How We Moved from 3500 Square Feet to 1000

Case Study: How We Moved from 3500 Square Feet to 1000

08.27.21 | Downsizing

There comes a time in the lives of many when your current living situation just doesn’t suit your needs anymore. It happened to our very own Richard Silver just last year. Shortly before the pandemic, Richard and his partner made the decision to rightsize. 

Here’s how they did it. 

What Prompted Their Decision to Rightsize?

“We had lived in our house for 16 years,” Richard said. “When we moved in we did a ton of work, installing a new furnace and AC unit.” Since the typical lifespan of these appliances is about 15-20 years, Richard says he knew that they were coming up on the time to replace the units–a task that he was dreading. 

At the same time, he was re-assessing what was important in his life. With such a large home, Richard’s property had become the venue for many parties and events. And while he loved hosting friends and family on a regular basis, it was becoming a lot of work. 

“We had landscapers coming in every week,” he said. “It was a lot of maintenance and as I looked at the prospect of all the other things we would need to do in the next 2 years, I realized that I didn’t want to take it on.”

“We opted for a smaller footprint for more freedom,” he said. 

How Did They Do it?

Richard and his partner knew they wanted to make a change. They wanted the ability to pick up and go on vacation when they wanted, and not have to worry about maintaining a huge house. They knew that as they got older, it would become harder and harder to keep up with the maintenance, and the house just wasn’t serving them anymore. They wanted to make the changes when they were in control of the decisions. 

So, they contacted professional downsizers–stagers and decluttering experts–and got to work! They decided what items they would donate and what they could sell. Although, because of COVID-19, they couldn’t host yard sales, they were able to sell a lot of their unused furniture on Facebook Marketplace. 

They decided to relocate to a pre-construction condo. Since it wasn’t ready yet, they moved into a purpose-built rental building for the transition period. “We knew this rental would be a stop-gap for us, and our new condo is actually about 300 square feet bigger than our apartment now,” said Richard.

However, they have had to stay at the apartment for slightly longer than expected, as their condo construction was delayed due to the pandemic.


For everything, you need to know about rightsizing, read our comprehensive blog right here.


The Biggest Challenge? 

“It can be overwhelming,” said Richard. “Sure, you can do everything yourself, but if you outsource and get professionals to help you, downsizing can be so much easier.” 

His biggest piece of advice? “If you have a ton of stuff in your basement, and you know you’re going to move, why not sell it and get it out of there before listing your house?” He says that doing this is helping from a listing perspective and peace of mind. 


Start decluttering now by reading our blog all about it here.


The Results

Since rightsizing and moving into a purpose-built apartment building, Richard and his partner enjoy more freedom. “We can go away on vacation and not worry about the house, the land, the security, we feel free to come and go as we please.”

He also enjoys the amazing amenities at his current apartment. “We have a pool, a gym, party rooms, a restaurant downstairs, we didn’t have these things with our house,” Richard said. 

For Richard, an important part about rightsizing is knowing when to do it. “You have to be pro-active,” he said. “Be a leader, not a follower.”