[angel222]

I'm considering downsizing from my 3 bedroom designer home to a 2 bedroom courtyard villa or perhaps even a patio villa. Does anyone have any experience doing this? Wondering if this is an easy transition -- where to store furniture after selling one house until you find the next seems really hard, fitting into a already existing neighborhood seems difficult according to some posts here, and paying two closing costs are just a few of the questions going through my mind. Comments by anyone who has anything to share on this would be really appreciated. I'm sure there's alot of things I haven't even thought of yet. I've been told the square footage difference is difficult to get used to also but the costs would be easier on my budget....

Thanks for any comments you can share....

[asianthree]

did you downsize when you moved to TV? Go room by room and see what you want to get rid of...another thought is to rent your currant home out and rent a patio villa say for a month or two and see if you would be able to adjust..that way you can be sure before you move...just a thought

[Uptown Girl]

Only you know where you are (in equity) in your current home. If the numbers are right and the price of a smaller home is right, it may be advantageous.

Consider what you will have to have in your smaller home- any extras you will need or want to add should figure in your numbers, like window treatments, painting, screen door, drawer pullouts- stuff like that. Also figure the bond in the equation, if there is one.

Going smaller does make some dent in operating costs, but small is small.
You have to be ready for that.

If you can, take your time to imagine what it would be like to eliminate at least half of the volume of things you have now and also at least half of the storage areas and 'wiggle room' around furniture.
I'm sure you will make the choice that is right for you.

We have a CYV. There are two of us. We adapted well, but it was and is a challenge.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by angel222

I'm considering downsizing from my 3 bedroom designer home to a 2 bedroom courtyard villa or perhaps even a patio villa. Does anyone have any experience doing this? Wondering if this is an easy transition -- where to store furniture after selling one house until you find the next seems really hard, fitting into a already existing neighborhood seems difficult according to some posts here, and paying two closing costs are just a few of the questions going through my mind. Comments by anyone who has anything to share on this would be really appreciated. I'm sure there's alot of things I haven't even thought of yet. I've been told the square footage difference is difficult to get used to also but the costs would be easier on my budget....

Thanks for any comments you can share....

Sometimes "less is more"..........we have a huge home which we've been decluttering and streamlining for weeks now, in advance of listing the home for sale........it's actually quite liberating to get rid of all these possessions..........as all of our neighbors "in the same boat" will agree, it is totally amazing how much we all accumulate each decade. Things we will never ever use.


Tips for cutting clutter and organizing your home..............

Moving to a new house is a perfect excuse for cutting clutter and organizing your home.

Don't wait until after you move -- make the tough decisions before you start to pack to make the moving and unpacking process more painless.

Be ruthless when culling your belongings.

Moving is expensive, and it's a waste of time and money to move unused items to a new home, where they'll continue to be unused.

Ask yourself if you will really read those books or wear those clothes again -- or if it is time to let someone else enjoy them.

The more you organize your belongings before you move them, the less you will have to do after the move.

Preparing for the Journey:This session is about preparing for the journey ahead.

It will cover topics ranging from how clutter affects you to what's motivating you for change now.

Planning for the Future: Organizing is difficult, without a plan it can feel almost impossible. We will learn how to analyze our spaces and how to fill out a detailed project plan. Think of the project plan as a roadmap getting you from one destination to another.

Sorting Through the Chaos: This is the time where we have to make decisions. Sorting is about taking an inventory of your belongings and deciding what stays and what will go. This session covers different sorting methods and how to beat those roadblocks and excuses that may have stumped you in the past.

Organizing a Lifestyle:Once you know what you have, you can start to decide where things are going to be placed in your home. For everything, there is a place. This is the key to living an organized lifestyle. We will discuss the best ways to place your items and where organizing products may help in your organizing efforts.

Maintaining the Calm: The goal is to live an organized life, not just organize a space once and think we are done. Here we will discuss how to develop organizing systems around our belongings. These systems are the actions we take everyday to keep the spaces in order. We will also cover backsliding — what happens if we start to see our old habits form again?

You get the idea...........again "less is more"........and less stuff to clean/dust.

[twinklesweep]

Originally Posted by angel222

I'm considering downsizing from my 3 bedroom designer home to a 2 bedroom courtyard villa or perhaps even a patio villa. Does anyone have any experience doing this? Wondering if this is an easy transition -- where to store furniture after selling one house until you find the next seems really hard, fitting into a already existing neighborhood seems difficult according to some posts here, and paying two closing costs are just a few of the questions going through my mind. Comments by anyone who has anything to share on this would be really appreciated. I'm sure there's alot of things I haven't even thought of yet. I've been told the square footage difference is difficult to get used to also but the costs would be easier on my budget....

Thanks for any comments you can share....

Four things:

Keep in mind that most of the closing costs are paid by the seller, so you would not be paying full closing costs on both what you sell and what you buy.

If you go with a CYV, you can really bring down your maintenance costs by eliminating all the grass (if the previous owner has not already done this). No mowing, no feeding, no debugging, no watering of the former grass areas, no replacing areas of sod as the creatures inevitably manage to break through and chew some up.

