The real estate market is booming. Prices are rising to levels we’ve never seen before in Hudson, Saint-Lazare, Rigaud, Vaudreuil and the surrounding areas. It’s an excellent time for homeowners who’ve been considering downsizing to take advantage of the current market conditions, pocket some money and enjoy life!

Where will I go?

The biggest concern when you’re considering downsizing is, where will you go? While a strong market can make it more challenging to find a new home, there are opportunities for those who want to stay in the area. If you’d like more information about upcoming listings, please contact us. We’d be happy to talk to you about different housing options that will soon be available.

What do I do with all my stuff?

If you lived in your home for a long time, you’ll have accumulated lots of memories and all the stuff that goes along with them. The first thing you’ll need to do is decide what you want to keep. I recommend buying garage sale stickers in green, yellow and red. Use these to mark everything in your house – green for the items you want to keep, red for those you don’t and yellow for the things you’re undecided about.

Once you’ve sorted your belongings, you can then decide if you’d like to sell what you won’t be keeping or if you’d like to donate it.

Selling your stuff

1. At auction. This is an option more sellers should consider. An auction house will evaluate the items you have for sale. They can then sell them at the auction house to the highest bidder or organize a tag sale in your home. I often work with Robin Pridham of Pridham Auction House. He and his team have the experience and the expertise to get your unwanted belongings sold with a minimum of stress on your part.
2. Do-it-yourself. If it’s something that you enjoy doing, you can try to sell your belongings yourself, whether by holding a garage sale or using sites such as Kijiji, VarageSale or Facebook Market Place. Just know that doing it yourself can be extremely time consuming and stressful.

(NOTE: At the time of publication, there is a ban on garage sales in red  and orange COVID zones in Quebec, so do be sure to check the rules if you plan to hold a garage sale).

Giving back to the community

Another option available to you is donating your unwanted furniture, household items and clothing to one of several charities in the area.

1. Maison NOVA/La Boutique NOVA. These two stores – Maison NOVA for furniture and household goods and Boutique NOVA for clothing – are very special to me because they were founded by my mother, Janet. She works there every day! All the proceeds from your donated items support NOVA Hudson, which provides community health care and support. La Boutique NOVA/Maison Nova (450) 202-6682
2. The Hudson War Memorial Shop. Known locally as “The Bunker”, the shop accepts donations of clothing and small household items. Proceeds are used to fund the library and to support charities like the Old Brewery Mission and Chez Doris in Montreal. The Bunker  (450) 458-4814
3. La Source d’Entraide Saint-Lazare. La Source accepts donations of clothing, household items and non-perishable food items. They operate a boutique and a sewing workshop and proceeds go to the Saint-Lazare food bank. La Source d’Entraide (450) 455-8000
4. The Hudson Firemen’s Auction. The Royal LePage Annual Firemen’s Auction is always looking for special treasures like paintings, antiques and collectibles to auction off. All proceeds go to funding the Hudson Firemen’s Christmas Basket campaign, which delivers food and gifts to local families in need. You can contact me directly to make a donation.
5. Local churches, the Hudson Village Theatre, Le Nichoir and many other local organizations also hold fundraisers throughout the year. Daycares will accept craft supplies; old eyeglasses can be dropped off at the optometrist’s to be donated to people in developing countries and old bicycles can be donated to Cyclo Nord-Sud.

What about the other stuff?

Once you’ve sorted everything, you’ll no doubt be left with things that can’t be sold or donated. Old electronics, paints, construction materials, etc. can be brought to the Ecocentre in Rigaud or Vaudreuil for recycling. There are local entrepreneurs who can bring your recyclables to the Ecocentre for a small fee. I’d be happy to recommend someone. Another option is to hire a company like 1-800-GOT-JUNK to take them away. As a real estate broker, I can help you get a discounted rate on their services if you choose to go with them.

For the rest, you can make your life easier and rent a small dumpster from Robert Daoust & Fils for under $500. Truthfully, whenever I do renovations in my home, I get excited because I know the dumpster is coming! While the contractors are working, I am sorting and purging my stuff.

Still too much to deal with?

If coordinating with the different organizations is more than you can handle, there are ways we can help you. We recently arranged with clients to have them leave all of their unwanted belongings in the home they were leaving. Once they were settled in their new home, I coordinated with the charities and the removal company to empty their old house.

Going through a lifetime worth of stuff can seem overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. A good plan can make the transition to a smaller home easier. You’ll be enjoying your new life before you know it!