What are the steps to downsizing in Colorado Springs, from first decision to moving day?

Downsizing works best in order. First, decide where you're going and why. That tells you how much you can take with you. Then clear what's left, prepare the home, and present it to buyers, and let all of that inform the price. Check the finances early, because many owners have equity but not much cash for repairs or moving. Every household is different, so the steps flex, but where you're going comes first.

Why the order matters

Every downsizing is different. But one decision drives almost everything else: where you're going. Once that's identified, it scales what you can take with you. What's left then needs to be removed from the home. Only then can the home be properly prepared, presented, and marketed, and all of that informs the price.

That's why I use the Life → Wealth → Real Estate™ method. Life: what's the plan, where are you going, and why? Wealth: what does it take to make that happen, and are there constraints? Real estate: a strategy for the house that fits the first two.

If you're still deciding whether to move at all, start with whether to downsize or stay. If you're helping a parent, see how to help aging parents decide.

The steps, in order

1. Decide where you're going, and why

This is the step where people most often get stuck, and it's the one everything else waits on. A smaller single-family home, a patio home, a 55+ community, independent living, a place near family out of state: each one changes what you can take, how you time the sale, and what the next home costs each month. See the difference between 55+ communities, independent living, assisted living, and memory care.

Write the reason down. You'll come back to it when the process gets hard.

2. Check the numbers early

Look at the whole picture before you commit to a timeline:

• What selling costs and what you're likely to net. See what it costs to sell a home in Colorado Springs and what your home is actually worth.
• What the next place costs each month, including property taxes, HOA dues, and insurance. See what happens to your property taxes when you downsize.
• Cash versus equity. You may have a lot of equity but not a lot of money in the bank. Repairs, cleanout, movers, and a deposit on the next home can all come due before the sale closes. See "When you have equity but not much cash" below.

3. Build your team

A downsizing usually involves more people than a typical sale: a real estate agent, possibly a senior move manager, movers, an estate sale or cleanout company, and, depending on your situation, an attorney, a CPA, or a lender. See who should be on your downsizing team and what a senior move manager does.

4. Set the timeline and work backward

Once you know where you're going, set a target date and work backward from it. When you have the choice, give yourself a longer runway; I often suggest about 12 to 18 months from first decision to moving day. A health change or a spot opening up in a community can shorten that a lot.

Timing the sale and the next home is its own decision. You may buy first, sell first, or line the two up. See whether you can buy before you sell and how to sell and buy at the same time. If you're moving into senior living, see whether to sell before you move in.

Another option: sell and stay in the home for a short time after closing. See the post-closing occupancy note under "What's specific to Colorado Springs."

5. Decide what goes with you

Where you're going sets the limit. Measure the new place, then decide room by room what fits. If you truly can't decide on some items, set them aside in one place, such as a single storage pod that goes to the new home, and decide there.

For sorting and emotional decluttering, see how to prepare a longtime family home without becoming overwhelmed.

6. Clear what's left

Everything that isn't going with you needs a destination: family, sale, donation, recycling, or disposal. An estate sale company, a donation pickup, and a junk removal crew can each take part of it. See whether to hold an estate sale and where to donate, sell, or recycle belongings.

A sequence that works for many families: the next home is found, then packers, then pods for what's moving, then a junk removal team for what's left.

7. Prepare the home

Once the home is clear, you can see what it actually needs. Some repairs are worth making; some aren't. See how to prepare your Colorado Springs home to sell and what to repair before selling.

8. Present it and market it

Presentation is the marketing: staging around the furniture you're leaving, professional photos and video, and a clear story about the home. Buyers who see a lot of projects lose the emotional connection to a home unless it has a remarkable feature, so presentation matters more than many sellers expect.

9. Price it

Price depends on everything above: how much you're leaving behind, what repairs are made or not made, and how the home will be presented. If some of that is unknown early on, agree on a price range first, then narrow it as the scope becomes clear. See how to price your home without leaving money on the table.

