The Bright Side of Right-Sizing Your Home

When it comes to your home, the needs between your four walls are ever-changing. For a period of time, it may have provided plenty of space for the kids to play. Then, it may have transformed to be the go-to house for entertaining fellow empty-nesters. But, if you’re at the point where spaces in your home go unused but still demand cleaning and maintenance, we’ve got a solution for you: downsizing or right-sizing.

Before you hold onto a home strictly as a giant storage unit for unused belongings, we’ve got your go-to guide for downsizing — which if you haven’t yet discovered — is definitely right-sizing. These tips will help you prepare to Live Up in a home that’s just the right size for your next chapter.

What is Rightsizing?

Rightsizing refers to the process of adjusting your living space to better fit your needs and lifestyle. This can involve evaluating and potentially downsizing your home to achieve a better balance between space, functionality, and cost.

How to Start Rightsizing Your Home

1) Start Small

It can be daunting to try and organize a house full of belongings in a few days — and it’s a recipe for failure. We recommend starting with a room in your home that isn’t used often so you can get the hang of decluttering. Maybe that’s an office or a guest suite — but once you have one room under your belt, you’ll better understand how long it will take to complete the rest of your home. It’s important to give yourself plenty of time — whether that means weeks or months.

2) Cut Down Duplicates

Once you tackle a few rooms, you might realize that you’ve somehow acquired three printers, two toasters, seven spatulas, nine casserole dishes, and a partridge in a pear tree. Sound likely? A tactic that can save space is eliminating duplicates — you just don’t need multiples of most household items. Take into consideration which item is in the best condition and has the most functions. For example, a toaster oven toasts bread and cooks food, but a toaster is more of a one-trick pony — so if you have both, the toaster can get the boot.

3) Keep, Donate, or Toss

We won’t deny it, clearing space can be overwhelming. That’s where a well-structured system comes into play. We suggest keeping it simple by dividing each room into three piles: keep, donate/sell, and trash. It can be really hard to make the decision between keeping something and sending it to the landfill, but if you have the option of selling it or giving it to someone who could use it, that eases the blow. The Richmond area has no shortage of donation opportunities that can turn your cleaning spree into an opportunity to help out a family in need. There’s always the Salvation Army and Goodwill, but there are also smaller local organizations that accept donations including Boaz and Ruth and St. Joseph’s Villa. Check out a more detailed list of places to donate in Richmond.

4) Measure Before You Move

If a new home is your next move, make sure that you keep your new space in mind when you’re making decisions. If there’s a large piece of furniture in your current home, take measurements and determine if it will fit in your new space before you go through the trouble of moving it. If your next move is a StyleCraft Home — you’re in luck! We have interactive floor plans on our website that allow you to measure the room and come up with a game plan for your furniture before you unload it and realize it doesn’t fit. See an example with our Holly Floor Plan.

5) Call in Reinforcements

You’ve probably been there: you’re unpacking boxes when you come across baby photos and then you’ve lost an hour to taking a trip down memory lane. Don’t try and fight it! In fact, it can be a wonderful opportunity to reminisce with family or friends. You can make a day of it — laughing at dated outfits and style choices, while sharing memories with younger family members. And if you’re looking for a way to consolidate your photos, there are companies that will digitize photos so that you can part with the originals to save on space.

Find Your Next Home to Fit Your New Lifestyle

Ready to find a home that’s right-sized and make the switch to low-maintenance living? Give us a call at 804.206.8088 — we’d love to tell you more about Living Up in one of our 55+ Freestyle Homes.