The first step in downsizing is deciding where to go next. The size of the next home shapes every other choice, from which furniture to keep to when the house should go on the market. Fred Gomberg, an SRES® (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) and a Lawrenceville resident for 30 years, suggests Lawrenceville homeowners take it in this order:
Pick the destination, even roughly. A condo at Society Hill, a 55+ community like Ventana at Lawrenceville or Carriage Park, and a move closer to the grandkids each need a different plan.
Learn what the house is worth now. That number sets the budget for the next home.
Work backward from a target move date. Most people need more time than they expect.
Measure the new space and sort belongings against it. Offer family pieces to relatives early so they have time to decide.
Fix what a buyer’s inspector would flag, and skip big renovations.
Line up help. Move managers, estate sale companies, and donation pickups take a lot off a homeowner’s plate.
List the house once the plan for the next place is set.
Going in this order keeps the hardest part, sorting through decades of belongings, from turning into a last-minute scramble. It also means the house goes on the market clean, repaired, and priced from real numbers.
Gomberg works with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach in Princeton and holds a 5.0 rating on Zillow. For a Lawrenceville homeowner starting to think about a smaller place, a first conversation about value and timing is a good place to begin.
