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If you have decided it is time to downsize your home you will have plenty of furniture and belongings you will no longer require. Here are some tips to assist you in sorting through your belongings in order to make your downsizing process a little easier.

• Number of Rooms: The first step in downsizing is finding the right size home. You want to consider how many rooms you need to suit your new lifestyle. There are a number of reasons you may be downsizing. You may be divorced and now just need a home for one. You may have adult children who have now all left the family home. You may require a smaller home to lessen the burden of a costly mortgage or you may even be attempting to lessen your carbon footprint. Each of these reasons will help dictate different space requirements. If you are divorced you may need a room or rooms for when your kids visit. If you are empty nesters you too might want to have a space for the grandkids when they come to visit. If you are downsizing for budget reasons or in order to live a more environmentally friendly life you want to be certain you have enough space to be comfortable. Once you have decided on the number of rooms you will be able to find a new home suited to your new plan.
• Furniture Assessment: When you find your new home make arrangements to do a final visit prior to moving so you can do some measuring. You will need measurements to figure out how much furniture you can take with you and how much you will need to sell or pass along. This is important as you do not want to be faced with a crammed home on moving day. You will know some obvious changes are required such as fewer bedrooms will mean getting rid of the bedroom furniture. However often smaller homes provide configurations and floor space that will make it necessary to relieve yourself of some chairs, occasional tables and shelving.
• Decluttering: Once you know what you can keep and what must go continue on with the decluttering plans and look at smaller items. Consider all of your knick knacks, books and accessories and decide what you want to take and what can go. Remember that a smaller home tends to look messier more quickly and being organized means getting rid of anything you really do not need. Doing this before you move will make it far easier to unpack as well as cut down on the amount of boxes you need to lug along with you.
• Make Some Money: You might as well make some money during this whole downsizing scheme. You can work with a house clearance company that can come to your home and take that extra stuff off of your hands. They will assess each item and then offer you a price to lug it all away for you.

These tips will help make your downsizing process easier and more effective.