5 ways to get ready for a future move (+ enter to win $100 AmEx gift card)

Disclosure: Post and giveaway sponsored by XFINITY, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.

Moving.  I don’t know about you but that brings a sense of excitement, but also brings an even greater sense of dread.  Oh, the to do lists!  Packing, sorting, finding boxes, turning on/off utilities, changing your address with a list of different places, the physical loading and unloading of everything, finding your way around in a new area, did I mention the PACKING and UNPACKING?!    Add on to that the stress of buying/selling/finding someplace to live…  I can see why moving ranks as the 3rd most stressful life event.

It looks like a move will be in the somewhat near future for us.  I know some of you are saying – NO!  Not after she worked on her pretty kitchen, or did this or that – believe me I am thinking the same thing!   But I am also thinking what kind of adventure waits ahead in a future home!   It won’t be super soon – probably in the next year depending on the housing market and several other factors.  This is our first home – the home I learned how to be a wife/homemaker in, the home I have poured my heart into and learned how to DIY/decorate on a budget in, and it holds many memories.  We will stay in the general area, but need a house with a bit different layout, maybe a little more land, and in a different location.  It will be a bittersweet move and a much more difficult move than when we moved in 11 years ago.  We had only been married a year when we moved in and had a table and 4 chairs, my husband’s bedroom set, a loveseat and that is IT!  We have added just a little bit of furniture and accessories since then.   #Iblametheyardsales

I am a huge thinker/planner always wanting to plan ahead for the next event in life.  So knowing that a move may be on the horizon already has me thinking/planning/preparing.   Even though we might not list our home for 6-9 more months these are the things I am starting to work on now:

1. Purge.

And purge some more.  I have been going through my house ruthlessly getting rid of old décor, of things we don’t use, things we don’t need.  When you ask yourself the question, “Would I want to pack and move this item?” – that can be a great motivator to get rid of things you are holding on to “just because” or because “I might need this one day”.  I am sure that when it comes time to start packing, I will purge more but every thing I can get rid of now helps.

2. Make a list of repairs, upgrades, and major cleaning that needs to be done. 

Is your home ready to list today?  If not, what needs to be changed?  I started a list several months ago of things we needed to work on/upgrade knowing that I had time to gradually work on it.  One of the things was that almost every room in whole house had not been painted in 11 years and needed some fresh paint – so I have been gradually, room-by-room, working on repainting.  I also knew there are some easy/inexpensive upgrades that we could do that would greatly increase interest and possibly even price in our house – like my kitchen makeover.  I knew that spending a few hundred dollars on new counters and then doing a lot of work on my own like painting/repairing my cabinets, installing a backsplash, and a pretty updated$4 thrifted light fixture would make a HUGE difference in our home.  And I honestly wanted to be able to enjoy my kitchen up before we decide to sell.  We need to have the carpets cleaned, the outside pressure washed, and many other things that are just a part of home ownership but also will make it better and easier to sell.

3. Think about what you want in your future house.

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This is a common conversation between my husband and I.  We both have a “wish list” for a future home – like a dedicated workshop area for both of us!   Even though there are no guarantees for anything, I am starting to pin “wish list” ideas for home styles and take note of homes we pass that I like.  I am making note of things I like about our current house that I would like to keep in a future house.  And I have done a bit of searching on real estate sites such as Zillow or RealEstate.com just to see what is available in our area and in our price range – let’s just say I have a feeling my DIY skills are going to get LOTS better at our next house!  And I am stepping back to enjoy my current house just a bit more.

4. Think about ways you can make your move easier. 

I have started taking note of friends and bloggers and posts I see about people moving.  What kinds of things are they doing = are they renting PODS, what are they doing to sell their home quicker/easier, how are they finding a new home?  Ask questions and start formulating a plan.

Then when moving day comes how are you going to handle all the utilities and stuff that will need to be turned on/turned off and at very specific times too – you certainly don’t want to schedule your power to turn on the day after you need to move in.  I can imagine that when we get to that point I will have a very detailed list of places I need to contact and times/dates when I need to have it done. 

Thankfully transferring our internet and TV service with XFINITY will be easy!  I will need internet up and going at our new house immediately for work so that will be a priority for me.  With XFINITY Mover’s Edge moving your service is just three simple steps – 1. Check your availability on this site, 2. Select your services, 3. Schedule an installation.  And because moving can be frustrating, with Comcast’s new Customer Guarantee™, if a technician fails to arrive for a scheduled appointment during the 2-hour window or can’t solve routine issues in one visit, you’ll receive a $20 credit ($25 in Illinois).

5. Step back and just enjoy the home you are currently in.

We are going to talk much about this subject in the coming days (more on that later), but just step back and enjoy where you are!  Don’t dream about the future so much that you forget to make memories where are you now.  I am trying to get rooms painted, and settled so I can just sit back and enjoy my home.  We are moving into a bit of a new phase in life where we hope to entertain and have more people over to our home and I don’t want it to be an endless project center that makes having guests in our home more difficult.  I am also working on areas in our home, like the kitchen, master bathroom, and a few more that you will see in the next few weeks to finish them so we can enjoy them and they will be a benefit to our home when we sell.  In the last few months as we have begin talking about this, I have found a new love and appreciation for the home I have now – I don’t know that may make it harder to leave when the time comes… but I want to love and enjoy the home that I am in for however much longer we are in it.

So if you are moving you also know how expensive it is!  And if you aren’t planning a move than maybe plan a project in the space you are in to make it more like home to you.  A $100 American Express gift card could definitely help with that.!  Enter using the Rafflectopter widget below and winner will be notified by email.

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Disclosure: XFINITY partnered with bloggers such as me for their Fast Life program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. XFINITY believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. XFINITY’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.