After I posted our moving post, I asked if some of you ladies might be interested in a post about my packing process and staging your home and many of you said yes, so here are my best tips for a successful move and for selling your home:
Pack the fragile first.
Oh yes, my friends, this was one of my top "glad I did it" packing moves. I bought a massive roll of bubble wrap (which, by the way is super pricey, it's like $22 a roll...for bubble wrap!) and proceeded to pack all of the glassware we owned. I bubble wrapped each cup or glass individually and I wrapped plates with a layer of bubble wrap in between them. Once this was done I felt a huge sense of relief because the fragile stuff that I worried about most was packed away and safe.
Oh yes, my friends, this was one of my top "glad I did it" packing moves. I bought a massive roll of bubble wrap (which, by the way is super pricey, it's like $22 a roll...for bubble wrap!) and proceeded to pack all of the glassware we owned. I bubble wrapped each cup or glass individually and I wrapped plates with a layer of bubble wrap in between them. Once this was done I felt a huge sense of relief because the fragile stuff that I worried about most was packed away and safe.
Be a label whore.
And I don't mean like Prada or Gucci. I mean label all of your freaking boxes like a psycho. I included what was in the box, where the box had to go (which room or area) and what floor of the house it belonged on (which was key, since we moved from a two-story to a three story). I even labeled some boxes with certain things that were in them because I knew it might be something I'd need right away.
Keep it together.
I literally packed 90% of my floral arrangements as-is. Meaning I kept the actual fake flowers in the vase and then just bubble wrapped the vase. When unpacking, it was like BOOM! Flower arrangement, done! Ready to go! The same thing goes for things like storage and jewelry boxes. Just keep them as-is.
And I don't mean like Prada or Gucci. I mean label all of your freaking boxes like a psycho. I included what was in the box, where the box had to go (which room or area) and what floor of the house it belonged on (which was key, since we moved from a two-story to a three story). I even labeled some boxes with certain things that were in them because I knew it might be something I'd need right away.
Keep it together.
I literally packed 90% of my floral arrangements as-is. Meaning I kept the actual fake flowers in the vase and then just bubble wrapped the vase. When unpacking, it was like BOOM! Flower arrangement, done! Ready to go! The same thing goes for things like storage and jewelry boxes. Just keep them as-is.
Pillow power.
You know what's awesome about pillows? They are soft and comfy---and perfect for packing. Anytime I had a box that had some extra space left in it, I stuffed a pillow into it to take up that space and then I'd seal the box. That way, stuff in the box was less likely to shift (which can cause breakage).
Throw that crap out (or donate).
Ask yourself: "am I really going to use/wear this again?" Most of the time, the answer is no. Do you really want to bring all of that crap you've accumulated over the years into your new home? We threw out and donated so much stuff before we moved, that it felt like we were on a cleanse diet. For example, we had these super old dishes and mugs that had chips in them but we kept using them instead of the new dishes we got from our wedding registry. We threw away the ones that were damaged and donated the ones in good condition. We also donated an old king-sized bed frame we had and a bunch of other items. I've never had a hard time throwing things away, but I know it's more difficult for some people. Just remember...clutter around you makes your life feel cluttered. You won't likely use that candle holder with someone else's wedding date on it or that hot pink rhinestone picture frame you had in college. It's time to let go.
Hire movers.
I know it's not in every budget, but if you can, hire movers. We paid $90/hour for a team of three guys to move our stuff. It did not take them long at all and they wrapped all of our furniture and didn't scratch walls or anything. It made things so much easier to have all of our stuff where we needed it. If we would have had to move all of our stuff, we wouldn't have had the energy to unpack like we did.
Throw that crap out (or donate).
Ask yourself: "am I really going to use/wear this again?" Most of the time, the answer is no. Do you really want to bring all of that crap you've accumulated over the years into your new home? We threw out and donated so much stuff before we moved, that it felt like we were on a cleanse diet. For example, we had these super old dishes and mugs that had chips in them but we kept using them instead of the new dishes we got from our wedding registry. We threw away the ones that were damaged and donated the ones in good condition. We also donated an old king-sized bed frame we had and a bunch of other items. I've never had a hard time throwing things away, but I know it's more difficult for some people. Just remember...clutter around you makes your life feel cluttered. You won't likely use that candle holder with someone else's wedding date on it or that hot pink rhinestone picture frame you had in college. It's time to let go.
