Want to see your friends get really busy real fast? Tell them you need help packing and moving – it’s amazing the assortment of “Oh-I’m-sorry-but-I-have-to’s” that will come up.
So, plan on minimal help, unless you hire someone. Even then, there’s a lot more to do than merely hiring a moving company, so sit down and create a timeline of events and tasks that need to be done within the two months before the move.
Yup, the moving process can be downright overwhelming, unless you use our handy Moving Checklist. This is part one so you’ll need to check back next week for the next installment.
Bins and purge
You don’t necessarily need to run out and purchase a bunch of bins for this part of the process; big boxes will suffice.
You’ll need three boxes, and if you have a lot of stuff, you’ll need three boxes for each room in the house. One box will be for items you want to donate to charity, another for items you want to sell and a final box for items to give away to family, friends or even strangers – anything not suited, for one reason or another, to give to charity.
What to do with all that stuff you won’t be keeping
- Donate: While Habitat for Humanity ReStores will pick up large furniture and appliances, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) likes the smaller items, especially clothing.
The local chapters of VVA don’t pick up items; the pickup must be coordinated through the national chapter. Just follow the link above and you’ll get to the right place.
- Sell: If you’ve decided a garage sale is just too much work but have items that you want to sell, consider Craigslist, ebay or Facebook Marketplace.
- Give Away: Many people and places will take items you no longer need. Consider giving linens, such as blankets, sheets and towels to your local animal shelter or favorite rescue. Hospitals may take old books and magazines off your hands. Homeless shelters and food banks may take your unwanted food.
Place a “curb alert” ad on Craigslist.org. Typically listed in the “For Sale” category, in the “Free” sub-category, curb alerts let folks know that you’ve placed free items at your curb, to be picked up on a first-come, first-serve basis. TIP: Don’t list your phone number in your curb alert or you’ll have people phoning you to find out if the items are still on the curb.
And the stuff you’ll be taking with you?
Go through each closet in the home with an eye toward making it appear roomier. This might mean removing bulky winter clothing if winter has come and gone and anything large that you store in the clothes closets.
Box these items up for the move and stack the boxes neatly in the garage. Do the same for the linen closet, ridding it of bulky winter blankets and comforters. Don’t forget the bathrooms.
In the kitchen, box up items you seldom use but want to hang on to. This might include items you use when you entertain and seasonal items (Thanksgiving platters, etc.).
Anything that you can remove and store for the move will help make the storage options in the kitchen (pantry, cupboards and drawers) look roomier, which is appealing to homebuyers (if you’ll be selling the home).
Next time we’ll look at who will do the actual move: You, a moving company or a combination of both. See you then!
Alex Saenger and the Saenger Group are Top 1% Maryland Real Estate Agents serving the Washington DC Metro area. We are licensed Realtors based in Rockville, MD at Keller Williams Capital Properties.
