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How to Handle Multiple Moves

You are now under contract on your current home. Chances are you need to move into temporary housing until your new home is completed.

You’re looking at making at least 4 moves with your personal belongings and furniture: (1) once you sell; (2 & 3) once you move in and out of your temporary housing; and lastly (4) into your new home. This can be exhausting if you don’t have a game plan in place.

Here are 5 ways you can reduce the stress of moving multiple times.

Purge

Three words: sell, donate or toss. You have a general idea of your new home and floor plan. Where will all your furniture be placed in the new home? Will you have room for everything or will some items need to go?

Now is the perfect time to minimize and declutter before you make the first move. Start by sorting the things you no longer need into three piles: sell, donate or toss.

Put big ticket items in the sell pile, snap a few photos and list them on sites such as Craigslist, eBay or your neighborhood Facebook yard sale page.

If you have enough items consider having a weekend yard sale which might move a lot of your items all at once.

Smaller items such as clothes and shoes can be donated at your local Goodwill or thrift store. These types of donations are usually tax-deductible too! Or give the items to friends and family in need. You know what they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Anything broken or beyond repair gets tossed or recycled. If you haven’t fixed it by now, chances are you are not going to get around to fixing it in your new house. Why continue to keep it when it’s not serving a purpose and taking up valuable space?

Plan Ahead

You should have a rough idea of how many months you will be in your temporary housing before you make your final move to your new home.

Ask yourself: what do you absolutely need to take and what can be put in storage?

Go through each room and start marking which items will be packed for storage and which items you will need to keep with you. Taking only what you truly need with you will minimize the stress of having to re-pack it for the third time, since it will most likely be put in storage.

Remember, this is just temporary until you can get into your new home.

Don’t leave packing to the last minute. It won’t seem so stressful if you can slowly chip away at your belongings while you are still in your old home.

Pack a “go-to” box that you have set aside for the first 24 hours in your temporary housing and in your new home.

Pack paper towels, clean sheets, cleaning supplies, paper plates and toilet paper… Those items that you will need most and right away while you are still getting settled in.

Make Time

Selling your old home, moving, purchasing your new home, moving again… It all takes time away from your normal schedule.

Go into this process knowing that it just has to be done, but once it’s over you will be able to get back to your normal schedule and enjoy your new home.

Block time in your schedule to pack, or un-pack and get organized. This will prevent you from procrastinating too long and having lingering boxes long after your move. Enlist the help of friends and family. You know what they say: many hands make light work.

Protect Your Valuables

If you are considering storing the bulk of your possessions in a storage facility while you are making your transition to your new home, you may look at purchasing additional personal property coverage.

Talk with your homeowner’s insurance company about this added protection. You will have peace of mind knowing that your belongings can be replaced in the event of something catastrophic at the storage facility.

Other valuables such as passports, birth certificates, or great-grandma’s wedding ring may want to be stored in a bank safe-deposit box. These small items are easy to get lost in the shuffle of moving. Why not put them somewhere well-guarded to ensure they make it back into your new home, safe and sound?

Get Organized

Hopefully some of these tips will ease the stress of moving multiple times. Remember, you are creating a new chapter and making new memories. You might as well enjoy doing it!

Moving isn’t just about the items in your home. Don’t forget it affects many little things outside your physical residence.

Call your utility companies ahead of time to ensure no interruption in service. You’ll want to update your address with the post office, your insurance companies, and any recurring charge companies such as mail order medications or monthly bills.

Snap pictures of your electronics, those cables in the back of your TV and computer modem that keep your life wired. They don’t make sense now and will make even less sense when they are tangled in a box.

Clearly label each box based on the room from which it was packed or the room that it will be going into in your new home. When unloading, you will know where to place each box correctly the first time. Save yourself from having to pick up those heavy boxes more than once.

Hopefully some of these tips will ease the stress of moving multiple times. Remember, you are creating a new chapter and making new memories. You might as well enjoy doing it!

Jennifer Cornelius, Marketing Director, Licensed Agent at United Real Estate Southern Arizona. To help planning your next move, call her to discuss your needs at (520) 612-7422.

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