One of the easiest ways to get your house ready for being on the market is to start packing. Take a good hard look around and decide what items can be packed now. Some ideas:
Seasonal clothing
Seasonal equipment
Collections
Books
Blankets/Linens
Family photos
Grandma's china
Kids artwork/memorabilia
When we moved from NY to Maine we ordered moving boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, tape, tape dispensers (a must have!), magic markers and had it all delivered to our door. Easy peasy. That was 14 years ago. Today packing supplies are easy enough to get from Home Depot, Lowe's or even your local moving company. They usually have a really good selection and you don't have to pay for shipping but it's still an option and really convenient. Amazon has a great selection. Pro tip: Get different sized boxes and use them appropriately. Books in small boxes because they're really heavy, blankets and puffy stuff in large boxes because they're harder to handle so if they're light it will be easier.
Pro Tip: Label your boxes with the contents and also where in the new location they should be delivered. Example: Summer Clothes - Master Bedroom or Towels - Downstairs Linen Closet... We like using painters tape to label boxes because it comes off easily and then you can use the box for something else in the future.
One of the best things we ever did when we moved was to order "Space Bags". Those things are so dang cool. One warning, like books, they can get heavy because you can put a lot in one bag, it's flat so it looks innocent enough. But it really does help minimize the amount of space you need to store things so especially if you're pre packing they are really quite handy.
Which brings us to the next point. Where are you goint to put all this stuff you're packing? Ideally you have attic, basement or garage storage. If you have all new boxes in a few identical sizes, neatly labeled then stacking them won't be an eye sore and will look organized, which buyers like to see. It shows that you take care of your things which leads them to believe you must also take care of the property. If you don't have the space in your house then a storage unit could be a good short-term solution.
We hope these tips and tricks have inspired you to get packing. If you're anything like us, you may find that years down the road you never even UNpack some of the pre packed boxes, making you realize that you can actually live with less.
Happy Packing!
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