Deciding what stays when the rooms outnumber the people, and doing it before the move forces the question.
9 articles
Fake payment notices, overpayment tricks and verification code requests target sellers clearing a house. Here is how each one works and how to sell locally and safely.
The national average is near $135 a month and slipping. Here is when a unit helps a downsizing move and when it just delays decisions.
January and February are the quietest months for movers, and rates can be lower. Here is how to sort, book and weatherproof a downsizing move starting this week.
Most things sell for less than you paid, which keeps the tax simple. Here is how to handle the exceptions, the paperwork and a 1099-K that arrives anyway.
The new charity deduction for non-itemizers covers cash only. Here is how to donate furniture, keep the right records and plan pickups around a move.
Paint, batteries, old medicines and garden chemicals cannot go in the dumpster with everything else. Here is how to clear the garage and cupboards without making anyone sick.
Three months is long enough to downsize kindly and short enough to actually finish. Here is a week-by-week plan, starting with the rooms you love least.
Each smaller home trades something for something else: stairs for garden, privacy for convenience. Here is how the three most common choices compare for the decades ahead.
Some objects stall a downsize for weeks. Give each one its own afternoon, and decide what it is for, not only what it might be worth.