The Ominous Task of Downsizing Family Photos

When assisting our clients with downsizing, one item that comes up often is photographs. Photos hold many cherished memories, which make them hard to part with. But let’s be honest - seniors accumulate a lot of albums and bins of pictures over the years. These collections are often rarely looked at but incredibly difficult to let go off when it comes time to downsize.

So how do you decide what to do with a lifetime of photographs? Here are a few recommendations we give to our clients:

Digitize Your Photo Albums

We often recommend scanning photos to eliminate the physical storage needed to keep them. There are companies that will take your photos and digitize them, although it can be pricey depending how many photos you have. However, the benefits may be worth it. These digital copies can be stored safely, easily organized, and shared with family members anywhere in the world.

Here are a few of NASMM's photo digitizing partners:

• Artifcts is a web and app based platform that enables users to capture, preserve, and share the meaning (and stories!) behind the objects in their lives.

• Organize This! is a photo, video and sentimental items digitizing service. They can create digital or physical albums for family and friends.

• ScanCafe specializes in photo scanning, slide scanning, negative scanning, including APS films and black & white negatives. Additionally, they handle video formats like VHS/VHS-C, Hi8/Digital8, and MiniDV, along with audio cassette tapes and movie film formats such as 8MM, 16MM, 35MM, and Super8

  
  

Condense Your Albums

Instead of keeping dozens of albums, condensing them to a few is another way to keep the most important milestones like weddings, births, and family vacations alive. Turning them into coffee table books can be a nice way to have them easily accessible and allow visitors the chance to enjoy them.

Share with Family

Going through photographs with family members can be a fun family activity. Allowing children and grandchildren the chance to take photos that are meaningful to them. This way, the memories can continue to be shared for years to come.

Preserve Special Photos

Certain photographs may deserve framing or display. Instead of keeping photos hidden in a box, creating photo collages and framing them can highlight these memories in your daily life.

Photographs can feel like one of the biggest hurdles for some people when it comes to downsizing. But with the right mindset you can preserve the special moments that you have document in a way that keeps them accessible, organized, and cherished for years to come.

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Kristyn Drury is the Co-Founder of Real T Simplistic, an Associate Broker, a Certified Senior Move Manager, and a Seniors Real Estate Specialist. Kristyn loves working with senior clients and their families to help them transition and meet their relocation goals.

Nicole Hyman is the Co-Founder of Real T Simplistic, a Realtor, a NASMM Certified Senior Move Manager, and a Seniors Real Estate Specialist. Nicole enjoys working closely with seniors and their families to create a stress-free transition whether moving, downsizing or just decluttering.

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Real T Simplistic Senior Move Managers is a team of experts helping seniors and their families to make "Thoughtful Moves." because moving a lifetime is always more than just a move. Real T assists with every aspect of senior transitions, from decluttering and rearranging to age in place, to downsizing or relocating to a smaller home or assisted living community.

Real T prepares a personal moving plan for each client, their home and their possessions. Real T is also uniquely able to help with selling the family home, and buying or leasing a new place -- taking care of marketing the home, locating the best new home and all of the paperwork details in between. Relax. You're in the right place. We've got this.

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