Guest writer Teresa Greenhill is the co-creator of MentalHealthForSeniors.com, which is dedicated to providing seniors with information on physical and mental fitness so that they can be active and happy in their golden years.
Moving to a new home is exciting, but it’s stressful, too. If you’re a senior citizen, you may experience even more anxiety than younger people in the middle of the moving process. Decluttering, packing, and deciding how to move your belongings to the new house are all important tasks that you have to accomplish in order to make the move happen. So how can you make the big day relatively stress free? Read on for tips on how to make the move to your new home!
Selling Your Home
To make the selling process smoother, consider hiring a professional realtor. Realtors provide you with advice about the housing markets and how to stage your home so it looks its best. Prepare your home for showings by cleaning the house from top to bottom. Ask family members and friends to help you put a fresh coat of paint on the walls or weed your garden. You may even want to hire someone to make simple repairs around the house so your house is ready to be seen by potential buyers.
Plan Your Move
Before you do anything, come up with a plan for your move. Decide if you will hire a moving service or use friends and family to help you transport items to your new home. Determine if you will place some of your belongings in storage. Write a to-do list to keep track of all the tasks you need to accomplish before the moving day.
Will You Have Enough Room?
Determine how much space will be available in your new home. If you are currently living in a 2000-square foot home and you are moving to a 1000-square foot house, you’ll have to decide which items are coming with you. When possible, obtain a floor plan of your new home to provide you an accurate picture of how much space is available. This way, you’ll know if your sectional sofa will fit in your living room or if you should purchase a smaller couch.
Start Decluttering
Most seniors that move plan to transfer to a smaller living space. If that describes your situation, start decluttering as soon as possible. Systematically go through each room to determine which items to keep, throw away, donate to charity, or give to loved ones,. Decluttering is overwhelming if you try to accomplish the task in a single day. Ask family members or friends to help you go through your belongings. Set aside a few weekends to get the job done. Break it down into small chunks, doing a few things each day. Start with the rooms that accumulate the most things, including the attic, basement, and guest rooms.
Hiring a Moving Service
As a senior, you probably don’t want to tackle a move by yourself. Too much lifting and carrying could lead to injury or sore muscles. And not everyone feels comfortable driving a large moving truck through heavy traffic or down narrow roads. Instead, consider hiring a moving service (don’t forget to compare prices so you don’t overpay). A moving company takes care of all the work for you. You can even choose a moving service that will pack up your belongings as well. If you decide to hire movers, make your reservation a few weeks in advance. Make Space suggests searching online for professional moving companies. Be sure to verify that the selected moving company is licensed in the state in which you live. Carefully check the services listed by the company, including its refund and damage policies. There are plenty of people advertising their moving services, but not everyone is professional and reputable.
The Day Before the Move
Before the big day, fill an overnight bag with all the items you’ll need as soon as you arrive at your new home. Important items include your cell phone charger, prescription medications, pajamas, toothbrush, and any toiletries you’ll need. You definitely don’t want to search through boxes for those belongings when it’s time for you to go to bed.
Moving to a new home isn’t easy. It requires hours of planning, organizing, and packing. But if you plan in advance, take time to declutter, and find the right people to help with the moving process, you have a greater chance of experiencing a smoother moving day.
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