American professor Mason Cooley once said that “procrastination makes easy things hard (and) hard things harder.” When it comes to moving tasks, this statement rings true, as the more you delay your preparation, the more difficult it will make your move.
If you’re procrastinating on your routine housekeeping before your move, for example, it might be too late. But if you mind these housekeeping tips and tackle them in advance of your move, it will help with efficiency, expenses and peace of mind.
1. Cleaning and Sanitization
You may be moving out of your old home, but that’s not an excuse to neglect it and make it an unwelcome place for the new residents. Just as it’s common courtesy to clean a campsite before leaving, it’s even more respectful to leave a clean home before relocating. It can also mitigate issues with lease or contract violations for renters and owners respectively. While a deep clean amidst your move may feel overwhelming, you don’t have to do it yourself. A professional cleaning service can provide different levels of cleaning and sanitation, each sure to make a good impression on the new owners or residents of your home. Some areas to prioritize include:
– Areas where furniture used to sit that may have been neglected
-Floors, walls and carpeting
-Windows and doors
-Any appliances being left behind, such as the dishwasher and oven
-Ceiling fans and other areas that accumulate dust
-Bathroom sinks, tubs and showers
2. Removing Food
Sorry, the new residents of your home aren’t going to want your leftovers. If you’re not going to eat any perishable food, you should discard it appropriately. All other food should be transported with you, donated to a charity or even given to a friend, family member or neighbor. Do a thorough inspection of your kitchen, pantry and other areas of your home where food is stored to make sure you didn’t overlook anything that could be an unwelcome surprise.
3. Completing Buyer Requests
The home inspection will reveal issues that need to be addressed, and it’s a good idea to complete these as early as possible. It’s not unheard of for these maintenance and housekeeping tasks to be the deciding factor for a buyer backing out of a purchase agreement. If you’ve already moved from your home, this can be a big headache. Whether it’s smaller issues like broken door knobs, dented drywall, creaking hinges or dripping faucets, or bigger issues like a water heater, roof or garage door replacement, get these in working order and make sure your buyer, or landlord, is satisfied before you move because you’ll quickly shift focus to your new home after your move. Make other minor repairs as necessary, but don’t overdo it. You aren’t obligated to address anything not outlined on the home inspection for sellers or lease for renters.
4. Organizing the Exterior
The inside of your home isn’t the only area that you want to leave in good working order. The outside should be cleaned and organized (to a degree) as well. Start with anything that could be a health or safety hazard. Clear obstructions like weeds from walkways, remove rusty or broken playsets and get rid of anything broken or otherwise not useful for the property. It wouldn’t hurt to give the exterior (or interior) a fresh coat of paint—or at least spot work—to address any chipping or peeling. Don’t forget about gutters, the front porch and windows or doors, either. You want the future residents of your home to have a good first impression and feel comfortable in a new environment.
For homeowners, much of this should come in advance of listing your home for sale to help you maximize your return. Renters will want to avoid losing their deposit, or worse, to easy housekeeping maintenance that may be neglected if you wait until after your move.
5. Clearing Out Storage
If you have any items in storage, the attic or a shed, try to get them early on. The more tasks like this that you delay, the more stressed and difficult your move will be. When you clear out these storage areas, decide what you will move, what you will give away or donate, what you will sell and what you will throw in the garbage. After that, you might want to consider an estate sale to reduce your number of belongings being moved, potentially saving you money and giving you extra room in your budget as a result.
6. Checking the HVAC System
For safety reasons and concern for any potential allergies with future residents, address any air quality concerns in your HVAC system. Change air filters, clean vents and clean any areas that are overly dirty. You don’t have to do an expensive, thorough cleaning, but you do want to leave an adequately clean system.
7. Transferring Utilities
Finally, a task that can mitigate major frustration is transferring all utilities to your new address as soon as possible. Many new utility setups have a 30- or 60- day window, but you can often schedule turning off utilities at your old location earlier than these timeframes. At the end of the day, you want to ensure you have air conditioning, water and electricity ready for you at your new home and to not absorb these costs at your old home.
In addition to these housekeeping tips you should tackle before your move, we recommend you prepare for your actual move. There are many moving resources online to help you with packing tips, DIY-moving tips and to help you locate donation and waste centers in advance of your move.