
Madame Alexander 2023 Values
What’s it Worth: Madame Alexander Dolls Do you or someone you love have Madame Alexander dolls? Whether you are a doll collector or have treasured

Don’t Waste Money Moving These Six Things
If you’re paying for a long-distance move, you’ll want to be sure you don’t waste money moving. Once you factor in the distance of your

Five Common Ways Real Estate Deals Fall Through
Selling a home can be stressful and uncertain. That’s why home sellers are often understandably eager to get under contract when a good offer comes

Floor Planning for Downsizers
If you’re moving to a smaller space (or moving at all, really!), an accurate floor plan of where your furnishings and belongings will go is

Are You Hoarding Lightbulbs?
I know I’m not the only one hoarding incandescent lightbulbs. I have those little cardboard cartons of Edison style incandescent bulbs tucked into closets, bins

How Do You Downsize: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Tips for Downsizers Are you the one who prepares and serves Thanksgiving dinner? For those who love to cook, preparing a large meal can

Decision Paralysis
Decisions can be stressful. Do you find yourself procrastinating on making a decision because you’re afraid you’ll make the wrong choice? It may be a

Beware the Vacant House
The phrase “vacant home” conjures up an image of a creepy, rundown home that may or may not be haunted. In reality, most vacant homes

Selling a Furnished Home
There’s a strange phenomenon going on with furniture these days. In our Downsizing business, we frequently struggle to find buyers, or even takers, of the

The Realtor’s Role in Downsizing
Many downsizers will need to both sell and purchase real estate as a part of their home transition. The real estate portion of the process

Setting Your Downsizing Budget
As Senior Move Managers, Professional Organizers, and Downsizing Specialists, we are often asked about how much a move will cost. It’s a valid question, and

Essential Tools for a Tiny Kitchen
As someone who loves to cook, I always enjoy seeing the types of kitchen tools, appliances, and service ware my downsizing clients use in their

Hidden Issues That Can Derail a Home Sale
The reward for the hard work that goes into downsizing is often the opportunity to recoup the investment that you’ve made in your home. After

Top 5 Mistakes People Make When Downsizing
Are you considering a downsizing move? As a professional organizer and move manager, Ginger Willis of Element of Fun Organizing has seen lots of people

The Price of Procrastination
You may think there’s no harm in waiting, but it can be a dangerous game! Productivity Consultant and Certified Professional Organizer Patti Howell gives us

Dealing With Downsizing Guilt
It’s very common for downsizers to feel overwhelmed by the idea of releasing the majority of their possessions. Many of the challenges are obvious: the

What’s It Worth: Coins and Value of Coin Collections
Almost everyone holds onto certain coins for one reason or another. Whether you are saving a handful of foreign currency or sentimental coins, or if

Top 5 Reasons Moving is Stressful
Moving to a new home and/or a new town is a big deal at any age. In fact, one poll in 2020 found that 45%

Pro Advice: What’s Growing In Your Garden?
Senior Move Manager Kirsten Awe has helped hundreds of clients downsize their belongings and move into smaller homes. Letting go of things is always one

How Consignment Stores Work
As you downsize, you’ll quickly realize that even after you decide what to keep for the future, paring down your possessions can be a lot

How to Sort Your Belongings Before a Move
A fundamental part of downsizing is sorting through your possessions. Paring down creates an opportunity to surround yourself with things you’ll use, need, and love!

What’s It Worth: Value of Hummels
We see lots of Hummel figurines in our downsizing business! With so many different editions spanning over 75 years, there are endless combinations of collections

How to Clear Out an Estate
Losing a loved one can be overwhelming, and the responsibilities required to settle an estate can be overwhelming to say the least. Families are often

Self-Storage For Downsizing
Self-storage solutions can be a valuable tool when you’re downsizing. While most professionals agree that storage units or mobile storage should not be a substitute

Handyman Projects You Can Do Yourself
Downsizing the family home can be a big job! Between sorting, packing, dealing with belongings and moving, most people have their hands full even without

Planning to Downsize
Most would agree that planning to downsize or facing a major downsizing move can leave you a little stressed out! Plenty of people are overwhelmed

How To Pack Moving Boxes Like a Pro
Certified Professional Organizer Ginger Willis is an expert at packing moving boxes, and we asked her to teach us how to pack boxes like a

What’s It Worth: Stamp Collections
What’s It Worth: Stamp Collections Are you in the possession of a large stamp collection, either amassed on your own or inherited from others? With

Downsize in Six Months
Six months may seem like a long time, but when you are downsizing and moving, the days fly by! Of course, when necessary, people can

Popular Books for Downsizers
Popular Books for Downsizers Inspiration and practical advice from the pros. When you are undertaking a home transition, you can use all of the advice