Hire movers.
I know it's not in every budget, but if you can, hire movers. We paid $90/hour for a team of three guys to move our stuff. It did not take them long at all and they wrapped all of our furniture and didn't scratch walls or anything. It made things so much easier to have all of our stuff where we needed it. If we would have had to move all of our stuff, we wouldn't have had the energy to unpack like we did.
.......And now, some notes on unpacking:
Many of you know that I unpacked about 75% of my house in 24 hours. Yes, that might seem a little crazy (or like...extremely insane) but I didn't want to live around boxes and wanted our house to feel like the clean, airy, open space it was. Listen, it takes a ton of work, but it is worth it to just unpack everything you can in the first two days. As our movers were bringing boxes up, I was lining the shelves in my kitchen, unpacking and organizing everything. The second floor of our home looked nearly perfect in less than a day.
Meanwhile, Hubs and in laws were assembling beds and helping out with lots of other stuff. It's a team effort. But believe me, you will be less stressed and feel happier and more comfortable if you just unpack as soon as you can instead of letting the boxes linger. Full disclosure: my office still looks like a box factory...
I was also asked to comment a bit more about how we staged our home in preparation for listing it on the market. Our home was already pretty well decorated, but here's how we made it a little more polished for showings:
More elegant bathrooms:Many of you know that I unpacked about 75% of my house in 24 hours. Yes, that might seem a little crazy (or like...extremely insane) but I didn't want to live around boxes and wanted our house to feel like the clean, airy, open space it was. Listen, it takes a ton of work, but it is worth it to just unpack everything you can in the first two days. As our movers were bringing boxes up, I was lining the shelves in my kitchen, unpacking and organizing everything. The second floor of our home looked nearly perfect in less than a day.
Meanwhile, Hubs and in laws were assembling beds and helping out with lots of other stuff. It's a team effort. But believe me, you will be less stressed and feel happier and more comfortable if you just unpack as soon as you can instead of letting the boxes linger. Full disclosure: my office still looks like a box factory...
I was also asked to comment a bit more about how we staged our home in preparation for listing it on the market. Our home was already pretty well decorated, but here's how we made it a little more polished for showings:
We purchased a bunch of glass canisters and filled them with things like Q-tips and cotton swabs. It made our bathrooms look more hotel-like and pretty. I also added coral in one of our bathrooms and made sure there were crisp white towels everywhere. It really makes a difference. See pics below for additional examples of what we did:
You'd be surprised how much a deep clean can make a difference even if nothing else has changed. This is an "every nook and cranny" kind of cleaning job and quite frankly, it's kind of disgusting to find the stuff that's been lingering in some of those nooks and crannies, but it makes a difference and it's worth it. If you can't do it, hire a cleaning service to come and do a deep clean and then just maintain it from there.
Move your crap.
Sorry to be so harsh, my friends, but no one wants to see your stuff all over the place. I can't tell you how many times I saw photos on HAR.com with explosions of STUFF in them. Stuff all over the bed! Stuff all over the counters! Stuff all over the floor! Decorative touches, yes, every appliance you own on your kitchen counter tops...no. Simmer it down and we will all be better for it.
Leave some of your other crap.
Leave some of your other crap.
Not a popular opinion, but I think little personal touches can be a good thing. I left a few (decorative) picture frames on some pieces of furniture, floral arrangements, etc. A home looks nice with a little personality so I left my favorite decorative pieces right where they were. I think when a home has decor that is not too fussy and is fairly cohesive, it can work in your favor to showcase some of your personal style. My realtor told us that our listing had the most showings of any one he had listed at the same time as ours and also sold quicker than usual. I truly believe that one of the reasons was the right buyer at the right time---but I also think the listing looked attractive online because the house was neat and clean...but also had a little personality. Buyers want to picture themselves living in your house...but what first attracts them are the photos of the home---and if they're good, they're more likely to want to see it in person.
Thanks for reading and please leave any other tips or tricks you have in the comments below! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Thanks for reading and please leave any other tips or tricks you have in the comments below! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
xoxo,
Veronika.
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