With real estate prices soaring across the country, more and more Canadians are considering packing up their things and downsizing their homes. Victoria is no exception. When considering that most people have the majority of their net worth tied up in their home, the 20% increase in average home value from 2021 to 2022 is an enticing reason to think about downsizing.
When you downsize, you are more likely to discover heaps of stuff that you no longer find useful or have a meaningful attachment to. All of this ‘no longer useful’ stuff can become useful for someone else and could land you with a few extra bucks in your pocket. Decluttering, junk removal, and generally freeing ourselves of this stuff can be hugely beneficial to our everyday lives in a myriad of ways. When done right, a proper downsizing and decluttering process can have a huge impact on your wallet, your mental health, and the way you live. Heck yeah! Let’s get into it.
In this article, we’ll break down our favourite tips and benefits of downsizing and decluttering your home:
Why downsize? So many reasons!
Downsizing is something people have been doing for ages. When you become older, you have less intrinsic need for so much square footage in your home. Maybe your children have fled the nest, or it’s getting physically difficult to get around and maintain such a large home. So you sell the house, move into something smaller, and put the difference towards travel, grandkids, the cats (or dogs), or anything else that’s important to you.
Here are three really good reasons to downsize:
1) Lower mortgage payments
The idea of downsizing is even sweeter for British Columbians these days, regardless of age. With the price of real estate soaring, there’s never been a better time. You can decrease your monthly mortgage payment significantly, and either save that money or use it to improve your health, go on more vacations, or spoil a special someone. Even for renters, downsizing into a smaller apartment or basement suite could earn them big monthly savings. At the end of the day, the economic benefit of downsizing a primary residence is usually the most common and most potent motive.
2) Less yard maintenance
With a smaller space comes (hopefully) an easier load of maintenance and upkeep. Less cleaning, like sweeping and dusting, as well as less serious maintenance like repairing the roof, painting, trimming hedges, gardening, HVAC maintenance, and more. If you really downsize and opt for an apartment, you can eliminate a lot of yard and maintenance overhead.
3) Lower utility bills
Aside from lowering your monthly mortgage or rental payments, downsizing can also lead to noticeable savings on your utility bills. A smaller space will cost less to heat and will be easier to keep warm through the winter. You can also expect other bills associated with home ownership to be lower, like property taxes, water bills, etc…
RELATED: Learn how we go out of our way to recycle as much as possible when we haul away your junk => https://www.thejunkbox.ca/blog/the-junk-removal-process-from-start-to-finish/.
Why You Should Declutter Your Space
Whether the reasons are economic or practical, many people face the decision of downsizing at some point in their lives. What they’re often unprepared for is the level of decluttering and purging of personal belongings that is necessary. You can declutter and choose not to downsize, but you probably can’t downsize without decluttering too.
Here are a few great reasons to declutter your home:
Reduce everyday stress
At home, a constantly cluttered and untidy environment can be stressful, embarrassing, or just downright infuriating. With stuff everywhere, it can be difficult to find things and increasingly difficult to clean. Plus, you’ll notice your mental focus can suffer and your thoughts become more fractured when your home is messy and cluttered. There’s just too much going on, and it’s a sensory overload.
But when you declutter your space, you give your brain a break and become less stressed and on edge. You’ll notice you become more at ease, and being at home is genuinely more relaxing.
Safety in the home
One of the more overlooked benefits of decluttering is an element of safety, which is especially important if you have small children or pets in the house. With stuff scattered all over the floors like a game of ‘scramble’, everything becomes a tripping hazard. Also, these sharp little ambushes can unleash a curse-laden outburst of fury that would make a pirate blush! A tidy space has clean floors, neatly stacked books, organized shelves, closets, and storage space, with purposeful placement for things that shouldn’t be on the floor. Everything should have its ‘home’, which is also a great game to play with kiddos, teaching them about keeping things tidy.
Increase home value
Decluttering can totally relate to your front and back yard as well. By tidying up your property, you can significantly improve the look of your home, and therefore boost its value on the market. You’d be surprised what a bit of weeding, some trimming of unruly bushes, overgrown plants, trees and shrubs, and any aging structures in the yard like sheds, fences, and children’s play equipment. Anything that improves the optics of your home and hard (curb-appeal) can increase the desirability of your home when you’ve decided to sell. It’s a heck of a lot of work, but it more than pays for itself in the long run.
More space to decorate & clean
By tidying up your cluttered home, you’ll also realize brand new opportunities to clean and decorate. Not only will the overall task of cleaning be physically easier, but you’ll notice your home just looks cleaner after you do. Adding décor to an already busy home usually just adds to the clutter, but once you’ve purged some of your stuff and tidied your space, you’ll also realize you can decorate. Fresh art on the walls, plants, an area rug, and some small decorative items on a shelf will just look better.
Downsizing your space and thoroughly decluttering can be life-changing. Aside from the clear economic and practical benefits, you’ll also just feel lighter. Your mind will be clearer, less anxious, and you’ll have the ability to truly relax.
Here at the Junk Box, we’ve been hauling Victoria’s junk for over 30 years. We’ll take just about anything, and we prioritize the environment whenever possible. That means the dump is a last resort. Contact us today to ask us anything, get a quote.
