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It’s widely acknowledged that moving home is one of the most stressful experiences there is. 

Personally, I’ve always loved the excitement of the move, but I guess, as with most of us, the homes I bought got progressively larger, which meant I could just transfer everything I had from one to the other because there was always more space… and I did. Then, seven years ago, I downsized, moving from a large four-bed house (Georgian, listed, nightmare) to one half the size. There were still four bedrooms, but everything was on a far smaller scale and storage was an issue. I remained oblivious to the size of the problem but luckily a friend of mine took it upon himself to measure the height of some of my furniture as the ceilings in the new property weren’t as high. I discovered that none of my bookcases would fit, and I had too many wardrobes, chest of drawers, tables. In fact, I had too much of everything.

I decided, just two week before the move, to have a house sale. I advertised through various friends’ WhatsApp groups and asked them to bring their friends along too. In just one day I sold everything I needed to get rid of and even some items I didn’t. My proud feeling of achievement switched to panic as I suddenly remembered the attic. When I say ‘attic’, in this particular house the attic was actually two rooms in the roof, reached by a hidden stairway, stuffed full of stuff. It was a case of out of sight, out of mind, but standing in one of these attic rooms I could clearly see the Laura Ashley white hydrangea curtains that I made before my kids were born, in a dustbin liner that I’d transferred from my previous property 23 years earlier! Once I’d realised the extent of my ridiculous hoarding, I ordered a skip. I didn’t sift through anything; if I hadn’t missed it in the last two decades, I wouldn’t need it now.

I was ruthless and felt fabulous about finally decluttering yet, when the delivery men tried to get my furniture into my new house, I still had too much! I had to sell some things online, but that took time, so for a couple of months my lovely new home resembled Albert and Harold Steptoe’s living room - for those of you who remember the TV series Steptoe and Son, you’ll know what I mean – which was not good for my soul at all; it was utterly depressing. When I should have been arranging, tweaking and making my new space my beautiful home, I was stepping over or squeezing past boxes, luggage and furniture and feeling, yes, you guessed it, stressed! I should have started planning sooner and been far more realistic about what should stay and what should go.

If you’re planning a move to a Richmond Village property, the chances are you’re downsizing too, or ‘right-sizing’ as they call it. But, whether you’re moving as a couple or on your own, they’ve got the bases covered. Not only are there professional advisers on-hand to help you with the move, they also have a close working relationship with The Senior Move Partnership (TSMP), an independent company specialising in supporting older people through the moving process. They can do as much or as little as you want, from helping to pack up in your existing property to working with you on the floor plans of your new home, so you know what furniture to take with you; they’ll even pack and unpack for you when you move in, if that’s what you’d like. They’re practical, understanding and very easy to work with and you can check them out here: https://theseniormovepartnership.co.uk/about-us/

In hindsight, I should have started decluttering a lot sooner than I did. It would have helped my cause to get my family and friends involved too because it’s imperative to have objectivity and a healthy dose of common sense during this process. I possess these attributes, I absolutely do but, when the time came, I couldn’t find them. I’ll know better next time.

Top tips on decluttering before a move 

Decluttering’s not a new idea, but I took a look at what the experts had to say, and found that Age UK had really useful tips:

1. Take it one room at a time. Decluttering can seem daunting, but starting small will make it feel more manageable. Consider beginning in one of your spare bedrooms if you have one.
2. Start small, then go big. For each room, start by emptying furniture such as wardrobes, drawers, cupboards and bedside tables. Will you be taking all the furniture with you? If not, you can offer it to the new buyers, donate or sell it on a second-hand furniture site or social media marketplace.
3. Split things into separate ‘keep’ and ‘go’ piles. The ‘keep’ pile can gradually be packed away in boxes ready for moving, and the items to go can be offered or sold to friends, family, charity or even to the local recycling centre.
4. If you have children, ask them to sort through their things themselves. Spare bedrooms and other lesser-used areas may contain things your children left when they moved out. They may want to keep hold of them, rather than these items getting stored away or thrown out.
5. Reduce the number of items that come in sets. For those who are moving from a larger family home, lots of plates, bowls and other sets may no longer be in frequent use. It may be worth considering cutting down now that you’re downsizing.
6. Be practical about storage space. As you declutter a loft or garage, be mindful of how much storage space you’ll have at your new home. If you’re unsure you need an item, it might be best placed on the ‘go’ pile.
7. Take your time and start preparing early. If you’ve moved house before, you’ll be aware of the amount of time it takes to pack everything away. To keep stress to a minimum once your home is on the market, make an early start on the decluttering. This will also help you move to your new place as soon as it’s ready.
8. Measure up. Use the floorplan of your new house to make your final decisions on furniture. You’ll be able to see what will definitely fit and what might need to be given away or sold before move-in day.

You might not be able to do all these things yourself, but if you are taking the plunge to ‘right-size’ and move into a Richmond Village, you can rest-assured that their team and TSMP will be on-hand to help!

Author: Sharon Morrison