Empty Nester’s Guide to Downsizing By Marcus McCue, Executive Vice President & Chief Business Development Officer, Guardian Mortgage Company, Inc. Now that the kids are out of the house and you’re starting to think about your retirement future, many empty nesters are ready to begin the process of downsizing. Whether you’re downsizing to a smaller home across town or a condo on the beach, a key step in the process is deciding what possessions are essential and what items you can comfortably do without in the future. Here are a few steps designed to help make the downsizing process a snap: •Create a list of all the items you love and simply cannot do without. Anything not on the list is up for tossing. Creating a list and sticking to it helps to take the emotional element out of the process. •Begin the process of downsizing three to six months before your actual move date. Giving yourself enough time to carefully move through everything in the house will allow you time to think through your decisions and prevent last-minute, impulsive actions you might regret down the road. •As you work your way through your home, separate your items into three categories: keep, sell and charity. Once you’ve made it all the way through the process, this will give you one final chance to adjust any decisions you’ve made and let you see just how much you’ve accomplished. •Compare the rooms of your current home to the number and size of the rooms in your future home. This comparison will give you a good guide for just how much space for furniture and storage you actually have to work with. •Once you understand how much can go into each room of your new home, create floor plans to prearrange the furniture that you plan on keeping. •A great place to start the elimination process is in areas of your house that don’t hold as much sentimental value, such as the kitchen, bathrooms and garage. You’ll find that it’s much easier to make decisions and part with the three extra mixing bowls, snow shovel and four ladders than it will be to part with the more meaningful items in some of the other rooms of the house. •If you just can’t decide, ask for a second opinion. Having someone else say “Oh please, you haven’t used that in years!” just might be the nudge you need to make your decision to let the item go. •To keep the “less-is-more” momentum going forward, organize as you unpack. You’ll start out using your space efficiently and hopefully set a precedent for the days and years ahead.

At the first annual Design and Construction Week in Las Vegas, we learned 5 ways your home is changing. We are happy to share what we learned and to be your partner in selling your home. Continue reading ...