Moving can be easy. I have watched hundreds of people move from one house to another. Most of them move way too many items, and as a result, waste an untold amount of time and money. The secret to an easy (and inexpensive!) move is to plan ahead, and to enlist all of your family members living in the home to do their part.
Step 1: Planning.
Start planning your move 6 months (or more) prior to putting your home on the market.
Collect lots of moving boxes early on and stack them out of the way. Buy a tape gun for everyone in the house, black sharpies, and heavy-duty contractor’s garbage bags. You’ll need all of them.
Download and print a copy of this moving checklist (pdf). This comprehensive checklist insures you won’t miss any details during the confusion of the final days before you move.
Step 2: Sorting.
Don’t move other people’s stuff. Invite your grown children or family over to take everything that is theirs, or what you plan to give them. Give them a specific moving date (long before you move) and let them know if they miss it, their stuff will be gone. You have to be strong. If they don’t come, they didn’t want it anyway.
Box up everything stored in the basement, garage and outbuildings you want TAKE to your new house. Stack it in one area.
On the main floor(s), box up all the items in closets and cabinets that you want to TAKE with you but do not use often. If you haven’t touched something in a year, don’t box it to move to your new home.
Go through closets and put all the clothes you/kids/partner/spouse have not worn in over a year into the heavy duty garbage bags. Most of it won’t fit, or will be out of style anyway. Set the bags in an out-of-the way area. I suggest you plan a day for this project. A typical room with a walk-in closet and a dresser will take 8 hours. Pick a day, patience, music and bags…just do it!
At this point, the only things remaining in your home will be:
Step 3: Thinning.
Call College Hunks Hauling Junk (810) 247-2542 and ask them to haul away all the stuff in the basement and garage that is NOT boxed up, all the main floor items you are NOT taking with you, and the bags of clothes in the garage. They will give you a quote in advance. The time and money you spend on storage units, garage sales and hauling stuff you don’t want in your new house will more than pay for their fee.