photo: @togetherbymichelle
Written by: Michelle Dillon of Together By Michelle
The process of moving to a new space comes with a slew of emotions; excitement, stress, confusion, joy, chaos… the list goes on and on! The good news is that once your house is listed, you can start to figure out the jigsaw puzzle of next steps.
Here at Together Organizing, we specialize in transitions. I work with my clients to make upsizing, downsizing, moving across the country (you name it!) less stressful. My number one advice: control what you can, and what you know. The things that you cannot control, and the things that you do not know, will fall into place as the entire process unfolds. In the meantime, I advise my clients to answer these questions once their house is listed to make the transition as seamless as possible.
Who?
There are SO many people that you need on your team to get your house sold! Please, ask for help. Reach out to inquire, to get quotes and to compare early in the process. This will ease your mind, and will save you money in the long run.
Look for recommendations from friends, neighbors and coworkers. Here are many of the contacts that you will quickly need to make as you prepare to sell your home:
Realtor, Painter, Handyman, Landscaper, Stager/Organizer (that’s me!), Cleaner, Movers
Keep the contact information of these people in a central location. If you are old school like me, a notebook will do! If you are more digital, a note on your phone or a spreadsheet on your computer will keep all your information handy.
What?
This is the million dollar question as you prepare to move: What are you taking with you?
Start by sorting through each room of the house with a fine tooth comb. Moving is the PERFECT time to donate, sell or trash “stuff” that you have not used in years. See my tips to make your closets ready for easy packing.
Once each room contains ONLY what you are moving, communicate with family members on what is getting packed when, and ask for help if you need it. A second set of eyes, hands (and another brain) while processing what to pack is EXTREMELY helpful. Home organizers and moving companies offer various types of packing services.
Start packing early. Pack things that made the move list, are out of season. If it is summer, pack all of your winter items, extra blankets, snow gear etc. This will save you time and energy when it is moving day!
photo: @togetherbymichelle
Where?
Now that you have figured out what you are taking, where is it all going to go?
Option 1: If you are moving straight to a new home, begin to pack early and store it out of the way so you can still (somewhat) function in your space. Pick one wall, one space in the basement or one room to serve as the “already packed” room. While it may feel chaotic to live in a maze of boxes for a few weeks, it is MUCH less chaotic than nothing being packed!
Option 2: If you are moving some things OR everything to storage, pack those things up early on in the process and thoroughly LABEL your boxes. The more detail in your labeling, the better. If possible, secure your storage before your house sells and start moving things that you do not need little by little. My realtor friends tell me over and over again that “less is more.” Houses that have minimal “stuff” in them tend to show better and sell quicker!
When?
photo: @togetherbymichelle
While no one can tell you exactly when your house will sell, your realtor will have a pretty good idea of the market. From there you can nail down some important dates and put them in writing on your calendar:
When is the handyman coming to fix all of the things?
When is the organizer coming to help me purge and stage?
When is the house available to be shown?
When do I need to secure storage by?
When will the movers be coming?
Obviously, you won’t be able to answer all of these questions now, but you can see how your calendar will quickly be consumed by pre-moving tasks! Map it out to the best of your ability, and remember, control what you can and what you know. The rest will fall into place, I promise!
Our Guest Blogger
Michelle Dillon is the owner of Together Organizing based in Philadelphia. She specializes in pre-move organizing, staging and post move unpacking! Contact Michelle at michelle@togetherbymichelle.com - on Instagram or at 248-885-1609 to set up a free consultation!
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