Downsizing checklist for seniors in Tampa, from six months out to the first month after

How to use this downsizing home checklist

Most people never finish a checklist that is longer than they have time for, so treat this one as a menu. Skip lines that do not apply, add your own at the bottom and move dates earlier if your sale or purchase happens fast. If you want the narrative version of the same plan, with the reasons behind each step, read the step-by-step downsizing guide. This page is the tick-list that goes beside it.

Printable downsizing checklist: how to print it

There is no separate PDF to download. Use your browser's Print command (usually Ctrl+P on Windows or Cmd+P on a Mac), choose the pages you want and print. If your computer lets you save the print job as a PDF, that gives you a file for your own records. The boxes below print as empty squares.

Downsizing moving checklist: 6 months out

The goal at this stage is decisions, not boxes. Nothing here needs a truck.

Decide where and what

• Write down what you want less of (stairs, yard work, square footage, driving) and what you want to keep (a guest room, a garden, a short drive to family).
• Choose the type of home: condo, townhome, villa, single-story house or a 55+ community. The guide on condo, townhome, villa or single-family compares them.
• Visit two or three Tampa-area neighborhoods or 55+ communities in person, on different days of the week.
• Get the floor plan and room measurements of any home you are seriously considering.

Get your numbers

• Ask for a written estimate of your net proceeds. The guide to estimating net proceeds shows every line.
• Read the real costs on both sides of the move in hidden costs of downsizing, then set a total budget with a cushion.
• Find your Save Our Homes benefit on your latest property tax notice and run the portability calculator.
• Check whether any property tax exemption you hold today will not follow you. See Florida property tax exemptions for seniors.
• Talk to a CPA about the home sale exclusion if your gain could be large. The Florida overview is in capital gains on a home sale in Florida.

Start the paper trail

• Put the deed, closing statement from when you bought, mortgage statement, homeowners policy, latest tax bill and homestead records in one folder.
• Gather receipts and permits for major improvements such as a roof, air conditioning or additions, since they can raise your tax basis.
• Ask your insurance agent how a move will affect each of your policies, and whether the new home will need separate wind or flood coverage.
• Decide who will help you: family, a move manager, an estate sale company, movers. Our local resources page lists the kinds of help available.

Begin sorting the easy places

• Clear the garage, shed and outdoor storage first. They hold the most items with the least feeling attached.
• Take paint, pool chemicals, pesticides and old electronics to the county's household hazardous waste or electronics drop-off rather than the trash.
• Sort with four labels: keep, give to family, donate or sell, discard.

If you are not sure whether your timing makes sense, the guide on when to downsize sets out the signals to weigh.

3 months out: sell, buy and sort in earnest

Housing

• Decide the order of the sale and the purchase. Buying first or selling first compares the options, including a sale with a rent-back period.
• If you are buying a condo or a home in an association, request the governing documents, budget, reserve information, meeting minutes and any pending assessment before you make an offer. The guide on condo fees in Florida lists what to ask for.
• Get homeowners, wind and flood insurance quotes on the specific address before you sign. Our guide to hurricane and flood insurance when downsizing explains what to check.
• Look up the new address's evacuation zone at HCFL.gov/HEAT and its FEMA flood zone.
• If you are listing your current home, read Florida seller disclosures and start on repairs that need permits. See preparing an older Tampa home to sell.

Belongings

• Measure the rooms and large furniture of the new home and draw a simple floor plan. Mark which pieces fit and which do not.
• Offer keepsakes to family with a pickup date, and put the date in writing.
• Work through living areas, kitchen and bedrooms, one room at a time. The guide on what to keep helps with the hard calls.
• Choose how to part with furniture and household goods. Compare the options in estate sale, consignment or donation, and book dates early.
• Schedule donation pickups and any bulky-item collection.

People

• Tell family and close friends the target date so help does not arrive all at once or not at all.
• Set aside time each week for the emotional side. Coping with downsizing is a short read if the process feels heavy.

