Over the past year we’ve seen a growing number of Brevard County residents choosing to downsize. The most common scenario we have seen is moving from a large house to a rental home, apartment or even short term storage then living at an Air B and B to figure out the next step. We are no strangers to the topic of downsizing, for the second year in a row we participated on the expert panel for One Senior Place in Viera, Florida for their downsizing seminar, “Lets Talk Downsizing.” Along with a list of other professionals that can help during the process of downsizing, we contributed with the Broker of Four Star Real Estate, an estate sale company, a professional home organizer as well as an attorney specializing in elder law, wills and trusts to provide professional industry expertise on the best way to declutter, get rid of unneeded items and have a fresh start with less on your shoulders.
Downsizing is not just seniors looking to simplify their lives, downsizing is much more common these days for those who just don’t want the responsibilities of owning a home and looking to reduce their monthly overhead in the short term. The burdens of homeownership are not for everyone and we are seeing more and more families choosing to downsize into a smaller home or apartment to simplify their lives.
Why Families Are Downsizing
Downsizing has traditionally been for “empty nesters” or seniors looking to move into senior living and eliminate the burden of owning a home while also reducing monthly expenses and simplifying their day to day. This also helps those with a desire for flexibility or who just don’t spend much time at home any more.
We are also seeing more and more families choose to give up the space they desired during the “covid years” for more simplicity and to lower their monthly overhead. Many were stuck at home forcing decisions for larger homes they can work from as well as just have more space for the increased time they were spending there. Now, with most back to the office full time, many are changing their perspective and going back to having less space and reducing their monthly costs.
Some of the other factors driving downsizing is the increased cost of homeowners insurance in the state of Florida over the past year as well as property taxes. It’s tough to have bought a home a few years back and see your monthly costs on the home continue to rise. In addition to that folks who bought during covid shutdowns are also having maintenance costs and repairs start to catch up like roofs and AC among some of the major ones. It’s tough to have costs rising and then have to lay out $20K or even more for a new roof.
Common Downsizing Paths We See
At Tropic Moving, we’ve noticed an increase in Brevard County families moving from a house to a rental house, a house to an apartment or house to senior community. A house to a rental is typically followed by a new construction build or preparing for another next step. We have even seen an increase in temporary storage until the next step is finalized. Sometimes timelines just don’t line up and having everything in short term storage helps keep the process much more simple A house to an apartment may be to help reduce worry if you are traveling a lot and just don’t want all of the responsibilities there are to keep up with being a homeowner. Many seniors are selling their homes to enjoy the simplicity, social connections, and active lifestyle that a retirement community can provide.
If you’re downsizing into an apartment be sure to read through Apartment Moving in Melbourne FL: Make Life Easy with Tropic Moving and if you’re moving into senior living don’t miss this local insight in Brevard County for Senior Moving Made Easy.
In addition to the common downsizing paths, one new one that has popped up locally outside of all of the new apartments going up in Palm Bay, Melbourne and Viera there is a “Tiny Home” neighborhood going up right in Cocoa, Florida. Their goal is to provide smaller housing options, a supportive community and sustainable living including an “EcoFarming Lifestyle.” To learn more about this project and their mission you can check out their website here at Braveheart Properties of Brevard.
The Biggest Challenges of Downsizing
The hardest part of downsizing is physically getting rid of stuff. Deciding what is worth keeping for practical purposes as well as making tough calls on sentimental items. Some folks end up utilizing storage if they just can’t part with things and don’t have space where they’re going until they figure out what is next. At Tropic Moving we provide storage for even small shipments if you want even just a sofa or holiday storage totes. This way if you’re taking a new job traveling a lot we can hold onto furniture you don’t want to get rid of and if things change in a year or so you still have it. Sometimes we even have clients who don’t find out until they move in that a certain item won’t fit and they need somewhere for it to go. We had a client just recently who was downsizing to an apartment and our crew got the couch up to the third and she happened to have a corner unit with a unique entrance that the couch just wouldn’t fit in. She was downsizing in the sort term and we were able to hold into it for her until her next move so she can get it back when she moves again.
Then there is the emotional attachment to things that maybe were from family members who are no longer with us or something you just have always had. These can be the harvest to part with because they are quite literally priceless and irreplaceable to you. Unfortunately there is also no answer to how to handle them where you just have to decide what is worth keeping or if another family member or friend is interested in keeping it for you.
The last challenge to mention is coordinating timelines. Say you want to get rid of all of your furniture and new furniture where you’re going. Its hard to sell it all too early because you’re still living there and then it’s hard to wait because you might end up running out of time.
- Deciding what to keep
- Furniture that won’t fit
- Emotional attachment to belongings
- Managing timelines between selling and moving
When Storage Makes Sense
Storage costs can add up quickly if not properly planned for, so it’s important to be thoughtful about what’s going into storage if you choose to go that route for extra items you can’t take with you to your new residence. Obviously this should not be a substitute for decluttering but to keep important items you simply don’t have room for but don’t want to part with. Storage is great for oversized items that were expensive to acquire and you simply don’t have the space in a short term living, or highly sentimental items you simply can’t part with. It’s important to be sure furniture items are properly stored. The main battle with storage is to ensure items don’t get moldy which can typically occur with fabric material like sofas, mattresses and clothing. Most think that by simply putting items in climate controlled storage this will solve that problem which oftentimes does not make up for improper storage. It is more important to make sure storage is dry, with no liquids or foods going in that can even have a risk of leaking as well as making sure fabric items are not pressed against each other preventing any airflow.
