MAKE BUYING OR SELLING YOUR NEXT HOME A FUN EXPERIENCE (Series Part 7) IN BRAMPTON ONTARIO
We have done a series of articles on "Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience" and for your convenience you may follow the links below:
Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience (Part 1)
Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience (Part 2)
Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience (Part 3)
Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience (Part 4)
Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience (Part 5)
Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience (Part 6)
Make Buying or Selling Your Next Home a Fun Experience (Part 7)
IT FINALLY HAPPENED, YOU ARE MOVING!
Out on the front lawn is a four letter word in huge red letters on your old ‘for sale’ sign, SOLD.
Moving day will come upon you very fast. The very first thing you must decide and decide quickly is how are you going to get from this property to the next? Are you hiring a big company mover? Are you going to call a smaller mover with two men and a truck? Are you going to go the ‘new’ route with pods, you know those big containers they leave in your driveway for you to fill up then they come & move them? Are you going to call in some favours from friends & family? What is your plan? The reason we encourage you to decide quickly is you have to have time if you are booking a mover, a pod or truck because dates fill up quickly even friends get booked!
POINTS TO PONDER – Big time moving companies seem expensive, but they are your back savers and they are insured. If this is your chosen route, consider selecting a moving date mid week and mid month for savings, rather than the popular end of the week, end of the month bookings. Pods are the newest idea on the market and not a bad one. They will bring as many pods as you need right to your current residence for you to fill. Then on moving day, they come, pick them up and plunk them right down at your new location for you to empty. Simple. Friends and family are usually willing allies. If you are going to ask them, think about turning it into a fun time.
Make it a party even, like this one creative person did. Check out their Movers and Shakers idea here: http://www.ehow.com/how_4708445_enjoy-moving-day.html
POINT TO PONDER - Before you commit friends and family though, consider how many people innocently get injured on someone’s moving day, is it worth the risk? Hands get jammed, backs get broken, heads bumped as well as furniture gets damaged. Just think it over.
Again whichever way you choose, book it now Dano!
Excitement is building in the family and probably so is chaos. Before things go totally out of control, here are a few helpful points that will keep your sanity and help you through this process as smoothly as you did selling.
Fun for the kids and to help keep you on schedule is this handy web site that will count down the days, hours and minutes to moving time. Check it out at http://thecountdownclock.com/moving-day.asp
Alright, let’s get moving!
Make a list of people to contact with regards to your change of address. Naturally you are going to send out pretty address change cards to family and friends, but who else needs to be advised? To jump start your brain here are a couple of suggestions: All the utility companies, your credit card companies, the library, your financial institution, insurance company, the clubs you belong to, magazine subscriptions, schools, doctor, dentist and don’t forget to change your driver license! Don’t leave this to the last minute send the notifications out approximately 30 days prior to your moving date, maybe as the mail comes in, send back a moving notification.
Make up your own personal “to do” list, keep it along with a pen in one spot. Call the designated area the ‘Moving Station’. Never put the list down unless it's at the Moving Station. This is where you'll keep your labels, marking pens, box tape, and other supplies. Every family member must commit that anything used from the Moving Station must be returned immediately after use. Trust us, this will be your lifesaver as you get deeper into the moving process and will avoid upsets and annoyances about where things are, especially when boxes start piling up.
You are going to need LOTS of boxes, lots more boxes than you think. Having more than enough will make your life so much easier! The liquor store has good strong boxes and you can also pick some up at your favourite grocery store. Have about 10 boxes set aside for last minute items on moving day, such as bedding, clothing, and cleaning supplies.
POINT TO PONDER – Don’t over pack these boxes, remember someone has to be able to pick them up! You'll need strong plastic packing tape to close up the boxes securely.
For wrapping, use packing paper or bubble wrap to wrap and cushion household items. Again, make sure you have enough of these items on hand so that packing isn’t delayed because you ran out.
Write everything down! You'll thank yourself later. Before you pack even one box, create a simple system. Create a printed list of numbers with a space to write the contents or use a notebook.
Place a number on EVERY box you pack and write the contents on your list next to the corresponding number. When describing the box contents be specific about what’s inside, example income tax files is better than just files and blue glass dishes instead of kitchen dishes. Mark every side and tops of the packed boxes, this makes for easy identification later no matter which side of the box is exposed. Designate a colour for each room such as yellow for the kitchen, orange for dining room, etc for quick recognition. Apply coloured labels on the box near the number or have the number written on the coloured labels. In your new place, put a matching coloured piece of paper on the door to each room. The movers/friends will know where to put everything when they arrive at the new property without asking you every five minutes or just dropping the box anywhere because they don’t know where it goes.
It's also helpful to post a big sign on the wall in the room where you want boxes stacked, ("Boxes here please") to keep them out of areas you have planned for furniture.
Personal overnight bags for everyone. Find coloured storage tote boxes, one for each person. You could even use luggage pieces (they have to be moved too and they may as well go full!) or duffle bags. Let each family member fill theirs with items they'll want 'right away' in your new home: a set of sheets, pajamas, towel, change of clothes, nightlights, pens and paper, kleenex, soap, face cloth & towel, tooth brush & toothpaste and travel cosmetic case. This way when everyone is exhausted after a long day they will have all their own necessities without the hassle of a long search.
Keep clothing in drawers. Some moving companies will allow you to keep clothing in dresser drawers, as long as the drawers are removed from the dressers and this is a great idea also if you are moving yourselves. You can wrap the drawers in garbage bags to make sure that nothing falls out and to keep the clothes clean. Saves a bit of packing and unpacking later!
Make sure everything stays together. If there are cords that belong with particular appliances, tape or rubber-band them to that appliance, screws from a bookcase can be put into a zip lock bag and taped to the back, hooks from pictures, the same thing, so they don't become separated. The same goes for any hardware from items that need to be disassembled. Nothing is more frustrating than having things you can't use because some necessary component is missing.
Keep important papers with you. Your list of "important" papers might include: birth certificates, school records, mover estimates, new job contacts, utility company numbers, recent bank records, current bills, phone lists, closing papers, your realtor & lawyer information and maps. Keep your jewellery and boxes of expensive keepsakes with you too. Don't leave these with the mover. Keep them with you!
Set aside a box of cleaning supplies, along with a broom, mop, and vacuum cleaner. You'll need these to go over the place one last time before you leave, unless you arranged for a cleaning service. Even if you do, though, you'll still want the cleaning supplies readily available for your new house, in case they are required.
MOVING DAY! - It is best for you and especially for them if you arrange for pets and children to be looked after by someone else away from the busy household. The day of the move is a stressful time no matter how well you planned it and thought of nearly everything. Small children and pets do not react well to anxiety and all the commotion.
You arrived!
If you chose to use movers, before signing off and allowing them to leave, make sure that any missing or damaged items has been recorded on the contract or inventory list.
Change the door locks. You don't know who has a key to your castle unless you get new locks or re-key the existing locks. The previous owners may have given a key to neighbors, workmen, relatives, or cleaning services. You will feel more secure if you arrange for new locks for as soon as you arrive.
As soon as everything has settled down, yes, it will happen, arrange to have the pet and children brought to their new home. Make sure to give them some undivided attention and spend time with them on their arrival. The kids are going to be excited but still a little apprehensive and the pets will be stressed until they have checked things out. Help them adjust.
There, that was pretty easy wasn’t it? Hopefully your new home will give you a few years of enjoyment before you decide it’s time to do this all over again!
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