The stress of making a move can be dialed down. Plan ahead, take your time and ask for help.
Over the years, I have observed hundreds of clients making the move to their next home. I’ve found that their stress level was greatly reduced by planning and starting to the process a month ahead of their move. Also, I found that the most frustrating thing for them was that they didn’t donate or toss the things they didn’t want or need while initially packing.
What to do before you move.
Taking small steps weeks or months ahead of your move will make the moving day much easier.
- Take time to outline a plan for packing up and moving your home.
- Make a checklist and use it.
- Block out time on your calendar to pack weeks or months before your move.
- Have plenty of small and medium-sized boxes on hand.
- Know who you can count on for a little help… and ask!
Start decluttering and packing early.
Moving into a new home gives you a chance for a fresh start. Your home stager can help with identifying what furniture to leave for staging and how to declutter to sell for top dollar.
- Set aside items you don’t want or need and donate them.
- Donate furniture you really don’t want in the new home.
- Throw away trash, junk, trinkets, useless items, and broken items.
- Box up the clothes, linens, and stuff you won’t need until after your move.
- Label each box with the room it goes to and the contents.
It’s best to consider renting a storage unit or a portable “POD” for all the boxes and extra furniture. A week or two before moving day, start packing more everyday items. Set aside a suitcase for the first night in your new home. Keep your toothbrush, some toiletries, medications, and a change of clothes in the bag to have everything you need.
Ask for help.
Not everyone has the budget to hire professional movers: If that is the case, you may want to contact friends and family for a little help. Renting a U-Haul can help get the job done in fewer trips, which everyone will appreciate.
Watching the kids! Packing boxes Cleaning Painting
Friend with a truck Yard work Maybe just a little company
Make it easy for your help: Be organized, set tools aside, have plenty of boxes, labels/markers/tape, give clear directions, and always have refreshments ready.
Peace of mind: Consider hiring a smaller moving crew to transport large or delicate items that you are not comfortable dealing with yourself. Then, you and your friends can move your other things.
Plan way ahead for moving trucks and storage.
Unless you’re using professional movers or your area has weather issues, the time of your move may not be an issue. However, any time of the year, if you are renting a truck, know that renters move at the end of the month and rental trucks may be hard to find the last and first weekend of the month.
Be prepared before moving into the new home.
With the right planning, this can be easy. Still, a lot of work but easy!
- Paint, replace flooring, make upgrades before move-in day.
- Hire a cleaning service for “Deep Clean” before moving.
- Designate one person to be the “Director”.
- Label the rooms to match the labels on the boxes, furniture and pictures.
- Mark, where the furniture should go.
- Ask a few friends to stick around to help unpack boxes.
Give yourself time to get settled in.
You can now take time to finish unpacking, decorating, and setting up your new home. After such a flurry of activity, it’s okay to, relax and take some time to figure out exactly what you want.
How to set everything up for the right flow. Placing pictures, furniture and nick knacks.
Setting up the garage and storage. Take care of the yard and patio furniture.
You might consider keeping some items like seasonal decorations and tools you don’t need right now in storage and get it out later. You may even end up decluttering a few more things in the meantime.
Final details.
Take care of common-sense and security things:
Changing the locks. Installing motion sensor lights. Garage door code. Home security system.
Transfer utilities to your name. When is trash day?
USPS Address change Change subscription addresses. Get a new doormat.
Send your new address to people that matter.
Conclusion – Plan ahead … Start now!
Moving homes can be difficult, but you can do a few things to alleviate moving stress.
By following this outline for your move, your stress level will be less.
There may still be stressful moments throughout the process but take a deep breath, regroup, and stay the course to the start of a new chapter in your new home.
Oh yea, remember to do something special at the housewarming for the friends that helped with your move. Yes, you should have a housewarming party for close friends and family. Make it something easy. A BBQ or even a potluck. And for the moving team, make a special name tag for your moving team… “Couldn’t have done it without you”.
Have you been thinking about a move … it may be time to start planning? See my seller and buyer guides. They are morphed to meet the demands of the current market. When the time is right. Let’s get together to discuss your plans, needs and expectations.
Not all agents are REALTORS®. We are held to a higher standard. Beyond the education, we are held accountable to the Code of Ethics. Always ask, are you a REALTOR®?