organizer can help make the job more manageable. If you need a local professional, reach out to me and I’ll send you a contact.
5. Decide what’s important.
Pretend you are moving overseas, but you can only take a severely limited number of items because it costs a small fortune to ship them. What items belong on your list? These are the things that matter most to you!
6. Is this something from a lifestyle I no longer have or want?
For example, if you have three cabinets full of plastic containers, but only cook for one or two people, it’s reasonable to eliminate a few plastic sets—and dishes, pots, and pans.
7. Schedule a regular time each week—or several days a week—to work on rightsizing.
Realize that rightsizing is a life-changing marathon, not a sprint. You didn’t accumulate everything overnight, and you won’t sort it all out overnight, either.
8. Value what you keep.
The fewer things you keep, the more you will treasure and enjoy what you have, instead of tucking items away in a closet or stacked among dozens of other things. These are the select, meaningful items worth having in your personal space.
9. Prevent new collections from forming.
Instead of material gifts, ask people to spoil you by sharing time, enjoying new experiences, and helping you indulge in luxuries (spa certificates, imported chocolate, a musical or other theatre production, gift certificates for dinner out, etc.). In other words, ask for special treats that you love and want, but don’t always buy for yourself.
10. Use age to your advantage.
Now is a great time to give items to family members that you eventually want them to have. Take a photo (preferably a digital one) of your recipients holding their treasured gifts and create a scrapbook of “next-generation” memories. These images can serve as powerful reminders of your most cherished items moving forward into posterity with the most
For more information about senior living go to realestateofhawai.com/seniors.
In the words of the American author and philanthropist, Joshua Becker, “The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” I’ll see you next week!
