If you’re just getting ready to move, there’s a lot you need to get in order. So, where do you start? Your home holds years of clothing, furniture, books, letters, mementos, photographs, etc. that can seem pretty overwhelming when the time comes to organize for a move.
The best advice for starting the process is to keep it simple. Make a to-do list of things you need to sort, organize, clean, remove, throw away, donate, sell, repair, or paint. You also might need to include landscaping projects and hiring movers on the to-do list.
It’s important to know that not all to-do lists are the same. Different methods work for different people. In fact, I have three examples of different clients who used very different strategies to successfully complete their moves.
The first client hired an organizer who brought in blue, red, green, and yellow dots to represent stays, goes, trash, and give to family. They then hired a maintenance contractor to check that everything in the home was in working order. Finally, they hired my stager to get the house show-ready for the market.
The second client had lived in her house for 81 years. She was moving to be with her boyfriend and her biggest challenge was getting mentally prepared to leave a lifetime of memories tied to the home. Once she got past that, she started her moving process with something small—her tea cup collection. I helped her find a new home for the collection, and from there she hired an organizer who also used colored dots to separate things. Then, she hired a mover that needed to be able to make three stops: her new home, her family home, and her boyfriend’s home. After that, she hired a stager.
The third client didn’t want to use any services. They got their boxes, collected and boxed up the things they wanted to keep, threw away the things they didn’t, hired a mover, and moved.
No matter your method, if you make sure to follow these five steps, you’ll have a smooth, stress-free move.
- Find your “why”. What is your goal?
- Decide to start.
- Call me so we can come up with a plan that works for you.
- Choose a start date.
- Begin the sorting. Start with what is easiest, make lists and hire the organizer.
Stay tuned for solutions to challenges in today’s market on the next “What’s Working Now!”
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!
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