May is National Move Month

Is moving day fast approaching? Based on the Employee Relocation Council, moving to a new residence is the third most stressful life event (after dying and divorce or separation). To ease the disruption, try these tips to help make your move easier.

1. Think about “staging” your home. This approach to neutralizing, decluttering, organizing, and beautifying helps prospective buyers to imagine themselves residing inside your home by touching on their emotions and thoughts. Staging also begins the “letting go” process for the sellers, as they adjust their much loved home to a more neutral-looking house. Staging will help you sell your home fairly quickly, at the best possible selling price.
2. Schedule your move date at a minimum of four to six weeks in advance. Typically the most popular months for moves include May through September and the very beginning and end of each month. So if you’re contracting a moving company, get in touch with them soon.   Connect with family and friends for reliable moving company recommendations. 
3. Begin packing up seldom-used belongings now. Check with your grocery market to get cardboard boxes for you. Pack heavier items in smaller sized boxes and less heavy items in bigger boxes. 
4.  Organize your boxes. Number each box and label which room it belongs in. Keep a separate list indicating the box number and its contents. You can create this list in MS Word, Excel, or The Paper Tiger. When you get to your new place, unpack everything as soon as possible. (Paper Tiger users, create a new database!) 
5. Complete change-of-address forms at the post office or online. And be sure to update vital records and documents including your address and phone number (e.g. driver’s license, checks). If you still have physical phone books with notes all over them, bring your existing phone books to your new home in case you will need get in touch with folks in your old town. 
6. Transport valuable items personally. Irreplaceable family pictures, heirlooms, and financial and legal documents should be packed and moved by you preferably instead of the moving company. 
7. Mail out postcards to family and friends with your updated address and phone number, along with a photo of your new home! My recommendation is to automate it using Send Out Cards.

If you are in the metro Phoenix area and need some help organizing your move, call me now at 480-442-2014.