Anyone moved from house to apartment?

retiredtraveler

retiredtraveler

Senior Member
DW and I have started a process of looking to sell our house of almost 40 years and move to an apartment somewhere in the Chicago 'burbs. I find the prospect of going through all our belongings and figuring out how dispose of so many items daunting, to say the least. Anyone been through this? Has anyone left items for the buyer of their house? I live on a few acres and have a garage full of machines and tools, thousands of dollars worth (mower, blower, chain saw, trimmer power tools, etc.). Nothing except some hand tools would be needed when we move.
Ditto on some of the furniture. Did anyone have the experience of buyers wanting items from a garage/house, or did you have a truck come from Goodwill (or similar), to get such items?
 
retiredtraveler said:
DW and I have started a process of looking to sell our house of almost 40 years and move to an apartment somewhere in the Chicago 'burbs. I find the prospect of going through all our belongings and figuring out how dispose of so many items daunting, to say the least. Anyone been through this? Has anyone left items for the buyer of their house? I live on a few acres and have a garage full of machines and tools, thousands of dollars worth (mower, blower, chain saw, trimmer power tools, etc.). Nothing except some hand tools would be needed when we move.
Ditto on some of the furniture. Did anyone have the experience of buyers wanting items from a garage/house, or did you have a truck come from Goodwill (or similar), to get such items?
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I would probably store alot of stuff in a storage pod and gradually sell them off after the move. Right now in Texas houses are selling fast and you must decided quickly what you are gng to do..As far as mowers and tractors that I have I might put that in the sale of the property..
 
I sold a house and moved to an apartment, reason being that I got an offer too good to refuse on the house without listing it. At the moment I am in an apartment and have a lot of stuff in storage. By storage I mean the second bedroom is stacked to the ceiling with boxes.

Looking for a small place, one floor, I just find it easier than a big home with unused rooms full of clutter.
 
There must be some reason to want to live in Chicago, Illinois. Cold, miserable, nasty weather along with being close to the murder capitol of America makes me wonder why. On top of that I can't imagine going from a home on a decent sized property to an apartment, but to each their own.


Expecting to retire early at age 55 we researched best tax breaks and what we considered needs. Going from a 5 bedroom house with a 3 car detached garage on 8 acres of land, like you meant some serious disposal decision making. That home was paid for and the sale was right after I reached age 55 so we took the once in a lifetime no tax on the gain in value.



Our needs amounted to a 3 bedroom ranch style home, warm dry climate, easy access to shopping, dental, vision, doctors, things to do, & live in a neighborhood that wasn't filled with seniors. Warm & dry climate a must since we anticipated arthritis as we aged.


Sold or gave away everything except clothes, kitchen utensils & some hand tools. Bought new needs as we figured out what those needs were. Our sons like their independent life styles but visit often. Since we discussed and they have copies of our wills they know having a home mortgage free as an inheritance inheriting something that has increased in value means they have planning to do. Sell or rent I'm betting they will sell.


My input isn't what you asked about but may be an option you hadn't considered
 
The opposite way around...we bought a house once in another country. It was furnished to the highest standards and beautifully done so I chanced my arm and asked if they would consider selling fully furnished ..and they agreed after we negotiated an added cost.. except for their own personal items and dishes, linen and tools etc they left everything ...
 
Knight said:
There must be some reason to want to live in Chicago, Illinois. Cold, miserable, nasty weather along with being close to the murder capitol of America makes me wonder why. On top of that I can't imagine going from a home on a decent sized property to an apartment, but to each their own. My input isn't what you asked about but may be an option you hadn't considered
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Both our respective families, siblings and cousins, live in greater Chicago area. Many (maybe most?) seniors who have family find their family in other states, far flung. We're fortunate to have everyone in the area and we definitely take advantage of 'family time' on a regular basis. We also travel regularly, so not 'stuck' in the 'miserable' weather. Besides, I go to the UK every year just to hike in the miserable climate over there. :playful:
The 'murder capital' only applies to a few neighborhoods in the inner city, but we're looking at 'upscale' suburbs. We're looking at 'luxury' apartments, walkable to library, walkable to train station (to go into downtown Chicago), on a bike trail, onsite fitness center and pool, lounge, game room, close to medical and stores. To us, it makes no sense, especially as we age and don't know what our health will be, to go to another house. Housing market is impossible to predict, and we don't want to be in our 70's and have to worry about selling a home if one of us needs care (plus, don't want to do maintenance any longer).
Anyway, better to get out of this now. I hear, read about, and personally know countless stories of seniors leaving their houses after someone dies, and the kids having to sort out the mess left behind. We know three people right now trying to figure out what to do with their parent's stuff and how to sell the house. It's a real chore to clean out and sell a house.
 
