Are you considering making a move or are you thinking you should just stay put? Is your current home just not working for you? It’s too small – or too big, too cluttered, a bit run down, just not right, as Goldilocks would say.
There is help!
Disclaimer: In addition to being an Interior Decorator and Home Stager, I’m also a Realtor or Real Estate Salesperson, specializing mainly in the west GTA (Greater Toronto Area). The main areas I work in are Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, and Milton.
Ok, now that that’s out of the way, let’s resume our discussion.
Should I Move?
There are time when we think we’ve outgrown where we live right now because we have lived there too long and can’t see the potential anymore. You fell in love with that home at one point in your live, choosing to live there. If you bought you made sure it “ticked all the boxes”. If you have rented, your space had to meet your needs as well.
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on us. Maybe the kids moved out, or your family became smaller, rather than bigger.
Maybe the large 2 storey 4 bedroom home is now too big and you are rattling around in it. Or maybe you have too much stuff and not enough space. I see this a lot. That’s when you need to take an inventory and see what needs to go so you can enjoy living in the space again. I’ve covered some of those topics here.
Alternatively, maybe this is the time to think about what your next steps in life will be. Maybe that means finding a new place to live.
But I don’t want to move…so should I stay?
Real estate is always changing and it’s not always possible to move. I’m seeing that in our current market where house prices have skyrocketed and moving becomes challenging.
I get comments all the time like : “Well, where would I move to? If I sell now all my money will go into buying a new place which may be smaller and not as nice”. Crazy thought but in some cases it’s true. Again, that depends on the location, how long you’ve lived in the house, where you want to stay.
If that’s the case what can you do to ensure you still like living in your home? How can we go back to the home you fell in love with, and polish it up so you fall in love all over again? If you are older, how can you make the house safer for Aging in Place?
So what can you do to re-connect that love and make your home work for you right now?
What’s your perfect lifestyle?
It’s a multi-step process (as most things that are of value often are)
First consider your perfect lifestyle – what does the phrase mean to you? Once you’ve thought about what that means to you, you’ll be able to make decisions about what is important to you. You can read more about the steps to figure out your perfect life here.
Get rid of what doesn’t work
This is the de-clutter stage, making room for you to create the perfect home for your perfect lifestyle. What’s important, what no longer fits your life, and how can you best ensure your items go off to new places, be that recycling or donations or the dump.
Personally I find getting rid of paper the most difficult, followed by furniture. Sounds crazy, I know. I can get rid of clothes, decorative items, even books quite easily. Furniture is easy to accumulate and hard to get rid of. I’ve used FB Marketplace but even that isn’t always a good place, even when you offer it for free!
Furniture is a big one because it takes up space. Sometimes a lot of space. Frustratingly, furniture that you once paid a lot of money for is no longer in style. Consignments shops want to give you miniscule amounts of money for what was once a king’s ransom. Sometimes it’s best to just bite the bullet and donate it to charity.
If you live in the West GTA please reach out to me and I’ll send you a list of different types of organizations that take furniture, clothing, antiques, etc.
Make a list of what you really want
Then the fun starts – you can start building up – re-arranging that closet, purchasing furniture that meets your new storage needs, and maybe changing the functionality of a room.
Then the jewellery – adding in the details that make it sing!
If you need help with this – it’s one of the many things we do!
Still thinking of Moving?
The list of what you really want still stands. It just means that you need to evaluate how you will do that in a new place. Would moving from a 2 storey 4 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom condo be a big change. Yes, no sugar coating it. It would. But…that change doesn’t have to be negative. It could mean that someone else takes care of raking the leaves, shovelling the snow. It might mean that you find a condo building with an indoor pool where you can soak in warm water all winter long. It might mean a larger social life, meeting new people, finding new ways to get exercise.
Moves aren’t always down-sizing. Your situation may be a growing family where you just need more space. The list is still important. De-cluttering is also important. You don’t want to take children’s clothes, toys, sports equipment that everyone no longer needs to a new space. By really taking your needs as they are right now into account you can find the right size home that fits all of you and your family’s needs.
Talk to a Realtor
If you are still wondering if you should stay or go chat with a Realtor. They can help you look at the financial as well as lifestyle considerations. If you live in the Mississauga, Oakville, Etobicoke, Burlington, or Milton give me a call and check out my Real Estate website – www.clarissa.ca
Thinking about your next steps?
