Bigger is not necessarily always better. More is not always best. The costs of maintaining a larger property can become overwhelming and eventually becomes a burden year after year. Not only this, but surrounding yourself in clutter can be detrimental to your mental health. Once your children have left the nest and the family home is left emptier than years passed, your lifestyle needs and demands begin to change, and therefore your surroundings should too.

Downscaling can be daunting, but also liberating. Nevertheless, it should be approached with care, consideration and a clear plan should be put into place. Spend less time worrying about your home, and more time actually living with our guidelines on downscaling. We’ve put together a few factors to consider when you have made the decision to minimise what’s around you.

The appeal of being able to lock up and go

The maintenance of running a larger household and managing it efficiently is often one of the main reasons that people want to downscale. Repainting, repairing and replacing items such as a garden gate, the pool pump or even just pulling out weeds in a bigger garden are all time-consuming and money-gobbling realities that people often get tired of dealing with.

Many people are living in hard economic times, with prices of almost everything increasing and projected to continue to do so. Not only will your quality of life improve in a better or safer location, but you will save monthly on rates and maintenance costs merely thanks to the smaller rooms and gardens that use less electricity and water than larger homes.

With the world evolving and encouraging you to make more meaningful use of your time and resources, the lock up and go lifestyle has become far more appealing than that of a constant home-body lifestyle.

Lifestyle and Location

Depending on your lifestyle and interests, a smaller property in your desired location, such as a beachside property or apartment in the city. Before the Covid pandemic, location often outweighed lifestyle, as people preferred to live closer to work for travelling purposes, and to avoid being stuck in traffic. With more and more people working from home, the locations that many now choose are no longer dependant on the location of their work, but rather on that of their lifestyle. Many have begun to choose a more relaxed atmosphere, often further away from the hustle and bustle of city life, even if it means a smaller home.

In today’s fast paced life, connecting with family or friends is tricky enough without having to find each other in one of the various rooms spread across the house. Smaller homes force more interaction, as you cannot avoid a person for too long if there is no place to “hide”. This minimises the occurrences where families live past each other and encourages more meaningful encounters with one another. Ultimately though, you need to find a home that suits your lifestyle and needs of your family.

The problem with possessions

Most people have watched, or perhaps even just heard of Marie Kondo’s mantra in that your possessions should spark joy, and if they don’t, they need to go. And perhaps she has a point! Not only I it good for your mental health, but it’s good for your physical health too! Decluttering can prevent pests and reduce dust, mould and mildew which may trigger allergies. It’s also far easier to prepare meals in an orderly kitchen, and most people sleep better in a neat room with a tidy bed. This is imperative for an improved lifestyle and your well-being.

Going smaller may seem like an impossible or even an emotionally difficult task, purely because we form attachments to the items in our home. However, having less space in a new home means that you need to consciously throw out things you no longer want, need or use. You need to take the time to decide what brings you joy and what doesn’t. What is really needed and what isn’t. You’ll be surprised just how liberating the experience of decluttering is, and how quickly your mental health improves when you have less constantly surrounding you.

The long-term benefits of downscaling far outweigh the immediate disadvantages. The possible drawbacks include the emotions and costs involved in selling and moving, but the income saved on monthly bind repayments and lower utility bills and the peace of mind that comes with a new adventure is far greater. Not to mention living the lifestyle that you wish to live, as opposed to living a life of convenience. Improve your quality of living and give yourself some much needed “breathing room”, and see how this will pave the way to a happier, healthier home and way of living.