Moving to a new home can be stressful. It can also be very exciting! Make it easy on yourself by planning far in advance and making sure you’ve covered all the bases.
• Research moving companies or decide if you will rent a UHaul or other truck and do it yourself. Make any reservations needed.
• Consider having a garage sale. Do you really need what’s stashed in your attic? Did you even know what was up there?
• Purchase packing supplies like heavy duty boxes, wrapping material, labels, packing tape.
• Set a few boxes in every room of the house to start so that family members can help with their room.
• Go through each room, sort things into groups or piles – to pack, donate or discard. This is especially important with clothes. Go through all clothes before the move so you are not moving unnecessary items.
• Label each box on all 4 sides as to what room and general contents. Color coded labels work great especially for bedrooms to get everyone “the right stuff”. This goes for large items like furniture and mattresses, too.
• Before undoing complicated electronic wiring set ups, take a picture of the configuration for ease of reconnecting.
• Keep small zip lock bags on hand for screws, brackets from furniture and label and/or tape to any disassembled pieces.
• Pack heavy items like books in smaller boxes. These can get very heavy.
• Go through your refrigerator, clean, and only keep essentials. Keep coolers handy to pack food in.
• Go through pantry, pack what you can take and donate the rest to friends or food pantries.
• Go through the garage and shed, pack small items together. Take any hazardous materials to a drop off center. Sweep or blow out the garage/shed. Many items in the garage are too big to pack and will be loaded into the truck directly. Keep your bike rack handy to load bikes before leaving for the closing, or simply load them into the truck.
• Create a “last day” box for the last day essentials packed at the last minute. Make several walks through the house and garage, opening closets, cupboards, refrigerator and dishwasher to check for anything left behind.
• Create a “first open” box with essentials you will need right away when you move in: cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, snacks and drinks, important paperwork.
• Pack a small box or envelope with anything to give the new homeowner: keys, garage door openers, etc. This has to go to the closing with you.
Hope those tips will be helpful in making your move a more pleasant experience. It is never really fun to pack up a household – it is a lot of hard work. But remember you’ll be unpacking in a new location hopefully much better than the one you are leaving. Enjoy your new place!
First Weber sells real estate throughout Wisconsin: Metro Milwaukee and Southeastern WI, South Central Wisconsin/Greater Madison, Central Wisconsin, Northeast Wisconsin, Western Wi, parts of MN, Michigan’s UP and Wisconsin’s great Northwoods. You can start searching for Wisconsin real estate and Wisconsin real estate agents at firstweber.com