Some of these folks are super shoppers with a vast array of objects from many different eras. Others are seasoned collectors of a specific style or movement of art or collectible. Many people have objects passed down from generations of family members or previous owners of a family home.

For those who are drowning in stuff, downsizing can be a very freeing experience.  

My YouTube channel (youtube.com/drloriv) offers free videos and instruction for identifying valuable objects and reselling unwanted stuff for top dollar. Learning how to spot sought-after objects and gain the confidence and skills to resell them can be fun, exciting, and profitable.

Here are my tips to downsize your home and get unwanted objects ready for resale:

Don’t get paralyzed or overwhelmed by the task. Take it one room at a time and start small. You could decide to just clean out a desk of drawers or a hutch filled with knickknacks. Some people declutter by taking on a small bedroom and tackling a guest room closet first.

Once you decide where to begin, be ruthless. Be open to surprises. You will find stuff you haven’t thought about in years hiding in a drawer or the back of a closet. Visualize the goal.

Your emotions count. Don’t let others push you into decluttering something you cherish or getting rid of objects you love just in the name of getting rid of stuff. You’ll regret it. Clean out the unnecessary, unused, unwanted.

Keep the keepsakes — that’s how they got their name — but set a limit as to how many sentimental items you can keep.

Certain items should be kept and enjoyed for the future. Certain vintage objects should be retained because they may be of better quality than an object made more recently. Just because something is old doesn’t mean you must part with it.

Set an object budget. What is an object budget? It is the number of objects of a certain type that you allow yourself to keep. If you have 50 pairs of socks, but you only use 20, then choose the 20 best pairs, and the rest go into the ready-for-donation or resale pile.

This goes for everything else, too. Set the object budget and stick to it for your collections of fine art, antiques, and collectibles. When trying to decide what to keep and what to let go, look for the highest-quality objects, the most valuable pieces, and the most personally important items. 

Declutter with your friends and family in mind. As you review items you are ready to part with, think of the people in your circle who might be interested in buying them from you, even if you give them a deep discount. Focusing on a potential buyer you know will make receiving payment for an item easier than hunting for an unknown buyer.

Give children and grandchildren the power to ask for items as you downsize. You’d be surprised at the items they may want to keep as remembrances from your home. Indeed, in my experience, kids and grandkids certainly want some things that remind them of time spent in your home. They should be allowed to weigh in during the downsizing process.

Identify some pieces as “must-haves.” A dining table, favorite comfy chair, or antique bed — these mainstays must be retained no matter what. You will need them as you move to the next phase of life, and if they have sentimental value, you want to bring those good vibes to your new home.

A Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning media personality, Dr. Lori Verderame presents antique appraisal events nationwide and appears on Netflix’s King of Collectibles and History channel’s The Curse of Oak Island and Pawn Stars Do America. Visit drloriv.com, watch videos on www.youtube.com/drloriv, or call (888) 431-1010.