After more than two years living in a pandemic world, we all got used to spending more time at home, many times surrounded by our family, so how can we make this day special? Especially when sharing tight living quarters.

There are, of course, financial and ecological perks to shrinking the square footage of your home, but what do you do when you can’t shrink the number of occupants?

Juggling multiple schedules, maintaining well-treaded, multi-use spaces, and organizing become top-tier tasks for families. Having well-delimited areas became essential during the pandemic. A home office to work quietly and an entertainment room where you can have fun with your family can make spending so much time together easier. So that is why we prepared a few tips to complete this daunting task quickly and without additional stress.

Everything has a home. This tried-and-true tip has been mentioned time and time again, but it is especially important in a smaller space. Make sure that every item in your home serves its purpose and has a place to live where it can be tucked away when it’s not in use. Channel your inner HGTV guru and hit up Home Depot, Home Sense, Ikea or Home Outfitters and find some cute — and practical — storage units that will work in your space, and don’t be afraid to make labels!

The hardest part about this tip — and I think we all know it well — is to actually follow through and put things away when we’re done using them. When living in a small space, especially with other people, things hanging out on surfaces will instantly make your home look more cramped and more cluttered. Tucking them away into their respective drawers or cupboards after use will have the place looking more put-together and reduce some of those stress levels, making clean ups more efficient.

When eyeing up your space, it’s important to ask yourself if all of the items in your home serve a purpose and if not, ditch the clutter and consider downsizing. Listen to Marie Kondo and her art of Tidying Up. If the item does not bring you joy or serve any real purpose in your space, it may be time to part ways with it. 

Use space wisely. Families living in smaller spaces may have to break away from the intended design of the space and get a bit creative. What I mean is who says that the master suite has to be for the adults? Why not put the kids in there? They can share the space, plus it can double as a playroom and keep their toys from spilling out into the rest of the living space.

You can also think of how you can use curtains and bookshelves as room dividers to better create designated spaces to serve specific purposes. Don’t have a closet, for instance? Use a cube shelf from Ikea as a divider and use a few free-standing rolling racks behind to create a makeshift wardrobe. Those cube shelves work wonderfully because you can store items on both sides.

One way to create the illusion of more space is to paint your walls white. Not only is this currently in fashion but it allows the light to add extra square footage to your space, well at least make it look like that. Colour has a tendency to overwhelm a space, so when creating your decor palette, stick to about four colours that can be used throughout the home with one contrasting “pop” colour. The nice thing about colouring your home with decor is that it can easily be replaced when you want to redesign or create a new atmosphere.

Do your kids love to make crafts? Real Simple offers this tip and I couldn’t help myself but include it in this list: throw out the glitter. Glitter is notorious for being the most impossible crafting supply to be cleaned up. Now, imagine what happens when you let this abomination loose in a small space? You’ve seen those glitter bombs? But picture it in your home, where your clothes live and your food! Glitter NEVER really goes away. It hides — lurks in the shadows, in the corners of your cupboard, only resurfacing its sparkly face in the most inopportune moments.

This tip ties in with Real Simple’s point of ditching the sentimental mentality. When living in a small space, you will really have to make some decisions on which meaningful items you keep and which you part with.

For instance, not every single piece of your child’s art collection can earn its spot on the fridge simultaneously. But, what you could do is bring in the tech. Take a digital photograph of your children’s masterpieces and put them on a rotating digital picture frame. That way you don’t have to keep all of the hard copies, but rather select a few of their favourites to store for when they’re older. Plus, they’ll have a digital copy of everything they’ve done on a USB fob when they turn 18 and move out!

Getting outside is one of the best ways to “add more space” to a small home. And now seems to be a good time to get out there as COVID-19 restrictions are being eased up in many provinces. Take advantage of the neighbourhood around you and enjoy quality time with your family as you take a nightly stroll, plan a tobogganing day with hot chocolate or a quick play at the park. Don’t forget to keep yourself and your loved ones safe!

Living in a small space with lots of people and children can be loud, busy and crowded, but by escaping into the wilderness, or even into our own communities, we can take more of that personal time and space while still enjoying the company of our loved ones.