10. Close and move

Keep one written plan with every step, who owns it, and the target date. Check in on it weekly, adjust as things change, and make sure the consequences of each choice are understood. Nothing should happen to the home without the owner's knowledge.

When you have equity but not much cash

This is common, and it's really a wait-and-see approach, because every situation is different. What I've seen work:

• Vendors paid after the sale. Some vendors will do the work and get paid after the home sells, typically from the proceeds at closing. Get the terms in writing, and let the title company know so the payment can be handled at closing.
• Selling as-is, priced to reflect it. Sometimes the work is simply too much. In that case, we get actual quotes for the repairs, sell the home as-is, and reflect those costs in the price, so buyers can see what they're taking on.
• Buyers who don't ask for anything. Sometimes buyers don't ask for repairs or concessions at all. You won't know until you're on the market, which is another reason to keep your options open.

It's situation-dependent. That's what we do as real estate professionals: we find solutions. A lender can also explain whether borrowing against the home before the sale makes sense for you; see whether you can buy before you sell.

What's specific to Colorado Springs

• Staying in the home after closing has a state form. Colorado's Post-Closing Occupancy Agreement (form PCO70, sometimes called a seller rent-back) lets a seller stay in the home after closing for up to 60 days. A longer stay requires a residential lease. It's a common way to avoid moving twice.
• Hazardous items have a free local drop-off. Paint, chemicals, and some electronics can't go in the trash or to most donation centers. El Paso and Teller County households can take them to the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 3255 Akers Drive at no charge, with proof of residency. Check its current hours, limits, and accepted items before you go.
• Help for older adults and caregivers. The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging connects adults 60 and older and their caregivers in El Paso, Park, and Teller counties with regional services, and its Family Caregiver Support Center helps families prepare an individualized caregiving plan at no charge.
• Property taxes can change when you move. Two similar homes can carry very different property taxes, HOA dues, and metro district levies, and a senior property tax exemption doesn't automatically follow you to a new home. See what happens to your property taxes when you downsize.

A simple way to plan it

• If you know where you're going, set a target date and work backward through the steps above.
• If you don't know yet, stop there. Everything else depends on that answer.
• If cash is tight but equity is strong, get actual quotes for the work, then choose between vendors paid at closing, selling as-is, or a mix.
• If you need to move before the home sells, or after it closes, talk through the timing options before you list.
• If you're doing this for a parent, confirm who has the authority to sign before any steps are taken on the house. See selling a parent's house with a power of attorney.

What could change the answer

• Your health or a family member's. A sudden change can compress a 12-month plan into weeks.
• Where you're going. A community with a move-in date sets the timeline for you.
• Cash and equity. How much you can spend before closing decides what gets repaired and what gets priced in.
• The market. How quickly homes like yours sell affects whether to buy first or sell first.
• Who holds authority. A power of attorney, a trust, or an estate changes who signs.

When to talk with a professional

A real estate professional can help you set the order, the timeline, the price range, and the repair decisions. A lender can explain bridge options and what you'd qualify for on the next home. A CPA can explain the tax side of selling. An elder law or estate attorney is the right person for powers of attorney, trusts, and estates. A senior move manager can take on much of the sorting, packing, and move-day work.

Sources

• Colorado Real Estate Commission, Post-Closing Occupancy Agreement (PCO70), for use on or after January 1, 2026: https://dre.colorado.gov/sites/dre/files/documents/Post-Closing%20Occupancy%20Agreement%20%28fillable%29_for%20use%20on%20or%20after%20January%201%2C%202026.pdf
• Colorado Division of Real Estate, Real Estate Broker Contracts and Forms: https://dre.colorado.gov/real-estate-broker-contracts-and-forms
• El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Recycling Directory (updated June 2026): https://epc-assets.elpasoco.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/Recycling-Directory-Updated-June-2026.pdf
• Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging: https://ppacg.org/pikes-peak-area-agency-on-aging/
• Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Family Caregiver Support Center: https://ppacg.org/pikes-peak-area-agency-on-aging/family-caregiver-support-center/