One of the hardest things for homeowners who need to make a move to do is to visualize what their next home looks like, especially if they are downsizing. My counsel to them is always, “Let’s get out and look at a few things so you can see what the choices might be.”  Or, if they are moving out of the area, I suggest that they vacation in that place for a week to ten days to really get a feel for what life is like there.

One of my clients had decided to downsize after the recent loss of her husband.

The plan was to put the house on the market in 2017 and in the meantime, clear out stuff and occasionally check out some condos in a building where some of her friends live. We saw one or two listings over the course of a month and then I saw one that I thought she really might like to see.  Again, this was more to help her start to visualize what her new home might look like.

We scheduled a showing and when we walked in, we both “oohed and aahed” – in one of those rare “House Hunters” moments.

As we meandered through the condo, I pointed out things to her and she shared her thoughts. When we entered a bedroom that was set up as a cozy den, she sat down on the chair and said, “Sue – I think I can move in here.”

As a real estate agent, it is always a lovely moment when you know that someone can now move onto the next phase of life. Which means that all the hard stuff, such as sorting through possessions, leaving a home with happy memories, and making the actual move, becomes so much easier.  After it is all done, I am always so happy to hear when my clients have settled in nicely and love their new homes.

Making a move is always a bit scary.  Emotions come into play even when it make sense financially and logistically to “right-size.” Often in our market, a home has grown too small for our clients’ needs. I often think of our clients with three school aged girls in a small townhouse with one bathroom – they really needed to move! Many times, seniors find themselves in large homes that require a great deal of maintenance and where they might become increasingly isolated, especially in the winter months. In cases like these, deciding where to go and how to get there becomes an overwhelming challenge. That is where we come in. We help our clients create the vision of what their future home will look like. We help them start to take those baby steps to find and purchase the home that makes sense for them at the current stage of their lives. Not to mention, we can help with all of the details necessary to prepare your home for the market, including coordinating contractors.

We aren’t in the business of selling homes. We are in the business of helping people through their life changes, be it new marriages, just born or growing children, first homes, or when a loss or financial impact necessitates a move.

When we can help our clients through those transitions and help them love where they live, that’s when we truly love what we do. Thinking of rightsizing? Let’s get started.