Common Cycles of Downsizing

The Only Home I Have Ever Known

Imagine listing the only home you had ever lived in…IN FACT, the very house you grew up in as a child.  Picture not only a house but also a pole barn filled with generations of TREASURES.  To add to this story, this was my very first listing.  The clients had been referred to me by their daughter as she felt I would be kind, patient, and ethical in helping her parents make this transition to a smaller home. 

Questions that had to answered:

1.      Where will we be moving?

2.      What will fit in our new home?

3.      What should we get rid of?

4.      What papers do I need to sign?

5.      What deadlines do we need to meet?

6.      And adding to these questions, packing, cleaning were also tasks to complete.

No wonder they were feeling a little stressed!  As I listened and coached I soon learned this couple was very special to the beginning of my Real Estate Career. I still enjoy eating lunch with them to catch up.  We share and laugh about some of our memories that we made together. No tears…..just laughter that is so funny we may all have tears of joy when we meet.

Fear, Stress, Tears, Sadness, relief, Freedom,JOY

1.      Recognize that feeling stress is a normal feeling in all change…Good and Bad

So many emotions are experienced in downsizing. They are all so common.

  2.      Getting RID of STUFF.  It is not about getting rid of stuff, it is the fear of getting rid of memories and stories.  You can keep the memories in your heart.  Take photographs.

3. 4 choices…Keep, Donate, Sell, Throw Away

Timing

Just last week I saw trophies, an Eagle Scout Award, College and High School Letter Jackets…and no one in the family wanted to claim these once treasured items.  I assured the parents that this is not unusual which seemed to make them feel somewhat better.

As parents of adult children, we never know what has value.  For example, I have my Great Grandmother Schauseil’s black high-top boots.  When my mother gave them to me many years ago, she wanted me to promise to routinely polish these boots just as she had to preserve the boots.  As I was discussing with my daughters that I was planning to put them in my box of donations, one daughter showed some interest. 

 The Mystery of Value

 A few years ago, I was in the home of a retired theatre professor at a local university.  He sat in his office taking photos of scaled replicas of every stage set he had designed and then threw them in a trash can.  I suggested he select his favorite and place in a china cabinet he was moving to his new home. I will never forget his smile as he shared some of his stories and then we talked about saving them all and donating to the university.   He also drew a map of the landscaping in his backyard noting the location and colors of perennials and which flowers would bloom first to give to the new family.

Many of my clients hire an auction company to review and group items to sell on an online auction.  The auction company takes care of marketing the items and collecting the money as buyers come to the house to carry the items out of the property.  You never know what is valuable!!!  One of my clients had a very heavy dental chair that had been handed down from her father that was a dentist. The sellers were dreading trying to carry the heavy chair but…a tattoo artist not only purchased the chair but carried it out to his truck.  A huge stuffed fish with part of the stuffing falling out was hanging in the seller’s garage and believe it or not….a restaurant owner from Myrtle Beach drove up to OHIO to purchase the fish to become part of the décor of the restaurant.

LESSON I LEARNED….We really don’t know what has value and to Whom