Managing Your Belongings: Mississauga Lifestyle55+ Affiliate Offers Downsizing Advice

If you are like most seniors, you have accumulated a lot of stuff throughout your lifetime. And, like most seniors, you do not know what to do with it. Unfortunately, this is the most difficult part of the process for the many downsizing clients in Mississauga that I assist.

Here are a few ideas on what to do with your belongings:

1. Decide what things you will take with you to your next home 

Sometimes this process can be challenging. For example, maybe you are downsizing, and only a fraction of your things will fit into your new home or retirement residence. My experience as a Lifestyle55+ Affiliate (formerly Accredited Senior Agent) has shown me that the best way to handle this is to decide what you cannot live without and what belongings you are not attached to. Then, once you have done this, figure out if everything you cannot live without will fit into your new home.

2. Determine what your family members want

Once you have separated what you will take to your new home, you want to find out what family or friends want. It is easier to part with belongings when you know they will go to a good home.

3. How to handle unwanted valuable items

There may be valuable or sentimental things that your family and friends do not want, so you must figure out the best way to part with them. Depending on the items, you may have to contact an auctioneer. As a Lifestyle55+ Affiliate in Mississauga, I have connections with many local auctioneers and valuers. These experts can estimate your items' worth and suggest possible new homes for them.

4. How to combat feelings of overwhelm

Downsizing into a senior retirement residence or a smaller home can feel overwhelming, but there are ways to overcome it. As part of my Lifestyle55+ Affiliate real estate training, I know which professionals to tap into when downsizing. In my network of senior specialists are transition managers, who can go through your things with you, distribute them, pack them up, and even unpack them at your new home. Likewise, my network also includes people who will pick up and ship unwanted items for you and manage the entire process. The same goes for auctioneers – there are many qualified ones throughout Mississauga.

5. Consider donating unwanted items

Mississauga has several non-profit organizations that will take gently used furniture, home items, clothing, books, and more. Some may offer to pick up your donations, while others require you to drop them off. Either way, donating is a great way to divert unwanted items from the landfill and give them a second lease on life. My professional Lifestyle55+ Affiliate network members know the best organizations in Mississauga that accept donations.  

Your Senior Real Estate Lifestyle55+ Affiliate in Mississauga

Aside from helping seniors deal with their stuff, there are more ways that a Lifestyle55+ Affiliate has specialized training to help with downsizing. To learn more, contact me, Deborah Clerk, at Keller Williams Real Estate Associates, Brokerage, in Mississauga, Ontario, for more information.