If you’re not quite ready to bite the bullet and commit to downsizing, be sure to sign up for our year-long, “Does Your House Need to Lose Some Weight” group on Facebook. Every Monday morning, you’ll receive an assignment for the week to help you get rid of stuff you no longer want and need. We give you the project, it’s up to you to do the work each week.
Not everyone is ready for any of this. The process of downsizing your home is letting go of the past so you can move into the future. Your future. Your next chapter. But the question is…will you decide your own future or will you continue to procrastinate, letting your future slip away and into the hands of someone else (like your kids) who will make your decisions and care NOTHING about where you live or your possessions?
There are 2 types of baby boomers who will downsize:
- those that want to live life on their terms and
- those that will procrastinate so long to downsize that now they will live life on someone else’s terms
Case Study
A few years back, we were hired by the son of an older couple that lived in Prairie Village. He lived in St. Louis and was planning a one-day trip to Overland Park to move his parents. They were being moved into assisted living and the son wanted us to furnish their one bedroom apartment with some things from the house.
What things?
After going to their house, we saw 40 years of accumulation. How could we possibly choose what would make this couple happy in their next chapter? There were so many questions we had for the son that he couldn’t even answer.
What made sense and what would make them happy were two different things. We were paid for our time and didn’t take the job. We had simple questions to complex issues that were never answered…
- who slept where?
- did either of them sit on the couch?
- what 10 things were important to each of them?
At that time, I made a personal decision to downsize myself. At that very moment, I knew my children wouldn’t know what was important to me either. I wanted to be able to pick not only my next home but also the stuff that would go with me.
Our Step by Step Downsizing Game Plan
Sometimes it takes a personal experience to become an expert at that very thing. It’s a proven fact most baby boomers only use 40% of the things they have. Your very favorite things give you pleasure as you get older and you should choose what you love – not let someone else make those decisions. Don’t ever allow anyone else to determine what you truly love and the meaning that something holds for you.
But until you make the decision to do something NOW, you will not be surrounded by the things you love. Your kids will come in and decide what you need and want and will throw the rest out. Your lifetime of memories will be tossed aside because you didn’t feel like doing the work yourself when it was time and while you still could physically.
Now you’ve become the burden you never wanted to be. And to make things even worse, you’ll be living your next chapter on someone else’s terms.
It all starts with coming up with a plan and getting things you no longer love out of your house!
Let’s Get This Game Started !
You know you need to do this. When will you start? Our Declutter to Downsize System is a Step by Step Game Plan that will answer all of your questions, help you decide where you will move next, and then give you the actual plan to get the process not only started but also completed.
We will show you how to know what to keep and what to get rid of, how to get through your stuff faster and more efficiently, and will hold you accountable so when it’s time to sell your home, you’ll be ready. And once you get through it, you will wish you had done it sooner.
Need help getting things boxed up and donated? Whatever your needs, we’re here to help. Hourly rates are available for people who can no longer do the work themselves.
Some people put off facing the music so long that they can no longer hear it playing.
What is Your Home Worth in Today’s Market?
Now that you’ve decided to downsize, you will want to know what your home will sell for in today’s market. We will discuss that when we meet with you and see your home.
You can get a current snapshot of what homes are selling for in your neighborhood by entering your address here. You’ll receive a FREE REPORT within minutes from our local Heartland Multiple Listing Service. It’s local and up-to-date and not a Zillow Zestimate.
Where Will You Move?
Many seniors and boomers are thinking of selling now or sometime within the next year or so. Maybe you…
- Are ready to move to an apartment and let someone else do the upkeep
- Plan on retiring
- Want to move to be closer to your grandchildren
- Still want to be a homeowner but want to live in a maintenance provided community
- Just need to get out of your current home
- Dream of something smaller, on one level, maybe newer
- Know you want less responsibility so you can travel more
Whatever the reason you are thinking of downsizing your home, we can help you sell your current home, buy your next home and coordinate your two moves, help you relocate to another city by referring you to an agent there or help you find an apartment.
Creating Your Downsizing Your Home Plan
As your Realtor, Home Stager, and Downsizing Expert, we will help you create your course of action as well as provide you with a timetable that will work towards your goal of selling your home.
We already have proven home selling and downsizing systems, we just need to see how we can adapt our systems to help you make downsizing your home easier and more efficient.
Updating Your Home to Sell…or Not
If you’ve been in your home for a number of years, now is the time to start thinking about selling your home. Especially in today’s Overland Park real estate market, your house has to look better than ever because the competition is fierce. And that may require making some updates.
But what updates should you make? That’s where the questions arise. We work with people just like you every day. They are confused about what they need to do to sell their home faster and for more money. They know they need to do something but they’re not sure what. Then rather than reaching out to us for a FREE Consultation, they do nothing.
Maybe you would prefer to sell your house “as is” and not make any updates or repairs. That’s perfectly ok too. We can help you sell your house, no matter the condition.
Be sure to let us determine your value for you versus calling some of those companies that advertise they buy any house, for cash and with a quick close. You certainly don’t want to get scammed when selling your home. We will get your home in front of every buyer that is looking for a home just like yours. The magic happens when you get buyers fighting over your house. Watch the price go up with multiple offers! We recently sold a fixer-upper for $18,000 over the asking price on the 1st day on the market!
Costly Mistakes When Updating
You may make the mistake of spending money on things that really don’t matter when selling your home. Don’t make costly mistakes when upgrading your home. Before you call in the troops, make sure what you’re doing is the right thing that buyers expect in a home just like yours.
Rather than make the wrong choices, now is the perfect time to gather your information, get the right tips for selling your home, and start working towards your next move. You can spread it out over the next few months. That way it won’t seem so overwhelming. Plus, you’ll feel like you’re getting a little something out of the investment you’ve made. Furthermore, you’ll be able to enjoy it. There’s nothing worse than spending a bunch of money to sell and then feeling sad because you didn’t get to enjoy the upgrades you made.
Home Staging Magic
Once you finish your projects, we will come back and do your home staging that will set your home apart from your competition. That’s the icing on the cake and the most important part of selling your home in Overland Park.
If you need some fresh and trendy accessories to create your Model Home Look, we can provide those to you while your house is on the market, at no cost to you.
We Start Where You Are in the Process
No matter where you are in the downsizing your home process, we start where you are and create your plan from there. Maybe you are ready to move now. If so, we can have your home on the market within a week. Or maybe you have some things to do before selling, that’s ok too. We have a proven downsizing system and we’ll design it for your specific needs and time frame. Or you can sell “as is” with no updates or repairs – it’s really up to you.
Your FREE Downsizing Consultation starts with a conversation that will answer all of your questions.
It will help you determine:
- exactly where you’re at in the process
- your options for your next move
- what your home is worth in today’s market
- whether you should fix up or sell “as is”
- how to know what to get rid of and what to keep
- how to get the whole process started
If you have repairs or things to do before selling, we will send you a written punch list of what we discussed. We will also include our best recommendations of people to do the work if needed.
What’s Next?
You have 3 choices. You can:
- decide not to downsize and let someone else determine where you will live and the possessions that will go with you
- continue doing it on your own hoping you finally get it accomplished
- let us help you with our proven Step by Step Downsizing Game Plan that’s guaranteed to make it easier and less stressful.
We have the plan, it’s up to you how fast you make it happen. We will work with you to make it happen on your schedule and hold you accountable throughout the process.
Whether you are ready to move now or in the near future, your new life is waiting just around the corner. Call or text us at (913) 515-3250 to discuss your needs, to schedule your FREE Downsizing Consultation, or get started here.
Be sure to visit our sister site for Downsizing Baby Boomers.