Provided by award winning Realtor, Julia MacWilliams, who is also a Registered Mortgage Broker and former banker. Julia is a strong Advocate of Virtual tours and Home staging.
To organize your home sale or purchase , call Julia @ 604-530-0231
Canadians are on the move. Home equity has been rising for the last several years, and many homeowners are taking the opportunity to move up. Others, with children now grown and house prices so strong, have decided to capitalize on the boom: taking their real estate gains and downsizing into a more manageable property. There’s no question that Canadians are packing up and moving out in record numbers.
Following are some tips from professional movers on how to pack:
Assemble your supplies at least one month in advance.
At a minimum, you’ll need several sizes of clean, close-able cardboard boxes, packing tape, permanent markers, bubble wrap, newspaper and/or tissue paper. You may also need special boxes for mattresses, artwork or mirrors, and table lamps. Buy a wardrobe box from your mover to transport the contents of your closets. Start packing as early as you can.
Room by Room
Stay organized by packing one room at a time. Label each box clearly with the room and a description of the contents – e.g. “Girl’s Bedroom – toy shelf contents”. Keep the boxes in the room, if possible. It’s helpful, when packing is complete for that room, to number the boxes (e.g. “Box 1 of 5”). At the other end, you’ll know if a box is missing or misplaced from that room. Keep a list of numbered boxes and their contents.
Heavy items in small boxes; light items in large boxes.
If you have a lot of books or an old collection of vinyl records, you’ll know how heavy they can be. If you’re moderately fit, you should be able to lift any box you pack. Double-box any fragile items, and add plenty of cushioning. Finally, when labeling the box, add a “Fragile” note, so the movers can treat it accordingly.
Don’t bother emptying your dresser or desk drawers.
Do ensure that any items are secured. Remove any items which might cause problems in the case of freezing or spilling.
Set up a station for packing dishes.
Use a medium-sized carton and line the bottom with packing popcorn or crumpled paper. Try packing plates or soup bowls in threes: on a stack of packing paper, set the first plate. Pull up the corners of your paper and pull up to cover plate completely. Set a second plate on the stack and repeat. When you finish the third plate, ensure that the bundle is completely covered, seal it with tape and place carefully in the box.
Dealing with delicate items.
Lamps and lampshades should be removed and packed carefully. Wrap the harp and finial fittings separately and keep them in the box with the shade. You may want to tape them to the side of the box so they don’t get lost in a sea of crumpled paper.
Call in a specialist for the trickiest jobs.
If you’re moving an heirloom grandfather clock, for example it should be prepared by a professional. With smaller clocks, you may be able to remove and/or secure the pendulum yourself. Unsecured, the clock can be badly damaged.
Computers and electronics need special care.
We all know we’re supposed to keep the original cartons. This is the reason why. Nothing will protect the equipment better than the custom-designed box it was originally shipped in. If you haven’t saved them, then you’ll need to improvise with strong corrugated boxes. Place a protective layer on the bottom of the box: crumpled newspaper is usually fine. Wrap an old blanket, towel or bubble wrap around the item and place it in the box. Stuff additional padding around the item.
Pack as little food as possible, and pack it carefully.
It would be ideal if you didn’t need to move a scrap of food. But realistically, you’ll probably want to pack the contents of your spice cabinet, other staples, and perhaps a pantry of canned goods. Again, keep the weight of the boxes reasonable, with no more than 24-30 cans in a box. Secure lids of spice jars and wrap carefully in packing paper. Frozen food is the trickiest of all. Get advice from your mover. Some will transport carefully packed frozen food for a short move. Others will allow a fully stocked, fully frozen freezer to be moved with the food inside – generally only for a certain distance. In general, perishable food items like eggs and produced should not be moved.
What NOT to pack:
valuable papers, jewellery and cash should always stay with you. The movers don’t want the responsibility and you don’t want the worry. And don’t pack your appliances. In general, you only need to ensure that they are empty, clean, dry and unplugged. The movers will take care of the rest.
As the move day approaches, and rooms are packed, begin stacking the boxes as closely as possible to the spot where the movers will park the truck.
While proper packing sounds like a lot of work, it’s an important safeguard for your precious possessions.
Provided by award winning Realtor, Julia MacWilliams, who is also a Registered Mortgage Broker and former banker. Julia is a strong Advocate of Virtual tours and Home staging.
To organize your home sale or purchase, call Julia @ 604-530-0231
