Rightsize Your Home: The Empty Nester's Guide to a Stress-Free Downsize
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About this ebook
You are an empty nester looking to Downsize from the family home
Finding your home no longer serves the purpose you bought it for
You have retired and ready to embrace the next stage of life
You are baby boomers who are helping their parents downsize
You are emptying a house after the death of a parent, or downsize of a parent
You need to declutter and don't know how or where to begin
You are searching for a 'downsizing how-to guide'
What you will learn:
The Empty Nester's Dilemma – Is It Time To Leave the Nest?
Setting the Flight Plan – How And Where To Fly
Rightsizing Made Easy – Getting Ready for Take-Off!
The Pre-Sale Nest Makeover – Attracting the Flocks
Feathering the Nest – New Nesters' Success Stories
This book includes 9 Resources:
To-do lists
Downsizing guides
Example floor plan
Decluttering hours chart
Styling hours allocation chart
Custom inspection checklists
Moving checklist
A pre-market preparation calendar template
Case studies of empty nesters who embraced change and are now enjoying the 'Rightsize' lifestyle
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Reviews for Rightsize Your Home
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Book preview
Rightsize Your Home - Belinda Woolrych
To my dear Daniel and Kathryn, Henry
and my wonderful family. For your love, belief
and unwavering support, thank you.
What a wonderfully practical book full of excellent tips and strategies to embrace the next stage of life. Belinda has captured the essence of what holds most people back from
Rightsizing their home and given us the tools and motivation to overcome the obstacles with ease. Well worth reading.
Rich Harvey, CEO & Founder, Buyers’ Agent, www.propertybuyer.com.au
It’s no surprise that Belinda Woolrych has finally written a book about property – if you only read one book this year, make it this one!
Geoff Grist, Residential Sales, Richardson & Wrench
It is refreshing to get a different approach on how to present a home. As much as it is difficult to hear that some special treasure just doesn’t do it anymore, it’s welcome advice and we have certainly acted on your suggestions.
Peita
You gave us wonderful ideas on how to present the house for sale. It was no longer our home but a ‘business transaction’ and we took your ideas on board and worked very hard to create a beautiful house for sale.
Janice
I have co-presented with Belinda on a number of downsizing seminars now and have clients who have also utilised Belinda’s services and spoken highly of the experience and success they have achieved as a result of her skills and services. Belinda is a highly motivated, passionate and skilled professional who I would have no hesitation in recommending.
Jenny Simmonds, Certified Financial Planner
Congratulations on combining your wealth of experience, and knowledge to provide Empty Nester Australians with a practical guide to ‘Rightsizing’.
Linda Coskerie, Principal, Property Focus In Sydney
Feedback was great, thanks again for such a great event. I loved how interactive everyone got, and the fact that they were sharing their stories was a testament to how comfortable and engaged they felt - so that's fantastic!
Mikaela Prentice, Stockland Retirement Living
Moving at any time is likely to be a stressful activity. Especially when the move may require downsizing & sorting through many years of memories & collectables. So Belinda’s book is not only a great guide to anyone about to embark upon this move, but it’s a practical ‘How to’ manual that steps you through the practical issues. If you’re contemplating such a move soon, make it easy & read Belinda’s book first.
John McGrath, CEO, McGrath Estate Agents
RIGHTSIZE YOUR HOME
There’s an assumption that when your children reach adulthood, have their own lives and move out of the family home, you will instinctively ‘downsize’ and move into a more appropriate-sized dwelling.
You will carefully sort through and cull or distribute treasured items gathered over the years, sell your home and move into one that is more suitable to your needs and much easier to maintain.
This is not always the case and for many reasons, letting go of the family home can be put off for years or not addressed at all.
Primarily, understanding that your health and well-being may be at risk by continuing to live in a home that may not suit you is why I have decided to write this book. The idea is to help you feel more positive about your next move so that you can enjoy the next stage of your life and make the most out of your retirement.
Once you believe in yourself and understand you’re doing the right thing, the process will become much easier, and you will be able to transition with ease.
Belinda Woolrych
Downsizing Expert. Keynote Speaker. Author.
Educator. Advisor.
Rightsize Your Home, The Empty Nester’s Guide To A Stress-free Downsize
First published in Australia in 2014 by Belinda Woolrych
(Property Makeover Academy Pty Ltd)
Suite 16, 1 Mona Vale Road
Mona Vale NSW 2101
Visit our websites:
www.propertymakeoveracademy.com.au
www.belindawoolrych.com
© Belinda Woolrych 2014, 2018
Revised edition - Version 3 © Belinda Woolrych, April 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9924357-0-7
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Any general financial advice contained within this book does not consider your individual objectives, financial situation or needs (‘Circumstances’). Nothing in this book is intended to be investment or personal financial advice or a recommendation to invest in a financial product. Before making any investment decision, you should consider the appropriateness of the information to your Circumstances and read any applicable Product Disclosure Statement (‘PDS’).
