Most people do not wish to leave the family home as there are many fond memories tied to the house. It can be hard to see your house sold to someone else. Boomers and seniors who find themselves with too much house often choose to downsize their housing or even move to a completely different state. There are many varied housing options for retirees including: active retirement communities, senior condos or apartments, assisted living facilities, or long-term or community care facilities. Some folks are hesitant to move because they thinks it is complicated, but with a little planning the move can be free of any hassles.
Letting Go of Stuff
The first step to a hassle free move is deciding what to take and what to leave behind for others or to sell. Most senior housing options provide a much smaller living area than a typical house. You have to downsize stuff along with downsizing space to accomodate stuff. You have to decide what items are the most important, valuable, and useful items. Other things can be sold in a yard sale, given to family members, or donated to charity. Items of sentimental value should never be sold, but given to family and close friends.
Packing for a Move
Once you have decided which items to take along, put your name on them as identification. The rest should go into labeled boxes with their final destination clearly visible.
Professional packers can be hired to box up your belongings if you are unable to do it yourself. Some people like to take photos of their things before packing to record their original condition in case of damage in transit. This applies mostly to expensive items or hard to replace items. This can save time and energy and also means the items have insurance cover.
Carrying smaller valuable items like jewelry with you saves money and packing space and also ensures they are not broken or lost.
Hire a Mover
Make sure you choose a reputable and trusted moving company and packing company (sometimes the same company will do both). It is ideal to call around the various companies for a quote. Some companies will match the prices so it doesn’t hurt to share your existing quotes with a company that you prefer but may be higher priced.
If you are accustomed to moving your own stuff, you may be hesitant to pay for help.You may have to spend a more than you expected but hiring professional packers and movers will minimize the hassles of moving.
