Tips for Moving

Selling a house and moving can be very stressful. A little planning and organization can help to make the process easier to navigate.

1.De-clutter and depersonalize every room and outdoor area so buyers can imagine themselves living in the house. The way you live in your home is not the way you sell your house. You’ll want to make the house look spacious and move-in ready. Start as early as possible, to give yourself enough time to sort through everything and experience the memories and emotions that may get stirred up as you touch all of your possessions. Be as ruthless as you can. Decide if the item is worth paying to move. Sort everything into categories like Keep, Toss, Donate, and Give to Family/Friends. Anything that you’ve decided will leave the house should go out the door right away. If you decide to sell some things (eBay, Craig’s List, a garage or rummage sale), do so as early as you can. If they don’t sell, you still have time to donate them.

2. Create an inventory of what you decide to keep; take pictures, especially of your most valuable pieces.

3. Pay particular attention to the kitchen, bathrooms, and closets, which are spaces that are especially appealing to buyers. Put away toiletries, as well as small appliances and cookware, and make sure exposed shelving has items neatly arranged. Don’t forget the basement; tidy up the laundry room and any utility room or storage area. Ask for help if you need it. Professional organizers, home stagers, and cleaning services are great resources for getting a house ready to sell. Maintain the house every day, so if there is a showing, you’ll always be ready.

4. Repair any cosmetic damage around your home. Patch holes in walls, and repaint rooms that need it. Clean and dust your house from top to bottom. Shampoo and vacuum all carpets. Refinish wood floors if necessary.

5. Plan what will go where in your new home. See if you can get a floor plan, and measure what you plan to bring with you.  If furniture and collections won’t fit, it’s better to know now than on moving day.

6. Set up a binder or file to capture all of the details of the move. This is a key way to keep track of all of the big and little decisions and information related to your move. Store in it moving estimates, names of realtors and other professionals, and paperwork for the sale of your house. You could create a separate binder or file for the purchase of your new home, especially if you’re building or renovating it before moving in.  Include names of contractors, choices of fixtures, paint, and décor, and any other information you may need regarding your new residence.

7. If you decide to pack yourself, gather or purchase moving materials. You’ll need boxes of various shapes and sizes (small boxes are good for heavy things, like books, and large boxes are good for light things, like quilts), bubble wrap, packing paper, tape, tape gun, and bold markers. You could use colorful tape pre-printed with room names. If you’re moving far away from your former house, and your contents will share space with other loads on the truck, you might also need labels with your new address for each box, to make sure that your belongings reach the right place. As you pack, number the boxes and list the box number and contents on a spreadsheet or master list stored in your binder or file.

8. Have a grab & go bag of items for immediate use on moving day. Include essential items for a couple of days, such as snacks, medications, toiletries, and a change of clothes.

9. Separate valuables and personally transport them yourself. Include anything vital, so that if the moving truck were to blow up, these items wouldn’t be on it. This may be jewelry, important documents, family heirlooms, and photos.

10. Change address with post office, driver’s license, bank/credit card/insurance/investment accounts, doctors/lawyers/accountants, utilities, subscriptions, etc.  If you have children, arrange for their school records to be transferred to their new school(s).