Home Staging Sold Your Home Quickly In A Slow Market, Now What, now what?

The professional home stager promised your house would sell, and it did. Now, just take a breath and follow these simple steps for a smooth, successful move.

1. Do not move anything you do not love. If you never use it, it’s worn out or just something you dislike, sell it, have a yard sale or give it away.
2. Packing supplies may be as near as around the corner. If someone moved into the area recently, knock on their door and ask if you can haul away their boxes.
3. Each day, pack some 5 to 10 boxes and keep them in the room they belong in. Color code boxes and number them. Label what they contain on the outside. Keep a master moving list on a clip board or in a zip up bag or notebook. When you unload on the other end, all the boxes color coded should go in one room, green in another, etc. The movers will love you for it.
4. Think about hiring a cleaning service to clean the old house. You only have so much energy, save it for the new house and unpacking. You should not arrive at your new house already exhausted from cleaning.
5. Packing supplies should include clean, manageable boxes (beg, borrow or buy from neighbors, friends, the grocery store, office supply stores). Your realtor may be able to get you a deal on boxes, don’t hesitate to ask.  If you are moving yourself, make sure your boxes are small enough when filled you can lift them without throwing out your back.
6. Purchase a simple apron with big pockets, either the kind that ties around your waist or that hangs from your neck and ties around your waist. Keep markers, scissors, a notebook, pen, your cell phone and keys in the pockets.
7. Pack in order of importance, pack things first you will not need. When you get to the new house, the boxes will the lowest numbers can be unpacked last and you know the boxes with higher numbers are filled with things you use the most.
8. When the moving van arrives at your new home and its time to unpack, only one person should be the director to tell the movers where things go. (This is when the color coding is a life saver) Stack boxes against one wall in each room so there is floor space to set up furniture.
9. Time to unpack, not run a marathon so only unpack 5 boxes and then stop and take a rest. Make sure to stay hydrated and get something to eat. Rotate around the house doing 5 or so boxes at a time in each room. Remember, if you unpack something and do not have a place for it, you may not need it.
10. Remember to smile from time to time, it will seem more welcoming to the neighbors who may just drop by with a plate of cookies or to share the name of the best pizza place in town.

The Stage2Amaze Team