One of the more complicated things to accomplish throughout your homeownership career is successfully cutting everything back and deciding to take on less. If you feel it’s time to look into moving into a smaller, more manageable home, check out these 6 tips to help you downsize your home in Sarasota.
Consider Your Circumstances
Any time you are looking to buy and move into a new home, that journey needs to start with your sitting down and carefully thinking about what you need and want to get out of your new home.
By making the choice to downsize your home, you are accepting that your life circumstances have necessitated this change, so it’s a good idea to rethink what you need your new home to accommodate. This could mean searching for existing or adaptable handicap accessibility, a simpler commute to work or frequent shopping destinations, or even a major cross-country move.
Whatever those details might be, make a prioritized list of how your new home needs to fulfill this exact purpose.
Create a Timeline
Now that you know what you’re aiming for in a new home try your best to plan out when this can be accomplished.
The dual purpose of planning ahead over the coming months is to both give yourself some breathing room for searching and negotiating the purchase of a new property and to budget appropriately to keep your finances in order throughout this somewhat chaotic time. Having the time to save additional funds can make a big difference, starting with a bigger down payment or even simply having more money available to assist with unexpected costs while moving.
Declutter
Out of everything that happens when you downsize your home in Sarasota, decluttering and making tough decisions about keeping personal possessions tends to be the most time-consuming and difficult part of the process.
Go into the downsizing situation knowing you won’t be able to take everything with you, and be honest with yourself when it comes to choosing what stays and what goes. Once you have cut your belongings down to a manageable pool, you can always have a moving sale, throw out damaged items, and donate anything remaining that is in good condition.
Prepare Your Home
With your possessions cut down, it’s time to reorganize everything and deep clean your entire home. Keep in mind that curb appeal is key to selling a home, so get outside and tend to any landscaping, gutters, and siding that could use a thorough cleanup.
When you set out to downsize your home, a weekend spent outside can be what makes the difference between a surefire sale and a home that sits on the market due to failing to make a good first impression.
Hire an Agent
Qualified and experienced real estate agents are more than worth their commission, and you should absolutely shop around to find the agent that you feel will work best for you.
Meet with at least three agents to get an idea of their sales techniques and unique personalities, and then interview them about how they feel they could best market your home. Dig to find any suggestions they would have to better prep your home for the market and take that advice to heart.
Boost the Message
Your agent will handle most of the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing, but it can’t hurt to help your agent get your listing out there. Use family and friends to make social media posts sharing your home’s listing and post with a link to the listing on any publicly available groups that allow real estate posts.
Every new pair of eyes seeing your home listing is another possible buyer or someone who knows another individual looking to buy a quality home.
Help When Planning to Downsize Your Home in Sarasota
If you’re looking to downsize your home in Sarasota and want professional guidance, contact our team today at 941-202-6957!