Making a decision to take charge of health, safety or social needs by moving can be a challenging decision. Whether making the decision for yourself, a growing family, or determining the right choice for a senior loved one, managing a move can present challenges without a clear timeline towards moving day. Use the six tips in this article to make your next move more manageable.
1. Prepare in advance
Whether choosing to move now or later, you should start putting your home in order today by inventorying your personal property and starting the decluttering process. Begin by evaluating what you really need to keep and then start to reduce the amount of items you want to retain, clear out clutter, plan an online or in person Estate Sale or make major home repairs. It is a proven fact that homes will sell for a higher price if they are “market ready”, or “staged”, at the time of listing.
2. Establish a plan
A good plan can save time, energy, and unnecessary effort, but a professional, well-structured plan can help alleviate stress and save money. Establish a relocation timetable as best you can and gather advice from qualified professionals such as movers, realtors, financial advisors and estate sale professionals. You may consider hiring a company to manage your move such as Caring Transitions, who will establish a team approach to ensure a successful senior home transition. According to A Place for Mom, it takes the average family 4-12 months to prepare for a move to senior living. In addition, 50% of families live in other states causing additional time and expense to be able to get in town to take care of the project and further delay planning a move. The cost to maintain your loved one’s home during that time can quickly add up between an estimated $4,816 to $14,448 depending on the time it takes to create a move plan. Working with experts like Caring Transitions can help reduce the planning timeline by taking care of the downsizing, floor-planning, packing, and unpacking on average in as little as 1-2 weeks.
3. Establish a timeline
If you are planning or managing a move on your own or with family, start with the date of your intended move and then schedule everything from that date back to present day. This can be a surprisingly time-consuming process that takes the average family 9-18 months to care for the possessions left in the home and get the home cleaned out or “market ready” for sale. While liquidating personal property without experienced professionals, the cost many families pay to maintain the home by paying utilities, insurance and other maintenance fees during that time averages between $10,836 to $21,672. Working with Caring Transitions can help you liquidate the home faster with the option of an in-person estate sale or online estate sale auction using CTBIDS to have the house cleaned out in 2-3 weeks.
Understanding the time it takes to complete the move process make it imperative to set realistic expectations, steps, and goals for moving forward that protects you from rushing to complete everything at once. Moving can be overwhelming. Establish definitive dates for having meetings, hiring resources or completing projects.
4. Create a Space Plan
Accurate space planning, especially when moving to a space smaller than traditional family homes is paramount to a successful move. Those who choose to move without a plan are often distraught by the end of a move when they realize their new apartment is cramped and uncomfortable due to too much furniture or poorly planned storage. Professional organizations work closely with clients to understand what is meaningful and important among their possessions. The professionals at Caring Transitions utilize accurate 3-D space planning tools that help create ideal new environments and help clients feel at home while saving them the expense of moving unnecessary items.
5. Downsize and Declutter
Downsizing and decluttering go hand-in-hand with space planning for a smaller home, yet it is sometimes the most difficult part of any move. Many people find it daunting to sort through a lifetime of possessions, or even a few years of posessions, in order to narrow down the selection of items they will move to a new home. Caring Transitions helps clients "rightsize" their possessions. Rightsizing helps individuals focus on what is necessary and important to their daily, care, comfort and personal identity and places less importance on the sheer “volume” of possessions. In other words, helping clients identify what is personally, but not necessarily materially, valuable.
It's important to find a happy home for your valuables during this rightsizing process. Items that hold sentimental value are best given to others as legacy gifts and those that hold material value are best awarded as inheritances or liquidated through in-person estate sales or online estate sale auctions.
6. Seek support
There is no doubt home transitions are often both complex and stressful no matter your life stage. You should always seek personal and professional support throughout the process. Be sure to discuss plans with trusted friends and relatives who have a history of supporting your decisions. The right personal support system can help you evaluate information gathered from professional advisors and create a good sounding board for reviewing choices and making decisions.
Above all, remain focused on what is important for your health, welfare and safety as well as your family’s. As long as your medical and financial circumstances allow time to plan, seek the advice and support needed so you can remain in control of your moving process.