6 weeks out: contracts, movers and paperwork

• Get at least two written moving quotes and ask whether they are estimates or binding. Ask about insurance and what the mover is responsible for.
• Book movers early if your date falls in late spring or summer.
• Keep a copy of every contract, inspection report and addendum in your folder.
• Confirm the closing date with the title company and ask what you need to bring to closing.
• If you are paying off a mortgage, ask for a payoff statement from your lender through the title company.
• Make sure your hurricane plan will still work at the new address. Know your route, your zone and where you would go.
• Hold the estate sale or donation pickup now, after you know what the new home needs, and not before.
• List the accounts that send mail or bills to your address: banks, credit cards, Medicare and insurers, utilities, subscriptions, pharmacies and doctors.
• Ask your doctors for copies of records or transfer requests if your care will change, and refill prescriptions so you do not run short around moving week.

If you need extra hands, downsizing help for seniors describes who does what and how they typically charge. Helping a parent downsize in Tampa is written for family members doing this for someone else.

2 weeks out: utilities, address changes and packing

Utilities and services

• Call the electric, water, gas (if any), internet and trash providers for both addresses. Ask for a stop date at the old home and a start date at the new one.
• Ask whether the new home is billed for some of these through the association, and which are your own responsibility.
• Book installation for internet or television early, since appointments can be scarce around moves.
• Do not cancel utilities at the old home before the closing date. A buyer can ask for a final walkthrough with power and water on.

Address changes

• File a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service.
• Update your address with Social Security, Medicare, the IRS, your bank, credit cards, insurers and your pharmacy.
• Update your driver license address with the state and your voter registration.

Packing

• Pack room by room and label each box on the side with the room at the new home where it goes.
• Pack a first-night box: medications, glasses, chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, bedding, a few dishes, scissors and cleaning supplies.
• Keep valuables, documents, medications and electronics with you, not on the truck.
• Photograph the electronics wiring and any items movers will disassemble.

Moving week

The guide to moving day in Tampa covers heat, storms and parking in more detail. The short version is below.

• Check the weather and the National Hurricane Center outlook if you are moving between June 1 and November 30. Ask your mover what their policy is if a storm is forecast.
• Reserve the elevator and loading area with the building or association if the new home has one, and ask whether there is a certificate of insurance requirement for movers.
• Do a final walk through each room, closet and cabinet of the old home, plus the garage and attic.
• Keep water, medication and a phone charger within reach, not on the truck.
• Take meter readings or photos at the old home for your records.
• Hand over keys, garage openers and codes at closing, and make sure you have the keys, fobs and gate codes for the new home.
• Set up one bedroom and the kitchen first. The rest can wait.

First month after: settle in and file

Florida paperwork

• If the home is your permanent residence and you owned it on January 1, apply for the homestead exemption with the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser by March 1. The full steps are in Florida homestead exemption requirements.
• If you are carrying over a Save Our Homes benefit, file the portability form with that application. See Florida homestead portability for the three-year window.
• Close out the old homestead if it is no longer your residence.
• Keep your closing statement, payoff letter and any 1099-S for your tax preparer.

Safety and home

• Confirm your homeowners, wind and flood policies are in force at the new address and the mortgagee clause is correct if there is a mortgage.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, find the water shutoff and the electrical panel, and note where the air conditioner filter lives.
• Update your hurricane plan: zone, route, supplies, insurance papers and a contact outside the area.
• Register with any local services you plan to use, including emergency alerts for your county.

Settling in

• Find a nearby pharmacy, primary care office and the quickest route to a hospital.
• Walk the neighborhood and visit the library or community center to meet people.
• Give yourself weeks to unpack. Rushing it makes decisions you will regret about where things go.

The Florida dates in one place

Everything on this page assumes you have planned the larger choices already. If you are still weighing them, read is downsizing worth it and downsizing mistakes to avoid before you commit. When you are ready to talk to someone local about a sale or a purchase, you can request an introduction. Introductions go to agents on the operating team at eXp Realty, so this is not a search of the whole market, and the agent, not this site, handles the sale.