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
The Empty Nester’s Dilemma – Is It Time To Leave The Nest?
Resource: My Bucket List
7 Secrets to Enjoying Moving From The Family Home - Part 1
Part 2 - Tear out section for your support team
CHAPTER 2
Setting The Flight Plan – How And Where To Fly
Resource: My Property Wishlist
CHAPTER 3
Rightsizing Made Easy – Getting Ready For Take-Off!
Resource: Online Walk-Through Appraisal: Areas of Opportunity
Resource: Example Blank Floor Plan of Possible New Home
Resource: Example Unwanted Items Disbursement List
Resource: Decluttering and Presentation Hours Allocation
CHAPTER 4
The Pre-Sale Nest Makeover – Attracting The Flocks
Resource: Inspection Ready Tips & Tasks - Your Last Minute ‘Get Ready’ Guide!
Resource: Example Pre-Market Preparation Calendar
CHAPTER 5
Feathering The Nest – New Nesters’ Success Stories
About Belinda Woolrych
Resource: Moving Checklist
Introduction
Feeling trapped in an Empty Nest?
Stop feeling guilty about leaving home and get Rightsized for a better life!
Welcome! Thank you for choosing to read my book. I’m really excited that you’re here. I’ve written this book specifically for those who are still residing in their family home and considering a downsize at some point. Is that you? Or are you helping someone who is?
You may be single or a couple; you more than likely have children who are about to or have already left home to make their mark on the world. Your home, purchased when your children were either much younger or not born yet, no longer serves the purpose for which you bought it.
If this in any way describes you, my hope is that by reading through the pages of this book, you will not only find the help and answers you’re looking for, but you will also be left feeling motivated and inspired to ‘Rightsize’ your home and life for the better!
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Belinda Woolrych, I am a Property Makeover Specialist, Educator and Advisor in the Property Makeover Industry. I began writing this book, way back when I started my business in 2008. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of helping hundreds of property owners navigate the downsizing minefield and make the best move of their life. It’s what I call ‘Rightsizing,’ and it’s a hot topic right now. I’ve named it, and I’m on a crusade to encourage and motivate future Empty Nesters, like you, into having a more fulfilled life and home to suit.
I feel compelled to help because I have found that the distress caused by even just the thought of making your next move can be debilitating. Rightsizing happens to be one of the most feared projects you will have to undertake in your lifetime, which is completely understandable. There is no doubt you have a big job ahead of you.
Rightsizing presents such a huge dilemma. You may have been avoiding it or you may have delayed it up until now because you have had no idea where to begin. You may be sick and tired of maintaining a large family home and even feel a sense of guilt or loss of control when considering changing your situation.
My role is to help people who need to Rightsize, regardless of their age. Some of our clients are very senior, and Rightsizing has come a little too late. Sadly, I’ve seen some miserable people in this age bracket, who have unfortunately lost loved ones and the zest for life. They are isolated and alone and can no longer manage on their own in their family home.
Leaving it too late can put enormous stress on Empty Nesters, their families, their friends, and the broader community. Time after time, I see the crushing impact home maintenance and responsibility has when it drains the energy and time of the homeowner. This becomes more serious as time moves on and can rapidly escalate to social isolation and loss of friends, interests, self-motivation and pride.
On the flip side, we have happy clients who, after a successful move, now have time for themselves and friends and can take up new interests, potentially leading to a more fulfilled lifestyle and improved well-being. Unfortunately, those who have left their move until it’s too late have missed out on making their retirement much more enjoyable, creating a massive sense of loss.
It was through my experience of seeing people in these situations that compelled me to write this book. I hope to encourage you to make your next move sooner, rather than later. But even if you have left it a little late, you have plenty of support to help you go through the process successfully and feel much better in your new environment, no matter how old you are. I want to encourage you to do something and act now or any time from 50+, and have a home that supports the life of your dreams.
You will discover, as you read the case studies at the end of the book, the difference we have made in people’s lives by helping them prepare their home for sale and maximise their profit. I have found the most joy in not only seeing how we have increased their financial gain but also in how we helped transform their lives for the better on a physical and an emotional level.
I have had the privilege to help many, many people like you who are thinking about beginning the next phase of their lives and are ready to Rightsize their home. After reading this book, you will discover the benefits of finding a suitable home - if you have not realised them already. The future will be yours to shape.
Your families will be relieved and happy to see the burden of the large family home lifted from your shoulders. They will see an improvement in your lifestyle and enjoy watching the freedom that it brings you. Overseas trips, rekindled friendships, and many other benefits will now all be well within reach with more time and more energy.
Coupled with the social side of getting this right, I also feel compelled to help other professionals share information regarding the process of downsizing, so that you feel well informed on every level.
I have witnessed the horrors