Parents raising their children in smaller residences are becoming a more common occurrence as the housing market is still hard to break into in Canada’s big cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and Calgary. But with some creativity, planning, organization and absolutely no glitter, you and yours can make it work.

From everyone at RMA, we hope you have a fantastic and fun Family Day with your loved ones.

The post How to live small with a big family in 2023 first appeared on RankMyAgent - Trusted resource about Buying, Selling and Renting.

Downsizing allows homeowners to turn some of their home equity into cash by selling their current home and moving to a more affordable home or area. This move further helps reduce monthly bills such as heat and hydro, reduce the amount of cleaning and home maintenance, and possibly allows you to move to an area that’s closer to loved ones or with more green space.

If you’re considering downsizing your home, this article provides three tips on how to do so. The article goes over:

• What to consider to determine if downsizing is right for you and what the alternatives are;
• How to create a plan to declutter your belongings and prepare for moving to a smaller space; and,
• What you should consider when purchasing your next home.

Consider if Downsizing is Truly the Right Decision

Downsizing sounds excellent in theory. But there are numerous drawbacks that downsizing advocates don’t mention. It can be great for some but not for others.

A lot of people downsize for the financial incentive. However, one survey found almost 30% of downsizers said the cost of downsizing was more than expected. Selling your current home and buying a new one is an expensive process. There are numerous costs associated with it, including realtor commissions, legal fees, and home staging costs. You may also consider making a few renovations to maximize the amount you can sell your home for. This can range from a new paint job to a kitchen remodel.

There are also emotional costs to downsizing. Many older people have lived in their current homes for decades. They’ve grown accustomed to routines, the neighbourhood, the size of their home, and much more. Moving to a new space, community, or even city can be a massive shake up that you didn’t prepare for. Suddenly, you have to form new friendships with the neighbours or find a new coffee shop for your weekly brunch. The reduced space also means you’ll need to throw out a lot of your old belongings. And you won’t have as much space to entertain friends and family.

If you need additional funds for retirement but want to keep your home, an alternative is a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage lets you access your home’s equity without the need to move to a new home. This removes the potential costs and emotional risks from the equation.

Create a Plan to Declutter Your Belongings

The decluttering process can be challenging. Downsizing leaves you with less space than your current home, so it’s mandatory to relieve yourself of some possessions.

You can start the downsizing process before committing by decluttering your belongings. This means throwing out, giving away, and selling items that you no longer use. Throwing a yard or garage sale is a great way to go about this and bring in a bit of cash. This process can help you account for all the items in your home and reveal whether you have any deep attachments to specific things.

Once you decide you want to downsize and start looking at homes, you’ll want to develop a decluttering plan so that you’re not overburdened with deciding what to throw out later on. To do this, start with understanding what restrictions you’ll have. For example, how much square footage will your living space be reduced by? Next, list items that you must keep. This likely includes heirlooms, family photos, and the things you use daily. Give away, sell, donate, or store the items that aren’t on your “must keep” list.

Even if some items were expensive, there’s no point in keeping them around if you don’t use them. Hopefully, that item retained its value, and you can recoup some of its costs by selling it online.

Think of What Your New Home Needs for the Long-Term

Due to COVID-19, the condo apartment market in populous cities has declined in price and demand. This may be great news for the 32% of boomers looking to buy a a condo within the next five years. Some of these boomers may move in. But a condo apartment may not be the ideal living situation for everyone’s retirement lifestyle.

When you downsize, remember that this is where you may end up living out your golden years. You want a home with features and a neighbourhood that accommodates you now and 20 years down the road. For example, a walk-in tub or shower over a bath will be better if your mobility gets weaker with age. Living in a safe community with parks and nearby hospitals is also essential. Further, high-rise condominiums may not be the best choice. If elevators are not functioning, it may mean you need to take a flight or two of stairs, which become more difficult as you age.

Speaking to a real estate agent with experience in helping home sellers downsize is a significant help. These agents have the expertise to understand what to look out for to accommodate your current and future needs. They can also provide advice on the declutter and moving process.

Downsizing is a big move for anyone. It involves a lot of consideration in whether it’s the right choice, how to declutter your belongings, and what you’ll need for the long-term. But it also has many benefits such as extra savings and reduced maintenance for your home and lifestyle.

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