Ciji Ware, a novelist, has written a new book called “Rightsizing Over 70” to help older Americans navigate the complex and often emotional process of downsizing.
Ware and her husband, journalist Tony Cook, downsized their homes six times in 10 years and openly admit they “did everything wrong” along the way.
Their experience reflects a broader challenge facing millions of retirees who are living longer and spending decades in their post-career years.
Most older Americans want to age in place, and the appeal of lowering housing expenses while doing so makes downsizing an increasingly common conversation in retirement planning.
But the process is far more than a logistical exercise, as Ware frames it as rescuing yourself from being a “prisoner of your possessions.”
She identifies three major psychological obstacles that trip people up repeatedly: overwhelmingness, avoidance, and procrastination.
“You really have to tackle the psychological roadblocks in the way,” Ware said, pointing to mindset as the first and most important battleground in any successful downsizing effort.
One of the most jarring realities of downsizing is that many possessions hold far less market value than their owners expect or hope for.
Margit Novack, founding president of the National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers, said demand for items like coffee-table art books is surprisingly weak among buyers and donation centers alike.
“Not that many people want coffee-table art books,” Novack said, adding that booksellers typically only want first editions or signed copies with genuine collector appeal.
Collectibles present a similar and often painful reckoning for retirees who have spent years accumulating them with pride and financial expectation.
“It’s very hard for people to accept that the Oriental carpet they bought now will have only $100 or $200 worth of value,” Novack said, underscoring how dramatically resale markets can disappoint sellers.
Ware recommends what she calls “creative recycling,” which means being highly specific and thoughtful about where you offer items, whether for sale or donation.
Condition matters enormously when it comes to donations, and Novack is direct about the limits of what charity organizations will actually accept from downsizing households.
“No one’s going to buy a nonworking recliner. No one’s going to accept items in bad condition,” Novack said, cautioning that broken furniture cannot simply be offloaded to a nonprofit.
Musical instruments gathering dust in attics or basements can sometimes find new life through local schools, which may welcome donations that would otherwise go nowhere.
Pianos, however, represent a particularly stubborn challenge given today’s weak resale and donation market for large instruments that are costly to move.
“Pianos can be big obstacles,” Novack said, and she recommends hiring an artist to dismantle and repurpose one into furniture or decorative art for roughly $100 to $500.
Estate sale professionals offer another avenue for downsizers, though they typically will not take on a job unless they believe total proceeds will reach at least $3,000 to $6,000.
“If they don’t feel they can get enough money out of it, it’s not going to be worth their time,” Novack said, a reality that can leave many retirees without professional help when they need it most.
