The 4-Step AVID Home Downsizing System

Home Downsizing can be a daunting process. Many people have lived in the same home for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, and sometimes even more than 50 years.

During that time they've accumulated a lifetime's worth of household items, Antiques & Collectibles, memories, and probably a lot of things that they haven't used or even seen for many, many years.

But those things are still somewhere in the house…in the attic, basement, garage, or outbuildings…and they MUST be dealt with before the house can be sold and before those individuals can downsize.

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4-Step AVID Home Downsizing System

We have more than 35 years of experience in the Personal Property and Antiques & Collectibles fields, and during that time we have developed our unique 4-Step AVID Home Downsizing System(TM)…and we want to share it with you in this article.

And AVID is indeed a “System“. It is not a single stand-alone step, but rather four separate and complete steps that are designed to lead you from a house full of excess Personal Property towards your goal of a downsized and uncluttered next phase in your life.

In this article, we are going to introduce you to the basic steps in the AVID Home Downsizing System(TM). And then in later articles, we will explain each of the four steps in considerably more detail.

In its simplest terms, the AVID Home Downsizing System represents four individual steps, with each previous step building to the next step. These four steps include:

1. Analyze…Your Individual Home Downsizing situation
2. Value…Your Property Assets
3. Investigate…Your Selling and Disposition Options
4. Dispose of…Of All Excess and Unwanted Items

And don't lose sight of the fact that the objective of these four steps is to help you to better understand how to simplify your life while selling your excess Personal Property in today's market for:

• The greatest amount of cash
• With the least amount of work
• In the shortest amount of time

STEP #1: Analyze Your Individual Home Downsizing Situation

You can't successfully downsize unless you understand how the Home Downsizing process works. In AVID Step #1 we'll show you how to:

• Review your individual Home Downsizing goals and objectives.
• Analyze your Property Assets.
• Begin sorting your personal property into ten clearly defined categories.

STEP #2: Value Your Property Assets

Before you dispose of any Personal Property, you need to know what it's worth. In AVID Step #2 you will learn:

• The Mathematics of Selling Personal Property.
• The many different types of “Value“.
• How to determine what your items are worth in today's market.
• What's worth keeping…and what to let go of.
• How to discover if you have any hidden treasures.
• Start yourself moving in the right direction.

STEP #3: Investigate Your Selling and Disposition Options

You probably have more selling and disposition options than you may realize and you should use them to your advantage. In AVID Step #3 we'll introduce you to:

• Ten selling & disposition options.
• The advantages and disadvantages of any of these options may appeal to you.
• Few will use all ten options. Rather, you should view these as a “Buffet” of selling & disposition options, choosing only those that are particularly suited to your Home Downsizing situation.

STEP #4: Dispose of All Excess Items

This is where it all comes together. What's the best way to dispose of your unwanted and unneeded Personal Property Assets? In AVID Step #4 we'll help you to wrap things up.

• We'll help you set a Plan of Action for disposing of your Personal Property.
• We'll help you create a Disposition Schedule.
• We'll show you how to execute your Plan of Action.
• We'll make some final recommendations.
• We can show you what to do.

Or, if you live in our general area, we can arrange to have it done for you. If this sounds like what you are looking for, stay tuned for our next article: Step #1 in the AVID Home Downsizing System: Analyzing Your Individual Home Downsizing Situation.

Michael Ivankovich is a Home Downsizing Consultant, Auctioneer, and Appraiser in Doylestown (Bucks County) PA. He is also the author of the recently released book “Home Downsizing in Four Easy Steps“.

This 172 pg. book is full of downsizing tips and ideas similar to those found in this article, and the ebook ($14.95) can be immediately downloaded at http://www.HomeDownsizing4EasySteps.com.