So you’re finally moving to your new home. And just like anything brand new, moving to a new home can be exciting. However, moving can also be stressful, especially when you think about when to start packing. It can be overwhelming looking at the stuff you have lying around not knowing when or where to start.
But when you plan properly, the moving process shouldn’t cause too much trouble. And to help you make your moving process as smooth as possible, here are some helpful tips on when you should start packing when buying a house.
When Should I Start Packing When Buying a Home in Colorado?
The earlier you start packing, the better. In general, an acceptable timeframe for your packing and moving process should be somewhere between 6-8 weeks. Of course, this would also depend on how much stuff you need to pack. If you want things to go smoothly, start packing really early and make sure to at least start packing 3 weeks before the actual move date.
Here’s a helpful guide that can tell you what and what not to pack within 8 weeks before your move.
8 Week Packing Guide When Buying a House
Week 8
The first thing you need to do is to get the packing supplies you need. Plastic bags, cushions, cardboard boxes, and every other supply that you think you will need to pack your things. If you want to save money, you can ask local stores for leftover boxes that they might just throw out and ask if you can have them.
You also need to have a place to put all the boxes in the meantime while waiting for the moving day. Uses a spare room in your house to keep your moving boxes safe and in one place.
Week 7
Doing a house cleanup can help you in kick-start your packing. This gives you time to sort your things and organize them. A clean house can make the sorting and packing process a lot easier.
Go through each room of your house and carefully organize the items inside. Make sure to identify items that are essential and items that you don’t need. These items can either be thrown away, donated, or sold for some extra cash.
Week 6
Now that you’ve taken the time to sort your things and identify those that you won’t be needing, It’s time to dispose of them. There are a couple of ways you can go about this. One of the best ways to do this is to organize a garage sale and sell the stuff you don’t want to bring with you on your move. You’ll be packing fewer items while earning extra cash on the side. For other items that can’t be sold, you can always give them away to friends, or donate them to charity.
Week 5
By this time you should be searching for a moving company to hire for your moving day. Scout around for different companies and ask for a quote and hire the one with the best rate. If you decide to move things yourself, make sure you have the right vehicle to fit all your stuff for the moving process.
Week 4 to Week 2
With all the preparations out of the way, you can finally start packing your things. And since you’re already done organizing everything a few weeks back, the process should be easier.
Pack the things that you know you would not be using until you get to your new home first. This is to avoid having to open up packed boxes to get stuff that you actually still need. For the stuff that you know you’ll be using, it’s best to have them packed last.
Week 1
With one week to go, you’re almost done with everything. What’s left would be to pack the clothes, kitchenware, and personal valuables. Make sure to pack these with care to avoid breakage while in transit to your new home.
FAQs
How Do You Pack a House Fast?
There are a lot of factors that can affect how long it takes for you to pack your stuff. You need to consider the size of your home, how many items to pack and move, and if there are any items that you don’t really need to pack with you. In general, give each room around 1-2 days to pack. So if you have a 3 bedroom house, it may take you up to 6 days to finish packing each room. How long it takes to pack would also depend on how you actually work while packing. Do you work slowly and take frequent breaks? If so, then expect the packing process to take longer.
If you want to pack fast, you need to be methodical in doing it. The first thing you need to do would be to get your supplies ready. Make sure you have everything you need before you start packing to avoid having to stop in the middle just to go out for some last-minute supply run.
Cleaning rooms and segregating items to their respective categories can also help you move faster. This way you’ll know exactly which things go where and you would have an easier time organizing your things. Decide which items are going to be moved and which items are to be sold or donated. This cuts down the items you actually need to pack making the process faster.
What should you do to the items you can’t bring with you?
As much as we want to take everything we have to our new home, the reality is that you can’t bring them all with you. Some things just won’t fit your new life in your new home. So what do you do with them?
One great way to get rid of stuff you don’t want or need in your new house and make a bit of money in the process is selling them. There are lots of ways you can do this. You can sell items online, or better yet, organize a garage sale. This way, your moving expense will be cheaper since you’ll have fewer items to move, and you have extra cash to add to your moving budget.
Now if there are things that you could not sell or have no value to sell, you can always donate them. You can search online or ask for local listings of charities that you can contact and donate your items to. Just remember to ask for a receipt so you can write your donations off when filing for your taxes.
Should I Hire movers or Should I do the moving myself?
If you want to save money during the moving process, packing and moving stuff yourself would be your best bet. It does take a lot of work but you don’t have to shell out cash just to have your things packed and moved. However, if you find that you don’t have the time to do it yourself, or just don’t want to do it yourself, you can always hire movers to do it for you. Professional moving companies know how to take care of your stuff and can pack every item you have safely. If you’re planning to hire movers to do the packing for you, the average rate would be around $100-$120 per hour for 2 people.
Are There Any Items that Movers Can’t Move?
You might think that you can leave all your things for them to pack and move by hiring professional movers. However, this is not the case. There are some items that movers will not move for you for safety reasons. These are sometimes called non-allowables. Different moving companies will have their own list of non-allowables or items they are prohibited to move for you. Apart from safety reasons, these non-allowables are prohibited from being moved also for legal reasons.
Movers also don’t want to be liable for any damage that your personal items might sustain or might end up missing during the moving process hence these items will not be moved for you.
When hiring professional movers, ask for a list of non-allowable items so you can organize your items in advance. This would make the moving process a lot smoother and faster.
Start Packing Early
Packing things for your big move doesn’t need to be a stressful experience. If you follow the steps laid out in this article, you should have no problems with your move. Although there might be unforeseen problems that can sometimes come up, as long as you generally stick to the plan, everything should turn out just fine. Just remember: Start packing early to avoid rushing when moving day comes.
