Although it can be exciting to move to a new home, it can also be stressful. Here
are some tips to make the process as easy as possible.
A Few Weeks Before
Even if you’re not usually a planner, now is the time to get organized. Moving is
expensive and time consuming. The more you prepare beforehand, the better things will
go.
Anything you can give away, sell, or discard before the move reduces your costs,
from furniture to specialty items you never did get around to figuring out. I can’t tell you
how many times I’ve moved junk like expired food or other things I didn’t need, only to
throw them away when I arrived at my new place. You might consider whether the new
occupants of your old place house would like to purchase the cord of firewood in the
back yard from you, so you don’t have to lug it to your new place.
If you aren’t hiring movers, gather moving supplies. Don’t just get boxes, old
newspapers, and bubble wrap, but also grab thick Sharpie markers, painter’s tape in
multiple colors, and maybe even some spray paint.
You’ll also want to gather friends who are willing to help you move. I was once
told that a friend is someone you can invite to lunch, while a great friend is someone
who will help you move. You’re looking for great friends.
Consider friends with various skills. You want fastidious packers as well as
brawny furniture lifters. Also, see if you can find any great friends with pick-up trucks. (If
none of your friends have trucks, you can hire a U-Haul for the day.)
A Week Before
Work with the incoming occupants of your previous home to transfer utilities into
their name and arrange to have utilities in your new place turned on when you get there.
It’s no fun to work in the dark or be without electricity as you try to move. Pick up snacks
and beer for moving day, preferably something you don’t need to cook or refrigerate in
case the electricity doesn’t get turned on.
Make a plan for the days and weeks after you move: what will you need
immediately versus what can you live without for a while? This should determine how
you pack (and unpack) your moving boxes.
If you plan to put anything in storage, make sure the things you can live without
are in the back of the storage unit and the things you’ll need immediately are accessible
from the front. If you’re moving directly into your new place, create a few boxes clearly
marked as “essentials,” so you can find clothes, medications, and toiletries the first day
you wake up in your new home.
Whenever I move, I use a color-coding system that I can easily explain to my
packers and movers so they know how to help me. I use colored painter’s tape to
indicate the room and red spray paint to indicate anything fragile. I label contents so I
know in some detail what I’ll find when I open the box. Also, I think about the weight of
boxes, since I might be forced to move them around. I distribute my books and other
heavy items among several boxes, because lifting a box full of books is a great way to
throw out my back.
Moving Day
The first thing to do on moving day is arrange for pizza (or whatever lunch you
plan to feed those great friends helping you move). Then it’s time to assign duties –
careful people on packing, strong backs on lifting. Furniture goes first, then the items
that populate each room. Load trucks with this in mind—last in, first out.
Once you’ve moved everything, go back and look in every cabinet and closet one
more time. Check in those dark corners in the back where your old yearbook may be
lurking. Sweep, vacuum, and dust. Wipe down counters and bid that place farewell.
If you have questions about property management or real estate, please contact
me at [email protected] or call (707) 462-4000. If you have an idea for a future
column, share it with me and if I use it, I’ll send you a $25 gift certificate to Schat’s
Bakery.
Dick Selzer is a real estate broker who has been in the business for more than
45 years. The opinions expressed here are his and do not necessarily represent his
affiliated organizations.
