If you missed Part One of our Downsizing the Family Home series, we detailed the key expenses to expect when selling your family home. In Part Two, we broke down the types of homes to consider as your next dwelling.
In the final part of our series on Downsizing the Family Home, we’ll detail the emotional aspects involved in downsizing and provide guidance on how to manage them.
Moving isn’t just about packing up and finding a new place to live, especially when selling a family home is involved. It’s about so much more. When you’re the parents leaving the house where children were raised, many emotions come to the surface, both positive and negative, including:
- Memories and Nostalgia
- Apprehension about the Future
- Sadness About Leaving the Home and Former Life
- Enthusiasm About the Next Stage
- Liberation of Responsibilities
Feeling any or all of these emotions is normal. Being aware of how you’re feeling and why, and managing them, can make the process easier.
Memories and Nostalgia
Once you have decided that you’re going to leave your home, you’ll likely begin to look at it differently. Whether that’s a bedroom where your children grew up, a toy room, or a cabinet that took days to build, memories will be triggered once you know you’ll soon be leaving.
And when packing begins, you’ll come across some objects that you haven’t seen or used in years. But that doesn’t make them easier to move on from.
Being ready for these triggers and sticking to your plan to downsize will be difficult, but staying positive will help ease the process.
Apprehension about the Future
The unknown can be scary.
Will your new home be big enough? Will you make new friends? Is the location a good fit? These are all items that can be addressed before making a new home purchase.
Before you commit, spend some time in the neighbourhood and community you’re strongly considering. Visit the local stores, talk to some residents, and try to picture yourself living there. If you have any reservations or are not feeling the vibe, then don’t force it. Just be sure that it’s not just the worry of the unknown and leaving your family home that is causing unease.
Sadness About Leaving the Home and Former Life
Closing a life chapter by moving away from the family home is a monumental one. Positioning this transition as the beginning of a new life stage can help lessen the sadness that comes with moving. One chapter closes, but another one begins!
Enthusiasm About the Next Stage
This new chapter will take some getting used to, but positioning it positively and accepting that there may be some challenges along the way will make a load of difference.
Make a list of what you’re looking forward to at your new home. Are there specific amenities that are now closer? Can you walk to more of them? Is there a nearby park or transit station to help you get to other places more quickly? Exploring new possibilities can help open up a new world in this new chapter of life.
Liberation of Responsibilities
One of the positives is the reduction in responsibilities that comes with moving to a smaller home. Whether that’s the size of the space, fewer rooms to clean, a smaller yard, or no yard at all, reducing the day-to-day maintenance involved in homeownership gives you time to do the things that you really enjoy.
Downsizing from the family home is an emotional process, but allowing yourself the freedom to acknowledge and manage your emotions will help you navigate it. Don’t rush the process or make each decision impulsively, and speak with your family members about what you’re going through.
While reducing possessions through donations, sales, and hand-me-downs is part of downsizing, finding innovative ways to preserve some memories is also essential. Consolidate, create photo albums, and select items that will carry the most meaning. You can still move because the memories aren’t going anywhere.
Are you ready to move to the next stage? Let’s chat. Send me an email (hillary@hillarylane.ca) or text/phone (416-882-4707).
