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Downsize Today

Inspiration, motivation and guidance to ensure a smooth move to a smaller home.

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  • Who is Downsizing?
    • “Reinventors”
    • Empty Nesters Love Downsizing!
    • Those Going Through Life-Changing Events
      • Divorce
      • New Job
    • Baby Boomers Downsizing and Simplifying
    • Retirees
  • What Is Downsizing?
    • Decluttering and Organizing
    • Downsizing is Basically Moving to a Smaller Home
    • Downsizing=Rightsizing, and It’s So Good for So Many Reasons
  • When Is The Right Time?
    • Downsizing Hesitation May Lead to Regrets
    • Ready to Downsize? Answer These Questions.
  • Where Do Downsizers Go?
    • Top Places to Live
    • Renting and Exploring Options
    • Downsize, Relocate, Reinvent!
    • Active-Adult Communities for the 55+ Set
    • Downsizing and Staying Close to Home
    • Staying Put Because No One Wants Your Large Home
  • Why Are They Doing It?
    • “Why I Downsized” Stories
  • How Do I Start?
    • Charities Need Your Donated Items
    • Explore Where You Want to Go
    • Estate Sale Specialists
    • Moving Companies and Storage Facilities
    • Professional Organizers Are Decluttering Specialists
    • Realtors® Who Specialize in Downsizing

Main Content

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  • Design Ideas
  • Reinvent Yourself
  • All That Stuff!
downsize and reinvent by moving to a new home

Have You Considered Downsizing?

Contact us for guidance, motivation and inspiration. We’ll help you start the process! As people who’ve downsized describe to me the process they went through, many […]

Photo of bed and dresser

Small Closets? You Need Lots of Drawers.

When my husband and I moved to Arlington, Virginia, into a small apartment, I let him have the master bedroom closet, the larger of the […]

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Life After Divorce and Downsizing

A few months after I had downsized and moved to Arlington from Atlanta, I met two women who’ve both become my close friends. Each had […]

We Learn by Our Parents’ Examples

  I had lunch today with a 50-something business associate who told the story of how his mother had insisted on living in the home […]

Stories from Real-Life Downsizers

Downsize, Then Redesign Life

Downsize, Then Redesign Life

Michele Meier Vosberg is a Ph.D., a writer, a freelance educator, and a happy downsizer. She had spent many years in a large house outside Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and children. Along with … Read Full Article about Downsize, Then Redesign Life

Big Benefits of a Smaller Home

Big Benefits of a Smaller Home

Browsing around the internet a few days ago looking for downsizing-related articles, I ran across one that appeared in PT Money, written by Emily Guy Birken, an author, journalist, blogger, former … Read Full Article about Big Benefits of a Smaller Home

News and Reviews

Lessons Non-Minimalists Can Learn

Lessons Non-Minimalists Can Learn

    Minimalism is admirable. I've known a few practitioners in my life, most of whom seem to have come by their minimalism naturally. Others … Read Full Article about Lessons Non-Minimalists Can Learn

Book Review: “The New Small House”

Book Review: “The New Small House”

Published in October 2015, Katie Hutchinson’s book The New Small House, is a delight. The book’s 200+ pages feature stunning photography, beautifully … Read Full Article about Book Review: “The New Small House”

Advice From Experts

Can We Please Put a More Positive Face on Downsizing?

Can We Please Put a More Positive Face on Downsizing?

Downsizing is not easy but one of the many downsizing advantages is that you change up your routine, meet new people, and learn to live a more robust life.

Estate Planning? Consider a Trust

Estate Planning? Consider a Trust

Many affluent baby boomers are turning to estate planners for help in deciding what to do with their large homes. The New York Times (August 27, 2017) asks, “Sell and downsize to leave a larger pot of cash for heirs to divide? Deed the house or apartment to your adult children now to avoid squabbling after you’re gone. If so, where do you live in the meantime?”

While many people simply leave their homes to their children in their wills (a solid option when all the siblings get along and agree on what to do with the house), a growing number are creating trusts to minimize costs and avoid some of the delays that can occur during the asset-transfer period after they’re gone. The NYT article quotes financial planner Victoria Fillet Konrad, who says, “If you’re looking for a smooth transition from one generation to the next without fights and the high cost of probate, it’s best to set up a trust,”

Between 5 and 15 percent of the total value of an estate goes to pay probate and legal fees. Those costs can be reduced by setting up a trust, the costs can be paid up front, and the children named as beneficiaries don’t have to go through probate after their parents pass away.

People with high-value homes can consider setting up a Qualified Personal Residence Trust, which lets homeowners give the property to beneficiaries at a fraction of the value of the property, which helps significantly reduce the estate tax burden.

Whatever your situation (regardless of age, home value, heirs, and other factors), it’s a helpful exercise to discuss with your spouse and your children the best way to sell or otherwise deal with the family home. It can save a lot of time, trouble and tears later on.

HGTV’s Six Tips for Downsizing

HGTV’s Six Tips for Downsizing

“Downsizing a home can lead to lots of stress and anxiety for anyone who loves their belongings but hates living in clutter. Seniors, empty nesters or people moving from a suburban home to a city apartment all face the challenge of creating a new living space with limited room for furniture, accessories, clothes and collectibles. […]

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Recent Posts

  • Can We Please Put a More Positive Face on Downsizing?
  • Estate Planning? Consider a Trust
  • Be Kind To Your Kids
  • Downsize, Then Redesign Life
  • Have You Considered Downsizing?

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WHO

  • Empty Nesters Love Downsizing!
  • “Reinventors”
  • Baby Boomers Downsizing and Simplifying
  • Those Going Through Life-Changing Events
  • Retirees

WHAT

  • Decluttering and Organizing
  • Downsizing is Basically Moving to a Smaller Home
  • Downsizing=Rightsizing, and It’s So Good for So Many Reasons

WHEN

  • Downsizing Hesitation May Lead to Regrets
  • Ready to Downsize? Answer These Questions.

WHERE

  • Top Places to Live
  • Renting and Exploring Options
  • Downsize, Relocate, Reinvent!
  • Active-Adult Communities for the 55+ Set
  • Downsizing and Staying Close to Home
  • Staying Put Because No One Wants Your Large Home

WHY

  • “Why I Downsized” Stories

HOW

  • Professional Organizers Are Decluttering Specialists
  • Realtors® Who Specialize in Downsizing
  • Moving Companies and Storage Facilities
  • Explore Where You Want to Go
  • Charities Need Your Donated Items
  • Estate Sale Specialists
  • Before and After Downsizing
  • Well-Appointed Small Spaces
  • Before and After Downsizing
  • Well-Appointed Small Spaces

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