On average, 46,000 American households and numerous offices are moving every day. They bundle their lives into boxes and try someplace new. Regardless of the size or distance of a residential or office relocation, careful planning, communication and organization are essential for a successful move.

Even if you are not moving, act like you are moving and picture your home through the buyers eyes. What do they see behind those closed doors? Will they remember your “stuff” or will they remember your home? Uncluttered spaces make the best first impression.

You don’t have to get rid of things you love or need. You just have to determine what they are. The following are some quick, general tips that will ease the pain.

Begin at the beginning.

Examine all your belongings and determine which are valuable enough to move. Can you replace them inexpensively? Then ask yourself some simple questions

1. What to save?
2. What to send to the dump…and when?
3. What to give to charity?
4. What to sell?
5. What to pass on to family?
6. What to store?
7. What needs repair? Does it fit you or your new home?

Create a “moving” notebook or folder.

Make notes about your move as they occur to you. Check off when completed. This step will make you feel as though you are accomplishing something. Retain contacts and receipts pertaining to the move in this folder.

List people to contact.
Errands to run.
A list of resources. Example:

• Repairs
• Consignment
• Charities
• Realtors/Van Lines
• Recyclers
• Family members - what is meaningful to pass on….pass it on!

Begin accumulating supplies.

1. A 32 gallon trash can – plan to fill it every week.
2. Boxes/tape/markers/packing materials - these can be obtained from public storage facilities and u-haul.
3. Plastic containers (with lids) large enough to hold memorabilia.
4. Colored dots to identify what is to be sold or what goes to family members, or what needs special handling.

Now is the time to look at each room through a buyer’s eyes and identify the problem areas. What would you NOT want them to see?

Start in your bedroom closet.

Get ready to make some ruthless decisions. Remember to consider the size of the closet you are moving into.

1. Take everything out of closet.
2. Toss old, broken, and wire hangers…suggest buying new.
3. Sort: 
   · need it – keep it.
   · want it – store away in boxes for 4 months – if not used, then toss.
   · never used last 3 months – toss it or recycle. BE RUTHLESS.
4. Will there be a change in lifestyle: career clothes, leisure, formal?
5. Return items to closet with similar articles grouped together.
   · Tops/pants/skirts/dress shirts/suits/formal/etc.
6. Fold sweaters. They keep better this way.
7. Shoe racks that work for your shoes (I like the two-tiered floor racks that expand - at Hold Everything retail store). Clear shoeboxes will work also.
8. Suitable containers for “loose” items.

While you are in this room, turn toward your dressers. Attack each dresser, drawer by drawer. Take everything out of each drawer. Sort/purge/replace. While you are feeling so accomplished, scan the rest of the room for more opportunities to scale down. Look at and let go of those fantasy items that seemed so precious at the time.

Tackle the bathroom.

Find those items that you forgot you had and are matted or caked or out of date. Again, take everything out of each cabinet and drawer (one at a time).

• Sort/purge – discard old prescriptions, ointments, etc.
• Keep several bath amenities (from hotels) for your guest bathroom. Toss the rest.
• If old – toss – buy new at destination.
• Buy small plastic lidded containers or drawers for loose items under the vanity. Easier to pack and store.
• Consider drawer trays (dividers) to fit destination bathroom drawers.

Now, the home office area.

It generally takes a lot of courage to look at this space with new eyes. You might begin with your desk. 
Attack with a vengeance. Now is the time to go though those endless piles of paper and things you’ve accumulated for “later."

• Sort/purge/group into filing categories. File!
• Clean off top of desk.
• Clean out drawer by drawer, cabinet by cabinet, shelf by shelf.
• Recycle old technology hardware.

Don’t spend your hard-earned money to pack, load, and unload all of your magazines and books.

• Sort – be ruthless – toss - donate.
• Determine which subscriptions to cancel. If you don’t read it – cancel it. You can always get it at the library or on the Internet.
• Cut out articles you want to keep – toss magazine.
• Would family/friends/the library like to have some of your books? Keep your favorites.

Don't forget the kitchen.

What’s going on in this room?

• Are there appliances you forgot you had and never use?
• Are there topless/discolored plastic containers?
• Are there rusty old baking pans?
• Are there cookbooks that look good, but you never touch? This could be the time to go through the loose, scattered, jagged-edged recipes that looked tempting at the time. Keep or toss.
• Is a whole shelf taken up with promotional coffee mugs and water bottles?
• Do you have three potato peelers?
• What’s this gadget for and do I need it?

Toss, recycle or give to your favorite charity all the extemporaneous items living in your kitchen. Now is the time to sort/purge/group like items together for easier packing and unpacking and settling into your new kitchen. It's also time to empty the pantry of the exotic ingredients that were never merged into a meal.

Finally, the garage.

This citadel of last resort is the bane of our existence. Make room for your cars in your new home. Toss, toss, toss. The garage has become an extension of the home, with flooring, storage and ceiling storage options. We use the garage every day, whether to climb in and out of a car or to access a hammer and nails, sporting goods, boots, etc. Why not feel good while you’re in this room?

Now get started and enjoy your new home!

About the Author

Read more articles by Sally Allen.