When you begin thinking about a future move, it’s best to start as early as possible on the sorting and right-sizing task before you choose to list your home with a realtor. Whether you’re on a long waiting list for a community or plan to move into a smaller private home, you’ll want to give yourself as much time as possible to process through the years of possessions you’ve accumulated. If you don’t take the time to right-size and sort prior to your move, you may spend a lot more on teams to pack, move and unpack items you ultimately won’t be keeping or have the space for in your new home. Starting to downsize early can save you money in the long run. 

If you’re looking into realtors, make sure you clearly communicate your plans and intentions with them. Realtors want to get you the best selling price for your home and they are watching the trends for buyers and sellers at the present time. If you don’t work out a clear moving plan with your realtor, you may find that the process is moving faster than you can handle. You don’t want to have your house selling quicker than your schedule allows for you to manage the sorting, packing, moving, and cleaning that is necessary to turn your home over to new owners. 

Your realtor may ask you to quickly remove personal items like family pictures from the rooms or “cluttered” items in closets, on counters, shelves and table tops. They may ask you to rearrange furniture or remove furniture from crowded rooms. You may want to paint, make repairs, purchase parts, and schedule landscapers, handy-men, or movers. You will need time to make these changes, so the realtor can take pictures or begin walkthroughs and offer open houses. Your realtor may desire these changes faster than you, your family or even a team of professionals can schedule the time to make them, because it will help them get the best price for your home while the market is hot. 

It takes time and planning for your family to schedule weekends to help you sort or to move out furniture they want to keep. It takes time to declutter, sort, pack, and haul away donations and trash. By getting an early start to the sorting process yourself, before you give your realtor the go ahead to list the home, you’ll have the necessary time available to make the difficult decisions while you sort. You also won’t need to juggle the sorting mess with the last minute call to have your home clean for a showing. Sorting through years of possessions is emotional and stressful enough, without the additional pressure of open houses, an imminent moving deadline, or closing day. You need to look out for your own well-being and allow yourself the time to rest between sorting sessions and give your brain a break from all of the decision making. 

You can take control of this process by sorting your possessions well in advance of listing your home. Talk with your family and schedule sorting sessions if they are available to lend a hand. You can also hire a professional to help you through the process. Beyond The Fork In The Road offers morning and afternoon sessions to assist you in right-sizing and we can manage the distribution of donations and consignment items. We can also sub-contract movers and trash haulers for you. Clearly communicate your plans to your real estate agent and formulate a plan with them for when repairs will be completed and pictures and showings can begin. It takes a team to prepare and sell your home, and by planning in advance, you won’t feel the pressure to do everything on your own.