There was a point in your life when a larger home was absolutely essential. Whether it was to raise a family or accommodate regular guests, there are years when a big house is full of noise and life, and even the largest of spaces still has a cozy family feel.

But what happens when you’ve served your parental duties and waved off your children as they set off to start families of their own? Does all of that space still seem important to you, or are you suddenly finding yourself in a large but extremely empty space?

Whatever your reasons for wanting a change in scenery, many people are downsizing into smaller, more stylish homes after they’ve made use of the larger places. If you’re considering moving into a smaller space that’s perfect for the next stage of your life, take a visit to websites like Compass.com and see the wide range of options available to you.

In the meantime, keep these things in mind as you look to downsize in a new home to make your next move go as smoothly as possible.

Reasons to downsize your home

While no two reasons to downsize a home will ever be exactly the same, they tend to fall under some of the same broad categories.

Perhaps you simply feel that the house has far too much space now the kids have moved out, and you see no point in staying there. This is a perfectly valid reason. After all, who wants to pay large energy bills and have to clean a huge house that’s totally empty?

Or maybe you want to downsize to help get some money together for your retirement? Many people choose to sell up and scale down so that they can make the most of their new start in life. It could just be that you’ve never had kids but you want to experience a brand new area, perhaps away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Either way, downsizing in style is an increasingly popular venture.

What will you want in the future?

Downsizing your home shouldn’t feel like the end of an era. Instead, it should feel like the beginning of a new adventure. Chances are that you’ve spent the last few decades either raising a family or working extremely hard to succeed in your career (possibly even both!).

Think of this as the chance to find your dream home and not a place that’s designed to please others for a change. This should be a space where you can dream big and live with an understated sense of inner happiness.

Declutter to reduce moving day stresses

Moving from a larger home into a smaller space requires some strict rules about what you’ll take with you and what’s going to be sold at the next yard sale. This is an opportunity to let go of some unnecessary items and random pieces of furniture in favor of taking only the essentials. You don’t want to take it all with you and make moving day an even bigger struggle. Stay realistic about what’s no longer needed in your new place, and look forward to making this smaller space your very own.