In a perfect situation, you might have practically unlimited time to coordinate a move. If you have enough time and money on your hands, and your new house is close to your old house, you could take your time packing and moving from your old house to your new house and sell your old house whenever you’re done.
Unfortunately, many of us fall far from this beautiful hypothetical scenario. We need to move across the country, and can’t afford to make leisurely trips from one place to the other. We need to start a new job in a new location, meaning we can’t stay behind for very long. We need to close the sale and move on quickly because of financial troubles.
Whatever the case, we need to move in a hurry.
So how do we do it?
How to Move Fast: Strategies for Success
These are some of the best strategies and tips for moving as quickly as possible – without driving ourselves crazy in the process.
1. Make checklists ahead of time.
Many people find themselves in this situation on short notice, so you may not have much time to prepare. But if you do have any upfront prep time, take full advantage of it. One of the best things you can do is make a thorough checklist of all the tasks you need to accomplish for the move to be successful, including both big things like selling your house and little things like turning off the utilities. It’s easy to get disorganized when you’re managing tons of little tasks, so you’ll be grateful you have this checklist when you’re in the thick of things. Also, while you’re organizing your thoughts and plans, see if you can do some early packing.
2. Sell your house as is.
One of your best options is to sell your house as is for cash. If you list your home on the market traditionally, there’s no guarantee if or when you’re going to receive an attractive offer. If your primary goal is selling your home quickly, with a smooth process, it doesn’t make sense to wait around for the highest possible offer. Instead, you can find a motivated buyer and get an offer from them. If you like the offer, you can proceed with the sale, and typically close it within a few days.
3. Declutter.
The less you have to move, the better. Fewer possessions mean fewer boxes to pack, fewer boxes to move, and fewer things to keep track of throughout the moving process. Most of your possessions are fully replaceable, and many of them aren’t really necessary, so take the time to go through all your possessions and weed out whatever you don’t need. This is an opportunity to throw things away, donate usable items, and recycle whatever you can.
4. Make sleeping arrangements.
If you have to move quickly, you may find yourself in limbo between two houses; you may sell your house faster than you imagined, or your new house may not be ready. Either way, you’ll need sleeping arrangements. Is there a friend or relative you can stay with? Can you negotiate to move in sooner? Is there a hotel you can stay at temporarily?
5. Create multiple backup plans.
For your sleeping arrangements and other accommodations, always create backup plans. Fast moves can be chaotic, so you need to be able to adapt if your original plans fall through.
6. Establish a packing plan.
Your most time-consuming job in preparing for this fast move is probably going to be packing, so put together a packing plan as early as possible. Who in your family is responsible for packing what? How are you going to group your items? How many boxes and storage containers do you need? Depending on how fast you need to move, you may be forced to abandon elements of this plan; do what you can to preserve the most important elements.
7. Get creative.
Get creative when packing. You can use trash bags instead of boxes, or even pack your furniture full of other items. You can use clothes as wrapping material for fragile items like dishes and glasses. You can pack according to room, item urgency, or any number of other criteria. Embrace the flexibility you have!
8. Hire professional movers – and use them fully.
Even if you think you can manage the move on your own, consider hiring professional movers. These experienced pros move quickly and confidently, so they’re typically well worth the money. Make sure you understand what services these movers can provide, and take advantage of them; in some cases, they can even help you pack.
9. Get more people involved.
Many hands make light work, or so the saying goes. Don’t try to do everything yourself or you’ll quickly become overstressed and overloaded. Recruit friends, family members, and neighbors to help you however they can – and make sure you show your gratitude by treating them to something special afterward.
10. Don’t neglect self-care.
It’s easy to neglect your self-care during a stressful, fast move. Do whatever you can to get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and eat balanced meals. If you run out of energy or forget your most important needs, you won’t be able to keep moving forward.
11. (Bonus): Celebrate!
When your move is finished, celebrate with the people who helped you get there!
Selling Your House Fast
The biggest challenge you’ll need to overcome is figuring out how to sell your home as quickly as possible. The housing market is slowing down, which means if you sell your home in a traditional wait, it could be weeks, or even months before you receive the right offer. Pricing your home lower and practicing more aggressive marketing can help you here, but many home sellers benefit even more from selling their home in cash, as is.
If you’re ready to see what your house is worth, contact us to get a free offer today!