"Real Estate Bits - 2"

Moving Check List

You have purchased a new home - now it’s time to start packing. Do not get a box from the LCBO and start to pack up the books in the family room. What if half the books are paper backs from your university days? As with anything else - you need a plan

Think Of These Categories:

Must Keep              Sentimental              Cash              Charity             Junk

Must Keep - These are the items in your home that you will take with you to become part of your new dwelling. Furniture - mementos - dishes - pictures - art work – clothing etc.

Sentimental - This can be a tough one. What if “sentimental” has a guilt quotient? We all have them. This week-end I’m finally selling my guilt chair at a garage sale. This is a chair that my father had in his living room for many years. I feel about it the way Frasier felt about his Dad’s old duct-taped easy chair. I never sit in it because it’s big and uncomfortable - sort of like Lily Tomlin’s famous rocking chair. Finally it is going to find a new home. You can and should do the same with the stuff that has ceased to add value to your life.

Cash - Sell what you don’t want or need and turn it into cash.

Charity - Donate things that you don’t want to move. Re-Cycling Matters - Good Will - Salvation Army - Value Village etc.

Junk - The functional life of the item is “over”. Get rid of it.

Now you have a fresh slate to work with. Go through every room in the house (one by one) and assign a category to every item. Label boxes and put every item where it belongs. Have a staging area – basements and garages work well.

Now you are finally down to your Must Keep items. Pack them and label the box with the destination room in your new house or condo. Colour code your boxes. You can now easily direct your movers. For instance all red coded boxes are for the kitchen etc.

Now Down To The Nitty-Gritty:

1. Interview and select a moving company appropriate to your move.
2. Start to pack. Give yourself time. A month before the actual moving date is a sensible time frame.
3. Send out all your change of address cards.
4. Pack all important documents in one place.
5. Finalize all paperwork with your lawyer and your bank and book dates to see these professionals.
6. Even though your lawyer may contact these companies - most people like to call Heat - Hydro - Water. Have any necessary metres read by the appropriate utility. Then you want to follow up with Insurance - Cable TV - Phone – Internet – Magazines - Newspapers and Internet.
7. If you are moving to a condo - remember to book the service elevator for moving day.
8. Account for kiddies and pets on the actual moving day.
9. Pack a moving day “Go Bag” for every member of the family. Tooth brush - change of clothes - jammies - snack. The cat and dog need one too!
10. Order pizza the night of your move.
11. Arrange for beds to be set up in the new house.
12. Unpack the coffee maker, mugs and juice glasses.
13. Go out for breakfast on day “1” in your new home.
14. Now back home again - unpack each room as required.

One Final Tip - Assign a family member to be present when your moving truck is loaded and unloaded so you can account for the handling of all items. Many people like to move art work, mirrors and clothing themselves. This often depends on the length of the move.

Try to think of moving day as an adventure. Many people like to leave a note of “Welcome” and a bottle of wine for the Buyers of their home. It’s a lovely touch. Remember that the home you are leaving is filled with the memories of your life and the new owners will continue that tradition!

Happy Moving Day!

Regards,

Rosemary...