When The House Sells Before You’re Ready To Move

“When the broker called and told me we had a great offer over asking price, of course I was thrilled – but I was also freaking out because we were absolutely not ready to move. There are five of us and a dog. We don’t even have moving boxes yet. What are your tips for moving in a hurry?”

When you have to make a large household move on an accelerated timeline, the best thing you can do is work with a professional moving company who can bring a level of efficiency, expertise and logistical prowess to the job. We all our kids, but teenagers and toddlers can be breathtakingly slow when it comes to packing their things. Having extra hands makes the job go much faster – and if you’re in the middle of a real estate closing, the odds are your schedule is getting pretty packed.

Moving in a Hurry: Packing Tips from the Pros

You can streamline the moving process even more by doing some advance work before the movers arrive. Empty dressers, bureaus, and any other furniture that has drawers. If there’s no time to sort through your family’s wardrobe right now, bag or box up everything and commit to a serious purge once you’re in the new place.

The movers won’t deal with your family’s trash, so make sure you have the appropriate pickups scheduled ahead of time. The refrigerator will need to be emptied: you can’t move perishable food in a moving truck, so figure out what you’re going to do with that stuff. If the house sold when you had a freezer full of food, check with family, friends, or the local food pantry to see if they need it. It’s also a good idea to call the utility companies and double check that everything is scheduled to be turned on or off as you need: no one wants to pay for the lights and heat in two places!

 

If you haven’t found a new place that will accommodate everything you own, the fastest way to stow everything is to rent a storage unit. Storage units can be rented on a short or long term basis. Make sure you read the terms and conditions of your storage agreement carefully. When you find your next forever home, you can have the movers bring things to your new place from the storage unit.

 

Create one master bag that stays with you during the move. This bag should include any essential items your family needs, including prescription medications, legal paperwork, spare eyeglasses and similar things that just can’t get lost. Many people choose to include their jewelry and other small valuables in this bag. It’s a good idea to have each child create their own master bag containing toys, tech, and anything else they’ll want access to during the move.

Finally, don’t be afraid to have your broker advocate for a little flexibility regarding move out, walk throughs, and other critical dates. Most people are understanding when a sale closes faster than expected, especially if the channels of communication are kept open.