You’ve cleaned up your house or condo and sold during this Fall market. You’ve bought a new home or have decided to rent. You’ve got a close date on your current home and are ready to start thinking of the arduous task of moving. No one really enjoys packing. Well maybe for a trip to the tropics, but not an entire house or condo.
The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. We can help you. CondoFresh is a professional cleaning, organizing & staging boutique in Toronto. We’re small but we have a lot of skills packed into our little company. The important thing is to start early, as it is a process. I’ll outline the various steps to completing a big move to help you with your planning and timeline.
Create a project plan. This is no different than any other project at work. You have to make a list of target deadlines, starting with your close date and working back to the present. If you are handy with excel, I suggest creating a spreadsheet, with a columns for your deadlines, tasks, who’s responsible for each, status (or complete) and any special notes or comments. Brainstorm all of the things that need to get done, such as booking a mover, booking the freight elevator (if moving from/to a condo building), collecting moving boxes, changing your mailing and billing address, arranging for a child and/or pet sitter while you move, etc. Put these dates on your calendar in the kitchen and follow them.
Out with the old. This is a great opportunity, whether you’re downsizing or even moving to a bigger space, to get rid of a lot of “stuff”, things you haven’t used in a while and no longer serve a purpose. De-cluttering not only lightens your load and what you need to transfer, but feels fantastic, as if you were shedding extra weight. Have lots of blue recycle bags, black garbage bags (or whatever your collection service permits) and bring in some boxes to help you sort. Have a box for items to donate or give away, one for things you want to take with you (perhaps a box for each room of the house) and an “undecided” box of items you need to consult with others before making a decision.
Organize. Organizing goes hand-in-hand with de-cluttering. For the materials you want to bring, sort them into boxes either by room, area or theme, and label them. This will make moving into your new space much easier. As a member of the Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) Association I am not only trained to help you organize, but I have a variety of discounts on all-things related to organizing, from packing boxes to shelving units. Which brings me to my next point.
The big move. Book your mover as far in advance as possible to save hassle, time and money. I’ve heard moving horror stories. I am happy to say we have a great referral in Rent-a-Son. My clients have used this great company and the POC recommends them. I even get a discount for my clients as a POC member. They’re careful, professional and respectful!
Once you’ve completed the physical move, you’ll follow a similar procedure in the new home as you did when you moved out of the old home. Make a list or spreadsheet of all the tasks you need to complete, a timeline, and transfer this to your calendar. If you sorted items into boxes and labeled according to where you want them to go in the new home, unpacking should be a breeze.
Staging. One last thing you’ll want to do, once you have the big stuff unpacked, is think about how you want your new home to look. Staging your home can be the difference between wanting to move or stay. If you stage it to suit your style and meet your needs, you’ll be very happy in your new home for a very long time.
Please contact CondoFresh if you’d like any advice, a free consultation or help with any part of the moving process. With our project management skills, organizing, staging and cleaning skills, we promise to make this challenging transition a smooth one.
Sean & Jamie
Owners & Operators, CondoFresh