My wife, Janice, and I have begun the process of downsizing and I thought it worthwhile to share our experience and insight into the process. Given there have been numerous variables and questions, I figured you might be able to learn from our situation. After all, an old adage reads, “A smart man learns from his mistakes, a wise one learns from others’.” I hope that as I share our thoughts and experiences you will be able to gain at least a hint of wisdom…

Janice and I kicked off our downsizing journey with a long discussion and a consultation with our financial planners (Gainplan), before pulling the trigger on anything. Then we began asking ourselves a slew of questions: Should we actually sell the house? At what price? When? This led us to numerous discussions with potential realtors. After interviewing several, we chose one based on 1) competence 2) strategy 3) comfort and 4) references.

The selling process was intriguing and definitely a learning experience for both Janice and myself. The most interesting words we learned was “staging.” I had no idea this was such a vital component to the process these days. Nevertheless, it must have worked, because we sold our house in less than two weeks at 97% of its price. We did not even have any open houses – just a few dozen live visitors and nearly 3,000 virtual tours.

While this process has been a whirlwind, it is only half-complete – we still have to find a new place to live! So stay tuned as we proceed with the second half of the downsizing journey.

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