A home purchase is quite the achievement, especially when buying your first home. The experience can leave some home owners feeling like they have been breaking blocks with their head. With all the headaches from negotiating and closing the deal it’s hard enough but then on top of it you still have to pack. Not everyone wants or can afford a moving company, if you are one that is going without you have a big job ahead of you.
It’s no shame to be lousy at packing, not everyone can roll the score board on Tetris while trying to squeeze all their knick knacks into small cardboard cubes. If you are one of the unfortunate souls that packs the fire place irons in the same box with a wine carafe here are some tips to help you on your move.
Packing Tips from Realtors #1 - Start Early
Never leave all of your packing for the last minute. You’ll wind up packing the garbage, stuffing boxes, miss marking packages and forgetting where items got put because of the rush. Many of your things will need to be cleaned and sorted before you pack them and there’s just no way to sort, organize, clean and pack everything in your home when you do it all at once with no time to do it in.
Packing Tips from Realtors #2 - Stay Organized
When it comes time to pack make sure you are labeling every box on the top and sides. You want to mark the boxes with their contents, the room they came from and where they’re going as well as whether or not they’re fragile. When you start loading everything up this will make for far less confusion and reduce the chances of lost or broken items.
Optional : Don’t seal boxes until it’s time to go. If you want to seal them, just be certain that you won’t want anything that’s inside the box before you get settled into the new home you purchased with your Realtor
Packing Tips from Realtors #3 - Use Good Materials
When packing it’s of the utmost importance to use quality goods. It might be a tempting proposition to get old used boxes to save a few dollars but used boxes have already been handled and shipped around which reduces their strength and durability. As a box ages and begins to sag its’ crush-threshold is lowered and can cause shifting during the move which leads to potential damage of your personal items. Buying new boxes specifically designed for moving things like pictures, electronics, media and clothing can help assure your personal effects are well guarded.
Additional materials that can protect your goods is a filler for boxes that have a lot of empty space that can lead to shifting and breakage. If you can’t afford packing material like bubble wrap then use seasonal clothing, towels or extra linen to fill the space in boxes.
Packing Tips from Realtors #4 - Packing Heavy Items
The weight can really pile up when you start stacking electronics, books and various knick knacks together in boxes. This is where it’s extremely important to use strong packing materials. Even with proper boxes and quality tape you don’t want to pack boxes any heavier than 50lbs - and in some cases less. Even though most moving boxes can easily support that weight, it’s not safe to stack a lot of boxes that exceed 50lbs. With very many heavy boxes you are also increasing the chance of strain and personal injury. Keep your boxes light and use more boxes if you have to.
Packing Tips from Realtors #5 - Fragile Items
The most important thing to remember with items like china, silverware and stemware or decorative fragile items in the home is that they have to be packed properly with a lot of protective wrapping. There could potentially be shifting and jarring movement during the ride to the new home and the vibration combined with the items rattling against one another can lead to a lot of broken glass and shattered china. Spend the money to wrap your goods properly and pad/stuff the boxes so that items can’t move or bang against one another.
It can be stressful trying to pack your whole family for a big move. Broken goods or difficulties unpacking can make things seem unbearable. Following these tips from your realtor can help simplify the process and ensure that you’re ready to run out the door with boxes in hand once you close on your home.
Whether you’re looking for real estate or a home, our Washington DC Realtor can help you grab up the perfect home at a price that you can afford. Don’t let that dream home slip by - contact us together to star the search together for that perfect Northern Virginia real estate. Paragon Remodeling - 8000 Towers Crescent Dr - Vienna, VA 22182
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