CYVs have more of a turnover than other home styles, so there would be less of an issue of an established neighborhood with established friends.

Property taxes and bonds tend to be lower on CYVs; even though more of the land is usable within a courtyard, as opposed to a lawn that runs into the lawns of your neighbors, the properties tend to be smaller, and consequently the bonds as well.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you.

[ilovetv]

Maybe the TV Relocation Service could help with that? People have said here they do a good job and it's a helpful service.

I don't know if "relocation" has to be long distance or cross-country to have their help, but it is a relocation involving sale of one home and purchase of another.

In the meantime, I would sell or donate as much furniture as I could stand to part with. Less is more, in terms of getting unneeded encumbrances off your back. And then it will cost less to store what you're keeping, if you don't move directly into the next home.

Extra Space Storage on 466 just east of Rolling Acres Rd. offers the first month's rent for only $20, on any size unit (then after that it would be the usual rent amount for the chosen unit). It's a beautiful facility, indoors, lots of security, air conditioning, elevators, etc.

[rayschic]

Originally Posted by angel222

I'm considering downsizing from my 3 bedroom designer home to a 2 bedroom courtyard villa or perhaps even a patio villa. Does anyone have any experience doing this? Wondering if this is an easy transition -- where to store furniture after selling one house until you find the next seems really hard, fitting into a already existing neighborhood seems difficult according to some posts here, and paying two closing costs are just a few of the questions going through my mind. Comments by anyone who has anything to share on this would be really appreciated. I'm sure there's alot of things I haven't even thought of yet. I've been told the square footage difference is difficult to get used to also but the costs would be easier on my budget....

Thanks for any comments you can share....

We downsized from a three bedroom ranch to a two bedroom courtyard villa. Best move ever. We bought the Courtyard Villa furnished. Then we swapped some of our furniture between the homes and sold our three bedroom furnished.
We bought a home that was For Sale By Owner and sold ours the same way. Eliminates the 6% Real Estate fee. We hardly ever used the third bedroom anyway so we don't miss the space...less to clean. No more grassing cutting, fertilization, etc. Much lower water and electric bills. We LOVE the backyard. Lots of space and privacy. We eat dinner outside almost every night listening to the various birds. It was a wonderful decision.

[angel222]

Great advice ....thanks everyone!

[KathieI]

Patio Villas are selling almost immediately these days, almost as fast as CYV's. I loved the patio villa I rented last year for 2 months, while I had to get out of my house for repairs. Less to clean, and I never felt closed in. A wonderful experience. Some day, I will probably buy one.

[Suzi]

I have found if I keep this in my mind - its much easier: "I've enjoyed this for many years and now it is time for someone else to enjoy it". Instead of feeling like I have LOST some item, I feel happy that someone else/poor family or person will get to enjoy this wonderful thing.

[LeeM]

Originally Posted by Suzi

I have found if I keep this in my mind - its much easier: "I've enjoyed this for many years and now it is time for someone else to enjoy it". Instead of feeling like I have LOST some item, I feel happy that someone else/poor family or person will get to enjoy this wonderful thing.

That's how I think of it also.

Each week I try to sell or donate a few things to make any eventual move easier. I am also looking to use what I have and use things up.

If feels good!

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Fitbabe

That's how I think of it also.

Each week I try to sell or donate a few things to make any eventual move easier. I am also looking to use what I have and use things up.

If feels good!

I can echo exactly what you have said above.

For the past month or more , we've been bringing several big black carpenter bags per day to the Salvation Army.......to weed out all of our closets, including the big walk in closet........in preparation for putting our home on the market. If we haven't used something, are not using it or do not plan to use it, we gave it away.........one way or another.

This also will make it easier for the painters who are coming in to the home for the two weeks we'll be gone to the Maine seashore with all of our adult children and the five grandchildren..........also for the carpet installer who will return to do the upstairs bedrooms after the painters leave.....
They've already done the main living area last month.........

It's all coming together and I will say again......it's extremely liberating to get rid of all this stuff........particularly knowing that some other folks will be able to use it........

We will be traveling "lightly" when we move to Florida........

After almost fifty years of marriage, we have downsized before, however, it all seems to return......especially since having all of the grandchildren arrive in our lives.........now, the toy boxes are gone, the dollhouses are gone, the remote control cars are gone........lots of new stuff gone to the needy children........it was like Christmas in July......

We also plan to stage the house.........so had some extra furniture removed by the fellow who mows our lawn and his friend........we have super large rooms anyway, but his really opens it up more.........

It's like a totally new home since they carpeted the main living area and since we've decluttered the entire home..............if it doesn't sell and we have to stay here.......other than the winter weather.......it's still a beautiful house.

[CFrance]

[QUOTE=senior citizen;718728]After almost fifty years of marriage, we have downsized before, however, it all seems to return......

It was always my contention that those boxes in the attic would get bored, start fooling around, and end up having baby boxes. Every single house...

[Lbmb24101]

Senior

Price your house right, and it will sell.
It will.
When we had oyr close 3 wks ago, our realtor and our buyer's realtor were chit chatting and commenting how they had clients ready to buy and no inventory available ( north Atlanta market)

It will sell.
Keep the faith.