Monthly Archives: July 2021

Declutter BEFORE You Move (You’ll Thank Us Later!)

Moving is a great time to get rid of things you no longer need or use. But too many people hold off on going through their possessions until moving day is actually upon them—when it’s time to hustle and get packing already or when you’ve hired professionals to do the packing for you. By then, it’s often too late to do a really efficient and rewarding job of cleaning up and clearing out, especially these days, when home buyers expect quick turnarounds and even quicker departures.

Now, you don’t have to go full-on Marie Kondo and dispose of every single thing that doesn’t bring you joy, but it’s a good idea—a very good idea—to start weeding through all those stuffed shelves, crammed cabinets, and overflowing closets long before moving day is on the calendar. In fact, it’s ideal to start even before you list your house.

Here are the top advantages to decluttering the clutter earlier rather than later:

  • Your house will show better when it’s neat and tidy, when prospective buyers can open doors and peek behind walls to actually see how much space is in your storage areas.
  • If you’ll be moving yourself, you’ll save money on renting a smaller truck. Not only that, but you’ll save even more on fewer boxes and less packing materials. All that tape and bubble wrap really adds up!
  • If you’ll be hiring a moving company, they’ll charge a lower fee for less space on the truck for a lower volume of content to transport.
  • Either way—with a self-move or a hired move—you’ll save significant time as well, with fewer trips loading and unloading all your boxes and belongings. A faster move is an easier move and one with fewer unexpected mishaps that could stall your progress.
  • By sorting through all your goods well in advance, you’ll have an opportunity to sell what you can instead of scrambling at the last minute and just throwing away or donating perfectly usable items. You’d be surprised how much Aunt Millie’s tea set could go for on eBay or how much you can get for your old record player or sewing machine on Facebook Marketplace. And never underestimate the draw of a well-timed yard sale to rake in some dough from decades’ worth of collected goods that haven’t seen the light of day in years. Who couldn’t use a little extra money to decorate their new place?

And the benefits just keep accruing once you move into your new home (especially if you’re downsizing), which will now be more streamlined, offer more open space, and contain only the things you truly want and need—all organized and in order from the start. No more wondering where that waffle iron is or giving up on decorating the porch with your hanging candy canes because you can’t get to them behind the mountain of rusty tools and lawn equipment.

So go ahead—start now! Attack the attic, plow through the basement, sweep out the shed, and tackle all those trunks and bins. It might well be the very best use of your valuable time throughout your entire move.

BB&D Moving Services
301-57-5447 (MD)  |   571-375-2826 (VA)  |  786-390-4040 (FL)  |  bbdmoving.com/