Downsizing a home in Abilene, KS? 

Downsizing a home you’ve lived in for 20, 30, 40 years—or even longer—is very different from
an ordinary move.

A longtime Abilene home may contain decades of furniture, family keepsakes, antiques,
clothing, tools, holiday decorations, collections and everyday household belongings. If the home
has been in the family for generations, there may be even more to sort through.

Whether you’re moving to a smaller home, relocating closer to family or preparing for a move to
assisted living, the question is often the same:

Where do I even start?

At Epic Estate Sales, we help families with estate sales and complete estate liquidation in Abilene, KS, including senior downsizing and living estate sales. The process becomes much more manageable when you approach it in the right order. 

Abilene, KS. The process becomes much more manageable when you approach it in the right
order.

Start With What You’re Taking, Not What You’re Getting
Rid Of

One of the easiest ways to become overwhelmed by downsizing is to walk through the house
asking, “What should I get rid of?”

Try reversing the question.

What do I want to take with me?

If you’re moving into a smaller house, apartment or senior living community, determine how
much space you’ll have. If possible, get measurements or a floor plan.

Then choose the furniture and belongings that matter most.

Your favorite chair may be more important than an entire formal dining set. Family photographs
may matter more than shelves of decorative items. A few pieces of meaningful furniture may be
preferable to trying to fit everything into a smaller home.

Focus first on building the home you’re moving into.

Then deal with what remains.

Set Aside Important Personal and Family Items

Before selling or donating anything, identify belongings that should remain with you or your
family.

This might include:

● Family photographs
● Important documents
● Jewelry
● Family Bibles
● Letters and correspondence
● Military records and memorabilia
● Genealogical material
● Heirlooms
● Items promised to children or grandchildren
● Personally meaningful collections

You don’t have to decide the future of every household item immediately.

Start with the things you know shouldn’t be sold.

Once those are safely removed or clearly identified, the remaining downsizing process becomes
considerably easier.

Don’t Assume Your Family Wants Everything

This can be one of the hardest parts of downsizing a longtime home.

You may have furniture, china, collectibles and household items you’ve carefully maintained for
decades. Your children or grandchildren may appreciate them but simply not have room for
them.

That’s okay.

Ask family members what they genuinely want rather than assuming they should take particular
things.

Set a reasonable deadline for decisions. This prevents the entire downsizing process from
stalling while everyone thinks about whether they might someday want the dining-room set.

The items your family doesn’t take may still have value to someone else.

That’s where a living estate sale in Abilene, KS can help.

Don’t Throw Things Away Too Quickly

Older homes can contain value in unexpected places.

This is especially important in Abilene, where many families have lived in the area for
generations and the community has an exceptional collection of historic homes.

Vintage advertising, old toys, pottery, tools, costume jewelry, Christmas decorations, postcards,
books, kitchenware and other items that seem ordinary may have collector interest.

Garages, basements, workshops and outbuildings shouldn’t automatically be treated as
cleanout areas, either.

Old tools, farm-related items, advertising pieces and unusual objects can sometimes be among
the most interesting things in an estate.

Before ordering a dumpster, consider having the remaining contents evaluated.

Decide What to Sell, Donate and Discard

Eventually, nearly everything remaining in the home will fall into one of three categories:

Sell. Donate. Discard.

The trick is doing these things in the correct order.

Selling should generally come first for marketable belongings.

After the sale, appropriate remaining items can potentially be donated. Items without a practical
resale or donation market can then be discarded.

Doing this backward can mean throwing away or donating items that could have contributed to
the proceeds of the downsizing sale.

A professional estate liquidation company serving Abilene can help identify what is
marketable before those decisions are made.

Consider a Living Estate Sale

Many people hear “estate sale” and assume someone has to have passed away.

That’s not the case.

A living estate sale can be an excellent solution when someone is downsizing from a longtime
home.

The basic idea is straightforward.

You decide what you’re taking.

Family members receive the items intended for them.

Then the estate sale company handles the remaining marketable contents.

At Epic Estate Sales, that can include organizing merchandise, researching unusual items,
pricing, staging, photographing, advertising and conducting the sale.

Instead of spending months listing furniture and household items one at a time, you can address
much of the remaining household through one professionally managed event.

Moving to Assisted Living in the Abilene Area

A move to assisted living or another senior community can happen gradually—or very quickly.

Either way, downsizing from a full-size house to a much smaller living space requires major
decisions.

Start by determining exactly what the new residence provides and allows.

What furniture will fit?

How much closet space is available?

Is there room for a dining table?

Which decorative items will make the new space feel familiar and comfortable?

Once you’ve selected what will make the move, you can turn your attention to the house.

If a Realtor will be listing the property, an estate sale can also help move the home toward being
emptied and ready for its next stage.

Epic Estate Sales can work alongside families and their other professionals to make that
transition easier.

Give Yourself Permission Not to Sell Everything Yourself

It’s tempting to think you’ll put the furniture on Facebook, list the collectibles online, have a
garage sale and slowly deal with everything else.

Then weeks turn into months.

Selling hundreds of individual belongings requires photography, research, pricing, advertising,
answering messages, scheduling pickups and dealing with buyers who don’t always show up.

Your time has value too.

Hiring a professional estate sale company in Abilene, KS allows you to hand much of that
work to someone else.

For adult children helping a parent from another city or state, that can be particularly valuable.

Historic Homes and Multi-Generation Households

Some Abilene downsizing situations require additional attention because the home itself—and
the belongings inside—have considerable history.

Owners of older properties may also want to read our guide to estate sales for historic and Victorian homes in Abilene, KS

If your family has occupied an Abilene home for many decades, please don’t feel like you need
to clean it up before contacting us.

We would rather see the contents before potentially interesting items are removed or discarded.

Old doesn’t always mean valuable.

But old deserves a look.

Ready to Downsize a Longtime Home in Abilene, KS?

Downsizing doesn’t have to mean spending months sorting, selling and disposing of everything
yourself.

Start with what matters most.

Choose what you’re taking. Set aside important family possessions. Let family members select
what they want.

Then let Epic Estate Sales help you determine what to do with the rest.

We provide senior downsizing, living estate sales and complete estate liquidation in
Abilene, KS and Dickinson County.

Whether you’re moving into a smaller home, relocating to be near family, transitioning to
assisted living or simply ready for a less complicated lifestyle, we’d be happy to discuss your
options.

Epic Estate Sales

Estate Sales • Senior Downsizing • Living Estate Sales • Complete Estate Liquidation

Serving Abilene, Kansas and Dickinson County

Call or Text: 620-314-9570

Keep what matters. Let us help with the rest.