It was the best of times, It was the worst of times... Charles Dickens probably was moving to a new house when he wrote that.

I've seen a lot of moves. It is one of THE MOST stressful parts of buying or selling a home. So, I’ve gone ahead and compiled 18 of my favorite moving tips to help you make your big day more of the best of times than the worst of times.

1. GET RID OF EVERYTHING: It’s time to get rid of everything you don’t use every week or absolutely love.

2. CLEAN. CLEAN. CLEAN.

   You’ve just got rid of everything you don’t use or love. Now Clean. Clean before you list your house, clean before your first showing, clean when you get an accepted offer. Are you seeing a pattern here? This might not seem like a moving hack, but it will never be easier to perform a deep, satisfying clean in these spaces than when they are almost empty. Then, right before moving day, you do one more once-over and you are done.

3. DONATE AND SELL

   You want everything you don’t need or love gone long before moving day. 1. Start selling your items on Buy Sell Trade sites the moment you decide to move. There is no better moving hack than people paying YOU to come to YOUR house and move things they want and you don’t. 2. Next, schedule a donation pick up a few weeks before your move date. There are a lot of items that donation centers won’t take. Find out what they are and then… 3. Contact me for information on who will remove hard to lift items and items that donation centers won’t take - I know a guy.

4. DON’T USE, DON’T MOVE

   Imagine a cost attached to every single item you move. Would you move those 4-H and Drama club trophies if you had to pay per item? The best moving hack is… DON’T MOVE IT!!

5. 2 WEEKS PRIOR

   Start the change of address process. Start with the obvious- post office, utilities, services – but then move to credit cards, memberships, magazines and online sites. I cannot tell you how many new homeowners call me to find out the forwarding address of the previous home owner because Amazon keeps dropping off packages addressed to them.

6. COST EFFECTIVE TIP

   Plan your move for the middle of the week in the middle of the month. Moving companies will often quote lower prices for those dates.

7. CORRAL THE CORDS

   Use an empty paper towel tube to corral and organize all the cords.

8. CORRAL THE COSMETICS

   Cover the top of your cosmetics with plastic wrap and then screw the top on or close the lid.  It keeps your powder cosmetics from breaking apart. And it keeps expensive foundations from leaking all over the rest of your cosmetics. Confession: I learned this tip while watching The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.

9. NECESSITIES

   Pack your absolute necessities in a clear box. Then, make sure to put that box in a place that you can access easily.

10. PACK A GO BAG

    Your first night in your new home can be hectic. Packing an overnight bag will relieve some stress when it is finally time to go to bed. Remember to pack toilet paper, light bulbs and a few cleaning supplies in an easy to access place too. Not everyone reads my blog and takes the time to clean before they move but they WILL take the time to take their toilet paper and light bulbs. Seriously. They do.

11. NO MORE GROCERIES

    Stop buying groceries at least a week before you leave. Pretend your going on a camping trip. Only keep kitchen items you absolutely need and use disposable everything.

12. ELECTRONICS – A MOVING HACK THAT WILL SAVE YOUR SANITY

    Take pictures of the back of all of your electronics. This simple trick will help you remember how to set them up when you move into your new place.

13. LABEL BY ROOM

Label boxes by room and label on all 4 sides of the box...not just the top.

1. USE ALL THE SPACE

   Don’t leave empty spaces in boxes. Fill in every gap with clothing or towels to keep boxes filled but light and easy to move.

15. FRAGILE!!!

Save money on bubble wrap. Use clothing, sheets, or towels to wrap items like dishes and glassware, Small fragile items like stemware and glasses can go in socks!

1. SMALL BITS

   Keep sandwich bags and a sharpie marker handy. They’re useful for holding any small parts (think nuts, bolts, screws, etc.) of things you have to take apart, like curtain rods or mounted flat-screen TVs. Be sure to label the bag so you know where those little bits belong!

2. IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS – A MOVING HACK MOST WILL MISS

   Keep your important documents with you…Literally, Keep them on your person. Nothing is worse than losing your ID or banking information during a move. Keep a backpack with all the most important documents and be sure to keep it close to you. If you were to leave your home for a weather emergency or fire ask yourself what you would take with you. That’s what needs to go in your backpack.

3. LESS TO UNPACK

   Keep your clothes in the drawers and saran wrap them really, really tight!

   
   

Follow these 18 tried and true moving hacks and your next move should be your easiest yet! If you would like our resource list for charitable donations, hauling and more call me at 920-286-2084.