DB in NJ Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 We have lived in our house since 1998. It's 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, full unfinished basement, attic, 2 car garage. In other words, there's a lot of stuff in here!! After my mom died (she lived here), our household income was cut in half. Not only that, but dh has been mostly out of work for 3 years (union sheet metal worker). Now we got a notice that taxes are going up to over $10,000 a year next year. We can sell this house, pay off the mortgage & buy something smaller, cash. We have 3 kids who will be moving on very soon - oldest 2 are almost 23 and 19. Sooooo....we aren't in a huge rush, but I'd like to get started. I don't know where to start. I am overwhelmed with how much there is to do. Help me prioritize and get started, please!! It breaks my heart to sell, but we are running out of money and don't have much of a choice anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker of Schole Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Start with de-cluttering. Go through twice, and be ruthless. The less clutter the better it w ill look. Interview realtors. Find out their fees and get their opinion on price and any staging that should be done. Stage the house - paint, rearrange furniture, remove personal items. Put up for sale. I know some people don't believe in staging, but it really can make the difference between languishing on the market and being sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I started decluttering a year before I put my house on the market. Start with one room. Free cycle and your town dump are your new best friends. As you finish a room, box up as much as possible and then put more in the box. Move on to the next room. 1-800-JUNK is great for large stuff that won't fit in car and no one wants. Find out rules for smoke detectors and make sure they are properly placed and you have enough (I thought I had enough but rules change). I worked so hard at decluttering that people thought we had moved out (we hadn't) and my house sold in one weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I think it helps to give yourself deadlines, goals, be realistic. I made lists to keep me straight and organized. Get rid of it if you haven't used it in a year. A friend helped me with our garage and I thought at times she was ruthless but other times she would snag things and put them in her truck. Our local landfill had an area to drop off reusable stuff. And at the Goodwill, I was surprised when I saw the Goodwill guys going through stuff and pitching it into the trash, so what you think might be usable, they may think is trash. I can understand feeling overwhelmed and I would really dislike it if my dh were there while I was trying to clean. Important to remember to not work on it every single day, unless you get a rhythym going with it and it feels good to keep going...otherwise, remember to have fun and take breaks. Ask a friend or two to help you with the painting. Three boxes or bags always in the room with you as you clean. One for trash, one for give away, one for keeping or packing. Often I had a cleaning project going on in different rooms because sometimes I couldn't stand to be in the kitchen for hours, or the bedroom, etc. Someone had a thread posted for cleaning for every week of the year and what area of the house to do for each week. Very worthwhile, check it out. $10,000? that is incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 These are all very helpful. Thank you!! Yes, $10,000....Jersey taxes are ridiculous (a 3 bedroom townhouse could run you $4,000-5,000 a year in taxes, depending on the location). We live in a residential community that has very little commerce. We also live in a large house that some adult children need to move out of ;) The sentimental part of me doesn't want to leave my home; the adventurous ADD side can't wait to move on to something new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Get rid of more than you think you can. Shred old documents, I found old tax records from before 2000 buried in a box recently. We really didn't need to move those. I also start a notebook of things to do, things I hope to have in a new place. It helps that it's in one location. Attitude makes a difference, it sounds like a good adventure. Good luck with everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 When moving from such a large home, you will probably need to get rid of a lot of furniture. Start selling/giving away as many pieces as you can. It will make your existing home look larger, reduce what you have to move later, and make it easier to fit in a smaller place. When shopping for a new place think about where everyone could stay in the future at holidays if all your kids get married and have a couple kids of their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 These are all very helpful. Thank you!! Yes, $10,000....Jersey taxes are ridiculous (a 3 bedroom townhouse could run you $4,000-5,000 a year in taxes, depending on the location). We live in a residential community that has very little commerce. We also live in a large house that some adult children need to move out of ;) The sentimental part of me doesn't want to leave my home; the adventurous ADD side can't wait to move on to something new! We moved out of NJ and went from paying $8k + in taxes to paying less than $600 per year. Our mortgage also went from over $2k a month to $427 a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 We moved out of NJ and went from paying $8k + in taxes to paying less than $600 per year. Our mortgage also went from over $2k a month to $427 a month. Where did you move to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 our taxes on our island are in the high 3,900 and just moving over the bridge they will be going up to $8,400 and we are told that is on the lower end for that area. Some taxes there are $10,000 or more. Yikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 These are all very helpful. Thank you!! Yes, $10,000....Jersey taxes are ridiculous (a 3 bedroom townhouse could run you $4,000-5,000 a year in taxes, depending on the location). We live in a residential community that has very little commerce. We also live in a large house that some adult children need to move out of ;) The sentimental part of me doesn't want to leave my home; the adventurous ADD side can't wait to move on to something new! I will sing the praises of mortgage free living. It is worth having less house to have no payment. Those taxes ARE NUTS. My taxes on an acre of lot with shop, pool, house a mile from a popular lake are only $750. I did have to down size by half when I got divorced 4 years ago. I had over a year to do it but I was pretty out of it emotionally....it was only the last 6 months that I got serious about going through stuff. I just did one room at a time. Went through closets and was brutal with my purging. Some things seemed hard to get rid of at the time but now I can't even remember what I got rid of! You won't miss it I promise. I didn't read all replies, so sorry if I am repeating...but make 3 big boxes somewhere in your house...label them clearly Donate, Trash. Have a few smaller boxes for your kids that will be moving out because you will run across things you know they might want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 You eat an elephant just like you eat a french fry - one bite at a time. If you start getting rid of things (thinking - Does this item bring joy to my life? --NOT-- Can I live without this?), it will become fun and build. You'll feel freer and each little bite will get you closer to your goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berta Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 Where did you move to? We moved to rural South Carolina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted December 4, 2013 Share Posted December 4, 2013 I agree with the decluttering and getting rid of EVERYTHING you can. I thought I was ruthless when we moved after 20 years and over 100 kids (foster and 3 adopted) later. Then just last week I was cleaning our bedroom closet and wondered WHY did I ever move ........... The kids are certainly old enough to help. Try going room by room and eliminating as much as possible. Then when you are through the whole house, start again and you will be amazed at what there is left you really don't need. I can honestly say that we have not missed a single item that we donated or trashed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 Jeannie, I'd be on my happy island in a heartbeat if dh could get a job in one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted December 4, 2013 Author Share Posted December 4, 2013 Kindle... :/ get a job ON IT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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