Moving Without Experiencing Organized Chaos
I just sold my house. I had listed it twice prior to now with no luck. I guess it wasn’t the right time. I decided to try again this year for many reasons. One, it was too far from town; we lived about 7 miles from the nearest city and 27 miles from my job, two, the fact that it was a double-wide mobile home on a permanent foundation was getting to me because I wanted a “real house”, and three, everytime it rained or snowed, we got the worst mud you could ever deal with. Plus our vehicles were taking a beating going down that dirt road everyday. So I listed it again and for 3 months, nothing. Then it happened, our listing agent called and said we had an offer. This was August 31st. We were excited. Although it wasn’t exactly what we were asking, it was pretty close. We agreed and found out we’d be closing on September 28th. Cool, I thought. I have a whole month to pack and clean. No problem right? I suppose I thought it would be a breeze being that last time was not so bad. WRONG!
At first, everything I was boxing up was neatly packed, taped and marked. I happily stacked all the boxes in one room. Then I decided to clean as I packed to make it easier. So as the cabinets got cleared out, they got cleaned. This got old quick and every weekend was another excuse not to continue. I kept saying, “we have plenty of time”. As the time drew nearer, we never found a temporary rental and we hadn’t gotten pre-qualified for a new house yet. YIKES! My parents offered a temporary place to stay, thank goodness!
The weekend to close and move finally came. Boy, that came fast.
Those last three days are a blur, even it it was just a few days ago. As we signed the paperwork at closing, I realized that this was it, it was over. No more house. Well at least for now.
All of a sudden, every closet, every room, every nook and cranny had stuff. Stuff I don’t remember having. Stuff that had collected so much dust and webs that it looked like Halloween. And to top it off, we were running out of boxes, fast! The first trip to the storage unit was all the big furniture; couches, kitchen table, shelves, beds. Okay, not too bad. The second trip was all the packed boxes. But low and behold, there was the “rest of the stuff”-those odds and ends that had been hiding all these years. Our once organized moving strategy had now turned to “get this stuff in the truck and over to storage because we have to leave TODAY!” Let’s not forget that we still have to clean the carpet, windows and wash the floors and clean the bathrooms.
Now this is where it gets interesting. Some of our clothes are with us at my parent’s house, some are in storage. I am missing a shoe by the way. I have some important stuff in my parent’s garage, including my cat, and some in their spare bedrooms. My now 7 1/2 year old son is asking why we can’t go home, although he loves to be with grandma and grandpa.
So it comes down to my tips on moving. If you ever think you’ll be moving or selling your house soon, do what I should have done.
1: Get rid of it now. Whatever you haven’t used in a year, it’s time to donate it or throw it.
2: Clean under those cabinets and in those closets. Years of stuck on grime is hard to clean.
3: Clean your floors and carpets regularly. Hot Cheetos and juice stains don’t come out very easy.
4: Keep your yard clean and clear of clutter.
5: Make small repairs when you see it broken.
6: Paint those walls and ceilings. Again, Hot Cheetos make lovely hand prints.
7: Have a back up plan prior to listing your house. Make sure you have a rental or a new house
or a friend or relative willing to take you in.
8: Find a storage place you can trust that’s reasonable. Not all of them require a deposit.
9: Make sure you have a truck or a rental truck to move your big stuff. Friends with truck come in handy as
long as you feed them and have plenty of beverages.
10: Have extra cash or credit card for food/gas/lodging in case you are in transition. Don’t forget kitty!
11: Don’t wait until the last minute for anything.