I agree lighten the load.

I would not get hung up on storing items or hanging onto things until they can be sold. Sometimes it is actually cheaper to just let things go and avoid the cost and aggravation of trying to raise a little extra cash.

If you have a large quantity of things to get rid of maybe an auction would be the way to go, the commissions are steep but at the end of the day everything is gone!

The hardest things for me are the family and sentimental items that I can't seem to find a home for and can't bear to part with.

Good luck!
 
I didn't move into an apartment when I sold my house, but I did move into my boyfriend's small home. There was no way I was going to be able to retain my "treasures", such as they were. I didn't want to store them in a u-lock-it facility somewhere, so the only choice was to give them the heave-ho.

It was truly liberating; I felt like I had taken off a 100-pound backpack that I had been lugging around for 40 years. Now that it was no longer an option but was a necessity that I get rid of the stuff, it was so much easier. HUGE garage sale and several trips to the charity shop later, I was FREEEEEEEE!!!
 
Yes Jujube, I purged big time and I rarely miss a thing and even then, so what?

But, over the last few years I complied another bunch of stuff, certainly not anything near what I had gotten rid of, but I'll admit another small purge is in order. I've been chipping away every now and then.
 
jujube said:
...... was truly liberating; I felt like I had taken off a 100-pound backpack that I had been lugging around for 40 years. Now that it was no longer an option but was a necessity that I get rid of the stuff, it was so much easier. HUGE garage sale and several trips to the charity shop later, I was FREEEEEEEE!!!
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That's what I'm thinking. DW is going to be the problem. She was an accountant in a former life, and just loves paper. We have a lot of old records to purge, and a large, and old, collection of travel brochures from places all over the country. If she'll recycle them, things won't be too bad............
 
My husband and I are in the process of moving right now. We sold our house in the City that we lived in for 50yrs and bought a smaller one story home in the Suburbs 5 minutes away from my daughter and her family. Hubby is doing some updates that he wanted in the new home.We should be in there in a few days. I hated parting with many things that brought back wonderful memories.My 2 children and grandchildren took somethings and I got rid of a lot. On the other hand my husband has saved more junk than you could imagine. He has even saved paperwork from a job he had in 1969. The funny thing is that the company he worked for then is no longer in existence. Yet he calls me a hoarder.
 
Sassycakes said:
My husband and I are in the process of moving right now. We sold our house in the City that we lived in for 50yrs and bought a smaller one story home in the Suburbs 5 minutes away from my daughter and her family. Hubby is doing some updates that he wanted in the new home.We should be in there in a few days. I hated parting with many things that brought back wonderful memories.My 2 children and grandchildren took somethings and I got rid of a lot. On the other hand my husband has saved more junk than you could imagine. He has even saved paperwork from a job he had in 1969. The funny thing is that the company he worked for then is no longer in existence. Yet he calls me a hoarder.
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Enjoy your new home, Sassy.
 
retiredtraveler said:
That's what I'm thinking. DW is going to be the problem. She was an accountant in a former life, and just loves paper. We have a lot of old records to purge, and a large, and old, collection of travel brochures from places all over the country. If she'll recycle them, things won't be too bad............
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Buy your wife a scanner and get all those papers reduced to a computer file. :D
 
RadishRose said:
Yes Jujube, I purged big time and I rarely miss a thing and even then, so what?

But, over the last few years I complied another bunch of stuff, certainly not anything near what I had gotten rid of, but I'll admit another small purge is in order. I've been chipping away every now and then.
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I've divested myself of most of my tchotchkes, but I have a real hard time getting rid of clothing, as my closet will testify. What about that orange tshirt? I've worn it once in three years, buuuuuuut I might find something that goes with it.....really, I might. So, back on the hanger it goes. Then I think about how I don't look good in orange and it doesn't fit all that well, buuuuuuuuut it might look better with a tan and if I finally lose those last 500 pounds, it will fit just fine. Back on the hanger it goes. Rinse and repeat with the blue dress, the green skirt and that red schmatte with sequins.

