Tips to Make Packing A Breeze

Selling your house is an emotional process. You have many memories tied to your possessions and the space you lived in. One of the biggest mistakes I see my clients making is not emotionally preparing for what selling your house entails. While selling a house is challenging in itself, packing and moving all of the belongings that hold emotion for you can just add to the chaos of this time. With careful planning and forward-thinking, packing up your house to move can be a smooth process to relieve the emotional stress of selling your home.

Get Prepared

Moving is a whole process. Starting early will help you cover all of your bases and ensure you’re not doing the last-minute shuffle where some things get forgotten.

Call the utility company as soon as you know you’re moving. Utilities are essential, but it can be easy to forget this step or leave it to the last minute. Being prepared and calling ahead will save you future headaches.
Set your budget. Moving can be expensive. Make sure you know what your budget is and that you keep track of expenses.
Plan your packing supplies. Boxes, bags, packing materials, and more. I recommend finding plastic tubs or buckets for extra stability and to be environmentally-conscious. Check-in with friends and family to see if they have any extra storage containers to help move.
Eat extra food. Try to eat as much of your kitchen supplies for less to move on the day. You can also plan to donate unopened or unexpired food to a local food bank.

Downsizing on Stuff

Whether you are moving to a smaller place or just want to minimize packing, getting rid of old objects and downsizing what you’ll be moving will help lessen the number of boxes (and stuff to unpack)!

Top to Bottom, Left to Right. This is an excellent method for those spaces in your house that can be so overwhelmed with stuff. Places like closets, dressers, or shelves where it may have started looking organized but now are chock-full of things you’ve tucked into corners or objects that haven’t seen the light of day for years. Clear out top to bottom, then left to right, to give yourself a place to start and a direction to keep moving.
Get rid of old clothes. You would not believe how much your closet weighs when taking it out to the moving van. Getting rid of old or outdated clothes can do miracles for packing day. Plus, when you move to the new place, you will only have clothes that make you feel great!
Make donation pickup arrangements. Donating unwanted furniture is great for lessening your load but can come with its own stress. Help yourself out by arranging for a pickup of your furniture.

Packing for the Move

Perhaps the most time-consuming part of the moving process, packing can quickly look like lots of piles of stuff and half-full boxes if you aren’t prepared. Here are some packing tips to make everything a bit easier.

- Don’t empty dresser drawers. Instead, take the drawers out of the dresser with the clothes or objects still in. If you are worried about things falling out, secure the drawers with plastic wrap or in a plastic bag.
- Leave clothes on the hanger. Group the hangers and wrap them in a large garbage bag or hang them in a wardrobe box. This helps with packing but will also make unpacking easier as well.
- Use linens, towels, or other soft items. Wrap breakable objects like dishware in your kitchen towels or other linens for extra protection. Smaller things, like glasses or delicate knick-knacks, can be wrapped in socks for serious padding. Sharp objects such as knives can also benefit from this system.
- Use pots to hold small items. Your large pots and other storage containers can be great for those small objects that can get lost at the bottom of larger boxes.

Create a box label system. Either write a note on each box or use a colour-code sticker system where each colour represents a different room. This will help you unpack super quickly.

Put together a moving essentials bag. Pack a duffel bag or suitcase with items you will need during your move. This can include important documents, a change of clothes, basic toiletries, medications, phone chargers, or anything else you may need while you move.

Those are the top packing tips for moving we have. What hacks have you done that helped? Leave your suggestions in the comments below! While moving can be stressful, selling your home doesn’t have to be. Contact us if you want assistance in selling your home.