Sofas, loveseats and any fabric arm chairs are the most important to keep upright on their feet. If these items have a fabric side laid flat on the floor, like a sofa stood up on its end this can easily cause that fabric to get moldy on that side pressed against the floor. In our warehouse we keep these items separate from boxes and other furniture to be properly stored on their feet. We also keep all other furniture padded and protected in storage to keep a barrier between items while being stored.
Some choose storage to help declutter when preparing to list their home to keep is “staged” for showings. Many realtors recommend this before listing your home as well as eliminating personal items so that folks looking can picture themselves in that house as they’re walking through. A great option for this is a POD, which allows you to easily move items into storage and then the POD will be delivered right to where you’re moving when you get there. For more info on when PODS are useful check out this article on PODS vs U-Haul vs Full-Service Movers: Which Moving Option Is Best For You?
Tips for a Successful Downsizing Move
Start early
When you are preparing to downsize you should start preparing for this at least 90 days ahead of a planned move. Sometimes you may even need longer if you are listing your home for sale. If a house sale is involved you may have to start 30-60 days before even listing your home to declutter and prepare for listing photos and folks to be coming though for showings. Listing your home can still be months from an actual move date but getting that big head start on preparing is going to significantly reduce the stress of the move. The earlier you start the more you will see all of the resources you have to use to help you and also have time to schedule them all, including free donation pick up from some of the local thrift shops in Brevard County.
Measure your new space
This is a big one. We just saw last week, when we had a client moving to an apartment in Melbourne, Florida, downsizing from a house. She was not able to fit her sofa in the front door on the move day due to the floor plan of her corner unit entryway. Sometimes with an apartment is can be hard to know the floorplan before getting the keys but it’s best to be sure you have an idea even if you have some oversized or specialty items that have the potential to cause an issue. Many folks downsizing from a house have not had to consider if they are going to have enough space or be able to fit their furniture in the room. This can account for unwanted last minute surprises if overlooked causing you to need to move items multiple times or have to move items just to get rid of them later causing extra costs to your move.
Create a keep, donate, sell, store system
One of the best rules for downsizing is “don’t move things you don’t use.” A good rule of thumb to test how needed things are is, how many times was this used in the last year? This can be eye opening to the things youtube keeps around. Once you decide what to keep, getting rid of the rest can quickly turn into a challenge. From deciding on getting rid of it the next determination is can you sell it or donate it or will you need a junk removal service If it wont sell? We see most items that won’t sell quickly turn into junk. If it is donated, most of the donation centers are thrift stores and don’t take just anything. They need to also be able to sell it otherwise it takes up space and if no one buys it from them, they can be stuck with getting rid of it months later. Many donation centers/thrift stores do have their own trucks and will come out and pick up items for free, but usually will need to know what it is ahead of time to be sure they can take it. If items are not in a condition to sell, this leaves the final option of Junk Removal. At Tropic Moving we offer junk removal as an “add on” for moving service or we can also come out specifically to haul away old furniture. Our service minimum is $477 so it doesn’t make sense usually on one smaller item, but when needing more than one or two items hauled but can also come out for specialty items like needing a hot tub hauled off and removed. You can learn more about Tropic Movings Junk removal service here.
How Professional Movers Help
At Tropic Moving we provide a wide variety of services to be able to be a resource no matter what your relocation entails. This is what it means when we say “Full Service” is that we can help with any service in the industry, not just moving. Some smaller local guys with just a truck can get items from A to B locally but once you need more than that they usually have to refer to a third party. At Tropic Moving our goal is to keep this whole process smooth and streamlined and in house to avoid confusion and keep life easy for our clients as a one stop shop for all things moving.
In addition to providing any service, At Tropic Moving we are truly local experiments. In just under a decade of operating in Brevard County we truly know the ins and outs of the area including the tight historic roads in Rockledge and Cocoa as well as all of the new streets of Viera and Palm Bay going up. This means the small details on condo and senior assisted living building to ensure we are not arriving too early or two late in the day as well as the more simple things like which areas in historic Rockledge Drive or Cocoa Village which size moving truck is needed. All things that add up to create one easy stress free move day.
If there is storage needed we are able to pick up items at any point during the process and hold them until move day and move all of your belongings into your new home at once. The other thing we make a priority at Tropic Moving is protecting furniture and belongings in transition. We custom pad all furniture items in the home before loading them for moving. This means our crew will use our heavy duty moving pads to cover all edges of furniture as well as keep drawers and doors secure on large items. These pads will stay on the item to keep it protected through the entire move. And if you move into storage with Tropic Moving the pads will stay on the item while it’s being stored all the way until it gets back to your home. In addition to furniture we will back fragile items like TV’s, mirrors, lamps or glass to be sure it is prepped and moved as safely as possible as well. This means using high quality new packing materials as well as having the expertise to properly use them and pack everything properly.
Summary
Downsizing doesn’t mean going backward, it’s more common now as a reset or new start. Many families are choosing simplicity, flexibility and the ease of living lighter. So if you’re in the process of downsizing, look for professionals that can help, get their opinions early on how to best approach it and take your time deciding on things so you’re not rushed. And if things do move fast you can always use temporary storage to give you some extra time to sort through items you may not be ready to part with just yet. Planning ahead makes the transition easier and minimizes stress. If you are in the process and even just need a little advice on getting started we are always happy to take a phone call and provide some insight. You can reach us any time during regular business hours at 321-604-0555 or also go to our website tropicmoving.com and get an estimate started.
To find the other companies that were featured in the lets talk downsizing seminar you can find them though this link as well, Let’s Talk Downsizing, or check out any of the resources One Senior Place in Viera, Florida can connect you to.