Same thing with things that have grease stains, etc. That tshirt with the grease stain and the shorts that had bleach splashed on them would be good for wearing while painting the house. Twenty grease-stained tshirts and several pairs of faded shorts later, the house still hasn't been painted. But there's hope in my soul that one of these days, one of these days, I'll be GLAD I kept them.
 
We moved from FL to AZ and back since we retired. Each time was an adventure. We held multiple garage sales each time, and included some furniture with each sale. The first sale was made with a small cardboard sign that we posted during one of the garage sales.

We now live in a condo apartment, zero exterior maintenance. That has a lot of appeal as you age.
 
I honestly believe that some stuff you hesitate purging should be put away in storage for a few months. The first time I downsized I gave away little things that had been gifts over the years from people that I seldom saw anymore. Life is funny, once you downsize and free up your time you do see those people again.
 
A good approach is to ask yourself "who will want this after they carry me out feet first"? If the answer is the garbage man, why wait?

My problem is that I need to stay away from book sales.
 
Manatee said:
.....My problem is that I need to stay away from book sales.
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DW is in charge of a used books store, all volunteer, run by our local environmental group. Yeah, we have a problem having a store that sells books from only 50c to $2.
 
I'm thinking more along the lines of a Condo? A friend of mine found a sweetheart deal...after her hubby died she went from seven acres , 2600 sq/ft house to a nice two bd/rm unit....and luv's it...No more yard work !

She found a one floor, two bedroom end unit called a [garden-unit] with an attached two-car garage, for $140 ish, and a fee of under 200. Has all the usual's pool, rec/room , fitness center , plus a fitness walk, and even a nine-hole golf course...she doesn't play, but still nice that it is there if she would have a change of heart.

I'm not sure if financially it is better [in my case] to look for something similar , or stay here & hire-out the yard work , as i age? This place is paid for so, no rush......just sometimes looking for a change? & thinking to myself.

If I would go?..it would be to somewhere warm BTW....:)
 
retiredtraveler said:
DW and I have started a process of looking to sell our house of almost 40 years and move to an apartment somewhere in the Chicago 'burbs. I find the prospect of going through all our belongings and figuring out how dispose of so many items daunting, to say the least. Anyone been through this? Has anyone left items for the buyer of their house? I live on a few acres and have a garage full of machines and tools, thousands of dollars worth (mower, blower, chain saw, trimmer power tools, etc.). Nothing except some hand tools would be needed when we move.
Ditto on some of the furniture. Did anyone have the experience of buyers wanting items from a garage/house, or did you have a truck come from Goodwill (or similar), to get such items?
Click to expand...


My pack-rat parents had tons of "stuff" [good stuff & junk stuff.] So before my parents' house was sold,
I hired professionals to conduct an estate sale. Professionals may charge anywhere from 20% to 35%
of the proceeds. But they do all the work. So it was well worth it. And we walked away with about $9000
[yes, nine thousand dollars !!] just from selling the unwanted "stuff" inside the house and garage.

.
 
.

It's better to own than rent in retirement. That is... if you own your home mortgage free and the cost of ownership is less than rent.

You can control your own home finances but not your rent. Inflation is now increasing, so rents will be increasing accordingly.
 
KingsX said:
.It's better to own than rent in retirement. That is... if you own your home mortgage free and the cost of ownership is less than rent.
You can control your own home finances but not your rent. Inflation is now increasing, so rents will be increasing accordingly.
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It's largely a lifestyle choice for us. I have not really worked at 'the numbers', and it really doesn't make any difference to us financially. I would be in my early 70's by the time we would sell, and the proceeds from the house would pay for years of rent. We want the lifestyle of an onsite workout facility, walk to public trans, walk to the library, be on a bike trail that is part of a large complex of trails in the Chicago suburbs, and close to shopping. And I don't want to deal with any house issues --- maintenance, repairs, etc.
We have the financial freedom to rent anything we like. We have considered even moving to downtown Chicago itself.
 
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