Tips for downsizing from a large home to a condo

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By Michelle Hopkins
Overwhelmed by just the thought of clearing out many years’ worth of accumulated stuff? Read on!

When Lori and Michael Yelizarov became empty nesters, they decided to sell their Richmond family home in order to move to a riverfront condominium.
“We raised our kids there but we wanted to travel more. The thought of a turnkey lifestyle really appealed to us,” says Lori Yelizarov of selling the home they had lived in for more than two decades.
Moving from a 2,800-squarefoot, four-bedroom home into a 1,300-square-foot condo seemed daunting at fi rst. What to keep and what to get rid of seemed especially difficult for the couple.
“We had accumulated a ton of stuff but in the end we decided to donate all of our furniture, or give it away to our friends and family. What was left over went into a garage sale so we could start fresh,” Yelizarov adds. “The only things we brought with us were our personal mementoes, clothes, and our bed.”
Although it took weeks of planning, sorting, and a couple of garage sales before moving, today the couple couldn’t be happier with their decision. When the weather is nice, they enjoy their morning coffee while taking in sweeping views of the North Shore mountains and the Fraser River on their 1,200-square-foot deck.

Let’s hear from a professional

Professional organizer Linda Chu knows how diffi cult it is for most of us to downsize to a smaller home such as a condo.
“No matter what category you fall in, whether it’s death, divorce, disability or downsizing, it’s always diffi cult to part with your items because of the emotional aspect we attach to our things,” says Chu, principal of Out of Chaos. “Another issue is the lack of time most homeowners have when it comes to dealing with downsizing, aka managing a lifetime of stuff… that is very overwhelming.”
Sometimes you don’t have a choice as to how long you have to move.
“When time is of the essence, you have to ask yourself what you need to live with in your new living environment which is likely to be much smaller,” adds Chu. “So maybe you have to give away that 12-piece dining set.”
Chu went on to say, “Most people feel overwhelmed about all the decisions they need to make with a houseful of items… the thought of all the blood, sweat and tears that went into acquiring those ‘precious’ things makes one really want to hang onto them.”

How to disperse your items – and get some money back

When Chu works with clients, her first plan of attack is to break down the dispersing of items into a number of categories.

• A better option than a single garage sale is having multiple ones over time – if you have time. “If you are on a time crunch, I can guarantee you will not sell all of your items. You then end up calling a removal company (a charity, for example) to get rid of the rest.”
• Another option is to sell online through Kijiji or Craigslist. Chu cautions that you should never be alone when a prospective buyer comes to your home, especially if you are a senior.
• Consignment/auction: Love’s or Maynards auction houses or clothing/furniture consignments stores across the Lower Mainland. “Unless your furniture is high quality or antique, you will not be able to sell your items.”
• Check out Film Go Sales (fi lmgo. ca) and the online auction company MaxSold.com to learn more about all the possible sale items you may have thought were donations or recycling. “Film Go may take some of the more unusual stuff because they are in the film industry… things like sewing machines or old china dishes.” MaxSold.com requires a minimum of three weeks and at least $2,000 worth of items before they will accept your contents. It is an innovative “hybrid auction” method that couples online auctions with MaxSold’s hands-on help and product expertise. They take the burden of managing your sale contents off your shoulders and sell practically everything from within your house.
• Finally, if you can’t sell them or give them away to family members, consider donating your items to charity. Non-profits such as the Canadian Diabetes, Big Brothers, and Developmental Disabilities Association will love your “gently used discards.”

Chaos’s top recommendations for moving must-haves

• New boxes: The advantage of buying new boxes is for insurance purposes. When a box or the contents get damaged during transportation, the fi rst thing the moving company looks at is the integrity of the box.
• Sharpie: It’s permanent and smudge-proof and easier to read than a regular pen.
• Packing tape: This is the glue that holds everything together. It’s a must have. Period.
• Labels: Colour-coded are ideal so you can label your contents based on which room they are intended to be moved to.
• Packing paper: This is better than using newspaper as you will not need to wash everything once you unpack due to ink bleeding onto your items.
• Speciality boxes: Include ones for breakables, wardrobes, mirror and art packs, or for your wine collection.

Original article: West Coast Condominium March 25, 2016