Everything You Need to Know About Downsizing Services for Seniors

Downsizing is an attractive option for seniors for all kinds of reasons—often with the end result of making life easier, safer, more affordable, or some combination of these.

You might want freedom from the burden of home maintenance and household chores. You could be looking forward to traveling in retirement and want a smaller footprint for your home base. A more modest living space may translate into cost savings, so you can spend more on your retirement lifestyle than your living space.

Is Downsizing Right for Me?

Deciding whether to downsize is a big decision, and such a big change requires plenty of thought about how you envision your future unfolding. Downsizing and moving to a senior living community could be a great solution for you if:

• A move would put you closer to family or friends, allowing you to enjoy greater social interaction as you age
• Your home has many rooms you rarely use or too many spaces filled with clutter and things you don’t need
• You don’t want to or are less physically able to keep up with cleaning and maintenance
• Your home poses physical challenges, such as stairs or too many levels, that make it difficult to navigate from one living space to the next
• A different living situation would work to your financial advantage
• You’re intrigued by the amenities and lifestyle an independent living community could provide

I’ve Decided to Downsize. Now What?

If you’re worried that downsizing may be a bigger job than you want to tackle on your own, you’ll be happy to learn there are many senior downsizing services available to help you transition into a new home.

Senior Move Managers: Some moving companies specialize in senior relocation and have expertise in how to downsize for a wide range of circumstances. Their services typically involve some combination of packing, transporting belongings, and unpacking. However, many senior move management companies also offer ancillary services for seniors who are downsizing, like decluttering, space planning for your new home, and even going a step beyond unpacking to help you get fully situated in your new home.

Senior-Friendly Real Estate Agents: Although any licensed agent can assist you with the real estate aspects of downsizing, working with an agent who specializes in senior moves has some distinct advantages. A Seniors Real Estate Specialist® has earned the designation by completing specialized training through the National Association of REALTORS®, so they’re likely to have a personal interest in supporting your journey. What’s more, because they specialize in senior moves, these agents  have broader experience in a wide range of issues that affect senior moves, like family involvement, unique timelines to accommodate downsizing, and more.

Home Organizers: While most home organizers don’t specialize in senior homes, they know how to get your home in tip-top shape for real estate showings and pare down your belongings. They can help you with decluttering, finding tidy places for the items you keep, and culling your possessions down to a volume that’s appropriate for the size of your new home.

Estate Sale Professionals: Over a lifetime, you’ve undoubtedly accumulated rooms filled with things you don’t really need or even want. When you’re planning on downsizing, an estate sale expert can make easy work of helping you turn the items you don’t want into cash you can use as you wish—perhaps to add a few special touches to personalize your new independent living apartment.

Is a Move on Your Mind?

Make the entire downsizing process easier with the support of our Move Ahead Program. As a new resident at The Oaks at Denville, you can count on the support of a dedicated move-in coordinator to assist with every step of your move, from recommending movers to getting your new home ready for your arrival.

Contact us to learn more about how you can put us to work on the logistics while you prepare to start enjoying the next chapter in your life!