Right-Sized Moving Advice
This is the season of “one size fits all” gifts and, while that works just fine for novelty socks and Santa hats, most things are more enjoyable when they fit well. A move plan is one of them, yet so much of the advice we see online or in magazines is a move plan based on someone else’s needs.
I recently read an article offering advice to start decluttering and packing two weeks before the move. This advice would have worked for my first move, 30 years ago. We lived in a 1000 sq. ft. apartment that was meticulously organized, no kids (which explains the meticulous organization) and we were moving to a new home with twice the space. We had no garage or basement, we didn’t have memorabilia from kids or parents, and the home buying process was streamlined by the builder. We weren’t selling a home, weren’t changing jobs, and the move was local. Looking back, it was the easiest move of my life even if it didn’t feel that way at the time!
The moving advice written from the point of view of someone in their 20’s living in an urban apartment is great for someone in a similar life stage. What about the family with young kids, managing a school transition while selling one home and buying another across the country? Or the empty nesters, looking to move after decades in a large suburban home? It’s so important to plan accurately to move your family and your possessions. Here are some of the considerations that I take into account when I develop a move plan for a client:
Selling and/or buying a home - for many of us this is the largest financial transaction of our lives. There will be inspections and repairs, legalities, transfers of funds, and a deep clean of the home by the closing date. There may be repairs or improvements that need to be completed at the new property prior to the move. These responsibilities will compete with other move activities.
Career transition - we can find ourselves working more hours when moving. In my second move 25 years ago, I was wrapping up a major project and worked 12 hours days until move day. It was a corporate move but the movers labeled all the boxes with what seemed like deliberately vague labels. We also moved a large jar of pennies and full trash cans. Much was learned in that move.
Children and pets - even a local move is a major disruption in the life routines of our dependents. We may be researching schools and looking for new doctors and vets. Arrangements and allowances will need to be made during the actual move and extra time will be required to pack for children and fur babies.
Health considerations - moves are hard physical work that involve bending and lifting while decluttering, packing, delivering donations. Our health and stamina will impact how much we can safely do and how fast we work.
Contents of the home - do we have multiple sets of china, fragile collectibles, art, expensive electronics, large furniture? These items increase the packing and loading time for a move. Even average size homes can take 2-3 days for movers to wrap and protect furniture and load the truck(s). This time does not include packing. If we wait until the last minute to edit and pack, we risk running out of time.
Existing organization level - a home that is organized and decluttered is much easier to pack and unpack, otherwise, we pack too much and increase the effort needed to unpack. Even when the timeline is very aggressive, I work with clients to organize and edit prior to the move, otherwise we waste time over the entirety of the project.
Volume of storage - How large is the home? Is there a full, unfinished basement with lots of stuff? Is there stuff in attics, sheds, or offsite storage? We must allow for time to review and edit ALL our belongings before we pack and move or we will pay for moving things we don’t need or want.
Other people’s stuff - Our children may be 30 years old but are we still keeping the sports trophies and school papers? Parents/grandparents may have downsized or are no longer with us and we are now storing the things they could not part with. These are some of the hardest decisions to make, as our emotions and family connections are involved. It takes far longer to review these things than less emotional items.
Distance of move - moving within your neighborhood is a great deal less complicated than moving across the country. With a local move, we have the option to move things like plants, propane tanks, hazardous liquids, and frozen food. These items cannot go on the truck in a long-distance move and will take hours of work to deal with prior to the move.
Moving is considered one of life’s most stressful events but that stress is compounded when we try to use a plan that worked for us decades ago or for someone else in completely different life circumstances. If you are thinking of moving in the next 5 years, it’s not too early to begin planning now. It’s even more critical to have an accurate plan for activities when the deadline is looming. A move plan developed for you by OrganizeWell will cut the effort, cost, and stress of a move dramatically!