You read that right….even taking in to consideration all the hard work that goes in to preparing the home for sale, dealing with the showings, sanitizing, navigating through all the twists and turns of the life of an escrow, etc…the real work begins on moving day! Here are a few tips to make it a little better than it could be…
- Start packing up while you prepare the home for marketing – yes, BEFORE you sell! As you begin to de-clutter your home to make it shine, go buy some moving boxes (from Box Stop, Etc 340 Adams Ave in Normal Hts!), pack it up, label it and set it aside for moving day. This gives you a head start on that dreadful last minute packing that inevitably occurs the day before the movers arrive. Pack up as much as you can – whatever you will not need to get you through the sale.
- Organize and label in detail your moving boxes. Indicating “kitchen”, “bedroom”, etc. is not enough. I hired a professional organizer the last time we moved ( local Talmadge resident Alicia Burnes, owner off AbodeMode, 619-606-0815) and it was well worth it! While I was able to get my work done, she was busy in my house packing and labeling. She not only labeled the room, but the basics of the contents. This helped tremendously while unpacking as well as when I really needed to re-open the box to find that one little item I needed!
- Get estimates from moving companies early – there is not time like the present to get an idea of cost to move as well as availability of the movers. Often, you can’t actually schedule the movers until you are deep in to the escrow process, but you CAN find out how booked out your chosen company is so you can plan ahead. There are many local moving companies here in San Diego that do a fantastic job and I am happy to provide a list of referrals for you.
There is no doubt that moving day will be a lot of work regardless of how much you do in advance, but eliminating as much chaos as possible by planning and organizing will make for a smoother transition, move, and unpacking so you can start enjoying your new home sooner! In the meantime, strap in and enjoy the ride because its always worth it in the end!
(P.S. If you didn’t notice, I am referencing local, small businesses only for resources. PLEASE do everything you can to support our small businesses and avoid big box retail whenever possible! They need us more than ever!!)