Senior Real Estate Specialists (SRES)
If you are shopping around for a Realtor, you may notice that agents will frequently list acronyms after their names. Typically these acronyms indicate special

Cleaning an Empty Home
People often make the mistake of thinking that when a house is emptied of all its “stuff”, then cleaning it will be a snap. Cleaning

How Does Max Sold Work?
How Does MAX SOLD Work? MaxSold is an online auction company that helps you sell your unwanted and unneeded things, in a relatively short period

Space Planning for Downsizers
How to Live Well in a Smaller Space with Space Planning for Downsizers Planning to move to a smaller residence? Congratulations! Such a move can

How Do You Downsize: Holiday Decorations
We hear from a lot of people that they continue to enjoy their holiday decorations well into the new year. We’re all for squeezing every

Entertaining in a Small Space
Do you love to entertain? We’ve seen that many would-be downsizers put off their move because they don’t want to give up their ability to

Safety Checklist for Your Aging Parents
Seniors often stay in their homes longer than they should. On your next visit, refer to this safety checklist for aging parents to assess how

What’s It Worth: Department 56
Department 56 Holiday Collectibles How do you decorate for the holidays? For many, transforming their home with elaborate holiday zeal is a seasonal ritual that

12 Days of Downsizing
The holidays present some challenges for downsizers. While the idea of entertaining, giving and receiving gifts, and generally staying busy with seasonal obligations and activities

How To Finance a Retirement Home
How To Finance a Retirement Home Are you thinking of purchasing a retirement home or moving to a continuing care community? There’s a lot to

How to Downsize the Kitchen
How to Downsize the Kitchen How do the words “smaller kitchen” make you feel? For some people, the idea of taking more of their meals

Five Ways to Cope with an Empty Nest
Visions of the empty nest hold many opportunities for freedom and leisure, but many find that this stage of life can also bring new challenges.

How to Work with a Professional Photo Organizer
How to Prepare for Your First Visit with a Professional Photo Organizer For people who struggle with organizing their photos, hiring a professional photo organizer

What’s It Worth: Pocket Watches
Pocket Watches A pocket watch on a chain was a must-have accessory for hundreds of years. The use of pocket watches dates all the way

How to Downsize in a Hurry
Making a complicated move from a well-loved (and often stuffed-full!) home requires planning. In our downsizing businesses, we encourage our clients to start as early

What’s It Worth: Military Challenge Coins
Military Challenge Coins Do you collect military challenge coins, or are you the steward of someone else’s collection? We frequently see challenge coins among the

What’s It Worth: Vintage Books
We often hear from clients that they want to know the value of their vintage books. Many of you have books that have graced your

The Rowboat Rules for Downsizing
One of the biggest contributors to downsizing overwhelm is all of the decisions that need to be made. While there are no set rules for

How to Make a Paperless Move
How nice would it be to make a paperless move? Of all the belongings that must be sorted before we move, paper may be the

Organizing Sentimental Items
Professional Organizer Jill Katz shares her perspective on organizing sentimental items. When organizing with my clients, I always save the sentimental items for last. With

How Do You Downsize: Your Home Inventory
As you prepare to review, assess and sort all of the belongings you’ve acquired over the past 30 or 40 years, one thing becomes clear:

A Collaborative Approach to Downsizing and Home Transitions
Downsizing, moving, and selling a home that you’ve lived in for 10 years or more can be a highly complex undertaking that may require assistance

Simple Routines to Kick-Start Downsizing
Simple Routines to Kick-Start Downsizing If you’re thinking about Downsizing sometime soon, the sheer volume of stuff in your home may feel overwhelming. In fact,

The “Downsizing Leftovers” from a Lifetime of Possessions
Sorting and reducing your belongings for a downsizing move is always a challenge, but there are silver linings too. For some, the ability to pass

What’s It Worth: Waterford Crystal Stemware
Waterford Crystal Stemware So, you’re thinking about downsizing and you’re not sure what to do with your formal table setting of china, silver, and crystal?

Sharing a Home with your Older Parents
Sharing a Home with Your Older Parents In many societies, multi-generational living is the norm. While Americans are less likely to combine their living arrangements

Downsizing your Cookbook Collection
I’m thinking it’s time to downsize my cookbook collection. I’ve collected them for as long as I can remember, and like many other people, my

How Do You Downsize: Summer Shoes
It’s getting cool at night and pretty soon we’ll be making the seasonal switch to warmer footwear. How are you feeling about storing your summer

Letting Go of the Guest Room
Do you Love Hosting Houseguests? It’s surprising how often downsizers tell us that letting go of the guest room is one of the biggest reasons

Preserving Family History & Heirlooms
Steps for Preserving Family History We all have those boxes of “things” in our attics, storage units, and basements. Boxes that are nearly as ancient