Downsizing homes can be a daunting task. Sometimes you find yourself staring at all of the belongings you’ve accumulated over the years, wondering how you’re going to get from Point A (your current house, say a 2500 sqft home in Honolulu’s Manoa neighborhood) to Point B (the smaller house, perhaps a 1500 sqft townhouse in Ewa Beach). Have no fear – today’s blog post is for you.
Give yourself enough time to go through your belongings – start a month or two before you were planning to; it may take longer than you think. Keep a master tracker, like a notebook or phone app, to plan for every item’s disposal or destination. I’m talking about things you no longer need, important paperwork, the contents of everything you put in boxes, etc.
Sort Your Belongings
Starting with big categories first (keep vs trash vs donate), separate your items accordingly. If it doesn’t have a place in your new Hawaii home, then don’t plan to keep it. Put it in storage if you must hold onto it for a rainy day, else plan to donate or trash it. That may seem harsh, but you’ll find that most items you didn’t keep don’t end up being missed.
Here’s what you’ll need: lots of boxes, packing tape, a big black magic marker, bubble wrap, some Ziploc bags, a dolly, a moving truck, and lots of patience! If you’re roping in friends and family, then get ready to splurge on pizza for the crew.
Hire a Pro
Now, on the other hand, if the thought of sorting through all of your belongings seems too daunting, you may want to hire a professional organizer to help you downsize your house in [maket_city]. A professional can help you through the process of assessing what is necessary and what can be left behind (or donated).
This decluttering process is a refreshing mental exercise that brings to light your most cherished possessions by making them a focal point in your new space. This professional can help you find your movers and oversee the packing and moving process on your behalf. While this can be an expensive undertaking, it may be well worth the cost for those who are emotionally stuck or need the task done quickly so they can focus elsewhere.
Hold a Sale
Why not let others pay you to carry away your problems? Having a yard sale is a common method for preparing to downsize your house in [maket_city] while earning you a little extra cash (or a lot depending on how big a sale it is). Successful sales take serious planning. Start by putting up signs in strategic locations (telephone poles where allowed, coffee shop bulletin boards, bus stops, etc.), checking local ordinances first. You’ll also want to exercise some basic caution when opening your doors to the general public (especially with Covid) – perhaps have a friend or family member on hand to ‘keep the peace’ and be a second set of eyes.
It helps organize by displaying similar items together, such as kitchenware with any electronics already plugged in. Keeping things within easy reach, place them on tables or clothes hangers when possible. Whatever you do, don’t put anything directly on the ground or cement. For anything that is still of use, yet you have decided is not worth selling, you could have a box labeled ‘free’. As for pricing, you should expect to realize about 20 percent of the original cost, depending on the condition.
Donate
When the sale is complete, just pack up the remaining items and donate them – easy! You’ll be alleviating yourself from what you no longer need while helping others as you downsize your house in [maket_city]. Some charities will come and pick the items up after your sale, saving you the time, gas and boxes of having to transport them to the donation center. Additionally, you may be able to write off the donation on your year-end taxes.
Charity begins at home, and if you would instead prefer to skip the sale or simply want to help those closest to you, you could have a ‘come one, come all’ event. Invite your friends and family and have them go through the items you no longer want – you’ll likely have most of your items gone by the end of the day. Lastly, if you still have some things left, you could just put them out by the curb (ever seen a sofa with a ‘free’ or ‘take me’ tag?) or put an ad on Craiglist for free items.
Pay to Take Away
Perhaps you have inherited an unwanted house, and you haven’t the heart to go through the belongings – we buy houses in Hawaii from many people in this situation — or maybe you simply don’t want to do it; that’s ok! You don’t owe anyone an excuse. Some companies will remove unwanted items for free; however, there are limitations to what they will collect in most cases (resaleable furniture, for example). Some companies will come to your home for a fee, remove unwanted items, and even clean for you to help you downsize your house in [maket_city] – we did this recently for a house in Makakilo and last year in Aina Haina.
If you’re not physically capable of taking on the task by yourself, you have limited help, or you started and aren’t getting anywhere, then maybe it’s time to enlist the help of the pros.
Skip the Trouble
Work with us at Oahu Home Buyers. We make it easy by handling everything on your behalf as you downsize your house in [maket_city]. Oahu Home Buyers has an entire team of professionals waiting to help you with everything from sorting to cleaning to removing any items you no longer want, (even massive piles of junk!), at no charge to you. Contact us at (808) 333-3677 and leave all of your worries behind.