The Alternative Press

As a real estate agent, I have watched many families move from one home to another. I have also moved into a new home myself. I know that moving is a big job, unfortunately dreaded by many - but have no fear! There are steps anyone can take to make the move smoother, easier and more pleasant. Most of the stress that comes with moving can be avoided by not putting off the preparation until it’s too late. If approached reasonably and with a healthy attitude, preparing to move can be liberating, enjoyable and energizing.

In the moving process, there are two areas that need preparation: one is packing up your current home, and the other is preparing your new home. In this blog, I am going to focus on part one: packing up your current home. You want to start the packing process as soon as your list your home. Removing personal belongings gives you room to clean for showings and lets buyers see the house and not your stuff! It also starts the process of preparing yourself to move on and avoid any rush of emotions by doing a rash of things at the last minute.

Start packing one room at a time and purge anything that you know you will never use or is old and unusable. Donate some of the things you choose to purge – giving is good for the soul! Here are some quick packing tips that have helped me in the past when I was getting ready to pack up my house:

• Depending on the size of your home, purchase at least 25 boxes so that you do not have to make several trips. Once you pack up the 25 boxes, you will get a better idea of how many more boxes you will need. Save yourself some time – and sanity in your moving process!
• Purchase bubble wrap.
• Save your newspapers prior to your move. Newspapers are good for wrapping things and it is much cheaper than bubble wrap.
• Purchase clear packaging tape to seal each box – you can get this pretty much anywhere.
• Purchase labels for each box – you can find this anywhere that sells office supplies. Label the contents of each box and be sure to give each box a number and color.

Something very important to remember when moving is to reserve a safe place for important documents and items well in advance of the actual move. Put your passports, birth certificates, medications, and the like in a designated place so they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

If you want to save boxes and the trouble of moving items from a drawer to a box, then simply take the drawers out of chests and desks. As long as the drawers are full and don't contain anything breakable, you can stretch tape across the top of the drawer to hold the components in place.

Giving yourself plenty of time, packing is easier when you aren’t under the gun! Trust me. Put on music or play your favorite TV show or DVD. Enjoy the process and mark each box with the room it came from and its basic contents. The first things you should pack are things you do not need to use right away. Don’t forget the attic, basement and garage. Dishes and silverware can be packed a few days in advance. I suggest using paper products right before you move and for a few days after you move into your new home.

Though moving into a new home is very exciting, it can also be extremely stressful – so you want to make the packing process as easy as possible. Remember to start early, stay organized, have a plan and try to enjoy the process! Think about moving as a new beginning – and let this new beginning be a happy one.