How to Move House, Even When You’re Not Moving House

The change of scene, the fresh start, the new paint, the champagne.

Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2022

Do you secretly envy everyone who’s planning to move house this Spring?

Well, here’s your piece of the action.

If you’re planning to list your home - this is for you.

If you’re planning to stay in your home - this is also for you.

And if you’re in disagreement with your partner about moving home - this is definitely for you.

The biggest selling and buying season of the year is upon us and if you’re still on the garden fence about moving it’s ok, there’s a way you can get ready to sell your home without all the actual new life stuff. It involves taking a good look at the place with fresh eyes. That’s a look without the 7 pairs of wellies at the front door, and minus the winter fly-tipping you did in your own garden, back in January.

The secret to getting that Spring energy bursting into your home with all its optimism and promise is to get your home ready to list, even if you’re not sure you want to move. It’ll bring life’s variables into focus: like the need for space, the new job, the relocation, the new baby, the new elderly parent, the new dog, the growing tweens etc etc. 

The good news is, do this and one of two things will happen: either you’ll be ready to list with the preparation behind you, or you'll fall in love with your home again and enjoy living in it for a while longer—win:win.

Here are 5 tips to get you into the ‘we’re (possibly) moving’ mindset.

Start with a valuation. Chat to us and we’ll advise what’s worth doing and what isn’t. Afterwards, we can re-value your home and that’s the fun bit.

1. De-clutter

You want people to walk in and see a calm, organised, fresh space—ready for them to move into and start living.

So, pack away as much as you can. The only reasons to keep things out are that you use them regularly, or they look amazing. 

Find corners again. Declutter your shelves too, if you’ve got trinkets in front of books on shelves it can look if the property is short of storage. Clear windowsills and de-clutter the bathroom, (Aesop hand wash optional). The benefits of decluttering, beyond the benefits of helping you sell your home, is that it’s liberating and relieves stress.

Note: good places to store stuff are the loft, a friend’s garage, but do you actually need it? Consider donating.

2. Box your emotional belongings. Removing your pictures, photos and children's artworks enables viewers to project their own selves in the space, prompting more of a connection to it.

You want people to be able to see themselves in your home and it’s harder for them to do that if all they can see everywhere is you.

Note: If you do move, think what a fun time it’ll be when you open your box of belongings and set them out in your new place.

3. Tackle the snag-list Remember that? Didn’t you optimistically put it on the wall and joked with friends how it’d probably never get done? But then it slipped down the back of the dresser around 3 years ago?  And never got done?

The finishing in a home can pump up the price tag, as much as the problems themselves can reduce it. You don’t want your place to look unloved and neglected. Not while you’re selling, and not while you’re living there either.

If it’s an issue (which it commonly is) invest in a handyman for a few hours, prepare a to-do list, agree a budget and watch while those irritating snags, along with the arguments they prompted over the last 5 years, simply melt away. Ahhhh.

4. Remember the garden? It’s the land out back where the cat goes at night.

Up until this point in the year, people view gardens, often, from the inside. In spring, however, viewers are out there, checking out the direction of the sunlight and imagining the moving-in barbecue with all their families and friends.

Tidy up and prune your garden, and if it applies, bring some foliage into your home to liven it up.

5. Spring clean. This is what music and podcasts are actually for. Clean everywhere including the windows, one room at a time. It will benefit you immediately and make you feel like an invincible force of nature when finished. Soon the evenings will feel lighter, and you’ll feel more like doing it, Spring is like that.

And at this stage, you reap the rewards. It’s time to get us back to your home to re-value.

And this is when you pat yourselves on the back and see your investment of elbow grease and smarts, and possibly a handyman, pay off.

If nothing more, preparing your home for a Spring sale clears your head, clears your space, and puts a buzz back in the home.

Happy spring sale!

Estates East Team

Call us >> 020 8520 9300

Follow us >> @estateseast

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