Downsizing your possessions is not just a way to make your life simpler—it’s also the perfect opportunity to de-clutter your home and your mind. Simplify your life and even put some cash in your pocket with the following seven downsizing tips from seasoned estate appraisers in Maryland:
- Mentally prepare: From roadside trinkets to precious family heirlooms, clearing out years of memories can prove difficult. While downsizing what you own may sometimes be happening of your own accord, other times it’s not—such as in the case of bankruptcy, needing to pay off debt or house foreclosure. Whether you’re doing it for yourself or you’re looking out for someone you care about, it’s important you prepare mentally for parting with belongings.
- Know your new place: If you are downsizing in preparation for a move to a new house or office, get square footage and approximate room measurements ahead of time. This way you know how much stuff you can realistically take, which can make letting go of material possessions a little bit easier.
- Don’t do it all at once: Like attempting to clean your entire house in one day, downsizing all at once is not going to pan out well. But unlike house cleaning, getting rid of personal belongings can strike an emotional nerve, making it that much harder to let certain things go.
- Recruit assistance: Downsizing your home and possessions is an undertaking best completed with help and support, and not just because the task is a lot of work—it’s likely to take an emotional toll even though you did your best to prepare mentally. Recruit backup and consider bringing in professional estate appraisers in Maryland to help and to ensure you do indeed part with the possessions you should.
- Start with the easy stuff: Don’t start with items that are the most sentimental to you, like your grandmother’s china, the clothes of a loved one who’s died, gifts from your mother or toys from your childhood. Doing so is likely to stimulate your memory bank, making it difficult to say goodbye to even the smallest cheap trinket. This will only set you back in your downsizing efforts.
- Hire an appraiser: When you bring in estate appraisers in Maryland, make sure to let them inspect everything you’re getting rid of and anything you have reservations about. You may think that an item is not worth much, but a trained appraiser can zero in on items of value and rarity, and they also keep an eye open for museum-worthy pieces.
- Consider auction or sale: Some of your property may be worth a few dollars. If you want to sell, reputable appraisers and auctioneers can check out your belongings and direct you to interested dealers or auction houses. Or maybe you’d prefer to donate to charity, either because you don’t need the money or you feel as though something can be of use to someone else.
If you’re interested in learning more about the services of our knowledgeable estate appraisers in Maryland, contact us today at Jane Campbell-Chambliss & Associates, LLC.