Love Selling Your Home – Week 10
This is the tenth article in the series, Love Selling Your Home: Minimize Your Stress, Maximize Your Profit, a step-by-step guide to selling your home. This series takes you through the entire home-selling process — from finding a real estate agent to settlement day.
You have mixed feelings about moving right now — excited to create new memories in a new home, but also a bit sad to leave your old one behind. Regardless, you need to get organized and focused for your big move and all the details involved.
Here are some ways to help you NOT feel overwhelmed leading up to your move (and your settlement day). Doing some preparation months or weeks ahead can make a massive difference in the final days, so keep that in mind when you first list your home.
Find an organization system that works for you. Whether you create an “old-school” binder or find an online app that can keep you on track, take the time to stick to a system and use it. It can be a great way to stay organized and have all your information in one spot. Keep your estimates, receipts, checklists, phone numbers, and even an inventory of items being moved. This can significantly relieve stress throughout the entire process.
Go through every room to sort and purge. Basically, don’t move things you no longer use or want! Moving should force you to throw things out, donate, or recycle. However, you should make some headway on this before putting your home on the market. A clutter-free home has more appeal to buyers.
Don’t forget to dispose of any toxic or hazardous materials you may have lurking in your garage or basement. Check with your community to see where these can be disposed of.
Determine what may require special treatment during your move. For the items you plan to keep, create a list of those that require special packaging or extra insurance coverage for the move. What about any large paintings or fragile pottery?
Get written estimates from several movers and compare costs. I have some recommendations for movers that you’ll find helpful. You can also ask friends and family about reliable movers they have used recently. Some moving companies will want to visit onsite to provide an estimate, while others will quote you a rate over the phone or email if you can be specific about the details of what will be moved. Are you in a condo building and have to use the service elevator, or in a townhome with no parking close to your home? Be sure to secure the elevator and/or a spot out front for the moving truck.
About a month or two before the move, select a company, confirm the date and arrival time, all costs, both addresses, and any details so you avoid any confusion during the actual move.
Get supplies for the move. If you aren’t receiving boxes from a moving company, ask around for some to reuse or order new ones. Also, make sure you have a stocked supply of tape, bubble wrap, and permanent pens if you plan to pack yourself. Don’t forget you can even go green by using towels, sheets, and blankets to protect items. Your mover may be able to supply wardrobe boxes and dish barrels, but double-check.
Let others know you are moving and provide your new address or cancel services. Contact the post office with your new change of address.
Also, directly contact others to cancel their services or to let them know your new address if you’re continuing their services. This can include vendors for services such as lawn care, pest control, pet walking, newspaper delivery, house cleaning, gym membership, and swimming pool club.
Notify any health professionals about your move and new address. Depending on how far you move and whether you will continue to be a patient, you may need to have any medical records transferred or forwarded to a new healthcare provider. Also, contact your pharmacy with your new address, and refill any prescriptions as necessary so you don’t run short of medication on the days around the move.
Don’t forget to notify your banks, other financial institutions, credit card and insurance companies, broker, and employers, among others. If you have a bank deposit box, remember to schedule a time to clean it out if necessary.
If you have children, make sure their school records are sent to the new school district.
Have a plan when packing your items. First, pack items you don’t use often, and then proceed from there as the moving day approaches. For example, are there certain toys your kids don’t use all the time? Are there items already stowed away, such as crystal glasses and china, that you don’t plan to take out anytime soon? Get them in boxes now!
Also, make sure you pack one or two boxes with essentials that you will need right away when you move into your new home. Keep track of these boxes!
Items such as expensive jewelry or important files should be moved to a secure box that you can move personally.
A few days before the move, pack some suitcases with clothes, shoes, and personal items you will use during the first few days in your new home. Don’t forget shampoo, your toothbrush, and any prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Even if you’re not going cross-country and just heading down the road, plan like you’re going on a trip. Plus, why not use those suitcases, since you need to move them anyway!
Label your boxes. Yep, it’s that simple but essential. Label what is in the box, what room it is going into, and even give it a number. This can help you keep an inventory of your belongings and let you know if you’re missing a box or not. Some people take pictures of items in boxes and store them for future reference.
You can also use color-coded labels if you want to be even more organized. Perhaps red labels indicate items you’ll need shortly after moving in, rather than boxes that can be unpacked later.
Plan to have someone on-site supervising the move. Always verify that it’s the correct truck and company. Keep a copy of any signed documents, and don’t forget to exchange cell numbers!Also, it’s nice totip and provide refreshments to the movers who will be working hard all day for you.
Scope out your new home. If your new home will be vacant before you move, you can spend time measuring the room sizes to see how furniture will fit or not. You can also spend time picturing how you want to set up the rooms so you know where to tell the movers to move certain pieces of large furniture or artwork.
If there’s even more time between moves, an empty house is easier to paint or refinish floors if that’s the plan.
Leave your home “broom-swept” clean and tidy. Don’t leave a mess for the new homeowners or any garbage. You don’t legally have to hire a cleaning service to make it spotless. It’s not a beach rental!
However, you have loved this home, so make them feel welcome and relieved when they arrive. Leave your old home the same way you would want to find your new home that day. The new owners may receive mail or packages from you, so please keep your correspondence friendly and cordial.
I LOVE the process of moving. I love the purging, the cleaning, the organizing, the excitement of creating a new space. When we reach this stage of the process, feel free to reach out to me for help, contractor recommendations, or a motivational boost!
