Month: August 2017

If you’ve been thinking about selling your house, now is the perfect time. Of course, you are wanting it to sell as quickly as possible and receive full asking price, so let’s walk through a few tips to help you do just that!

1. Curb appeal. Simply put, this is the outside appearance –This is vital since it is the first thing a buyer sees when pulling up to your home. You’ll want to make sure the grass is mowed, the siding and windows are clean and maybe plant (or trim) a few flowers or bushes. And let’s not forget the house numbers. They should be easily visible.
2. Clean, clean, clean – You’ve won the buyer over with the front yard, keep the momentum going when they walk in. If you have tile, clean the grout. Make sure the floors are vacuumed or mopped, the windows are clean and the sink is wiped out. Don’t forget the stove!
3. No clutter – This means to pack up anything you do not need. Winter coats in the closet and you are selling in the spring? Pack them away. If your mantel is the keeper of all family photos and your collection of vacation mementos, put them in a box. You want every room in the house to portray as much space as possible. There’s a fine line between the lived-in look and currently living in look.
4. Give your dining room table a little flare – If your table is large, consider a few small clusters of flowers or other table-scape features. You want it to look inviting, not sparse.
5. Rearrange the furniture – Make sure your furniture is as symmetrical as possible, this makes it visually appealing as well as cozy.
6. Neutral colors work best – Your inner artist does amazing things with color, but when it comes to selling your house a potential buyer wants to be able to imagine their own inner artist ability. For some, thinking about repainting over a dark green accent wall could be too much.
7. No toys – While most people understand and probably have children, a new home means new possibilities and if they see a child’s play area or a child’s room can be clean and organized, it might just help them see their own potential.
8. No ‘storage’ rooms – If your office is also your storage room and you walk a fine patch from the door to your desk, it’s time to move things out. You want to show purpose for every room and your home office could be their guest bedroom, they just need to see the space.
9. Pets and their smells – You love your pets, but the people trying to decide to buy your house is not there to be aware of their existence. If you have a cat, be sure the litter is clean and not visible. The carpets should be professionally cleaned as well, especially if there have been any accidents. If it’s possible to replace them, consider it.
10. Outside living – For some people the backyard will sell a house. If you have an outdoor seating area, fire pit or pool, make it look as attractive as you did the inside.

Moving is a great time to sort your belongings and take with you what you know you want and/or need, and leave behind, sell or donate what you don’t. Here are few things to consider, strategize and act upon when packing up your kitchen.

Supplies – Boxes, wrapping, and tape

It’s likely your pots, pans and lids will all be moving with you and you didn’t keep the box they came in. That’s ok, how often can we repack the original packing? Make sure you have large boxes, medium boxes, and small boxes. Large boxes are only for lightweight items such as plastic shelving, utensils, and baking items. Medium boxes are for small appliances like toasters and blenders, pots and pans. Even a few cookbooks. The small boxes are ideal for dishes and other fragile items. The idea is to be able to pack our goods and lift the box while keeping it’s contents safe. This is where wrapping comes in. Bubble wrap is ideal for your stemware while newspaper or other wrap is safe for dishes.

Special Occasion and occasional items

These items are things like crystal and fine china. Vases, mixing bowls and extra towels. Serving plates, cookbooks, and baking supplies. These can be sorted and packed first since the likelihood of a house party where these items are needed is small.

Upper shelves and drawers

Do you have a junk drawer? Maybe that top shelf is a catch-all for those things you are sure what to do with? When cleaning out these areas, a good question to ask yourself is “how long has it been since I used this?” then decide if you really want to keep them or if it might be time to consider a minimalist lifestyle. If you haven’t used something for least six months to a year, don’t move it.

Priority packing

Priority packing means to pack the least used first and top off a box with the items you use often. This will help you to organize your new kitchen when you start to unpack. It’s also a good idea to write more than Kitchen on a box. Write kitchen, baking supplies. Or kitchen, pots, and pans. You will have a better idea of what is inside the box and where those items will go.

Essentials

Essentials are those items you will need to use the week leading up to your move and what you will want to have available the first week you are in your new home. You may not need all of your silverware and dishes or all of your pans, but you might enjoy having a few of each.

When moving we know we must carefully pack our dishes, heirloom pieces and our collections of decorative plates, precious moments figurines or mementos from our travels. We choose sturdier boxes and make sure we have enough newspaper or bubble wrap to ensure the safety of our possessions, but what about things like plants?

Prepping plants for your move

Avoid tipping

Are you moving from one side of town to the other? This only requires a box large enough to comfortably hold a few of your ferns or succulents. You’ll want to make sure not to pack them too tightly, it will make removal difficult, but also to be sure to use an appropriately sized box for the job. If you have several window-sill size plants, find a flat style box. If you have a medium-sized terracotta pot, look for a paper box and be sure to put some extra padding between them.

For taller plants that need to be on their side to move, get some moss to put on the top of the soil. This will help keep the soil in the pot, which is the goal. Next: plastic. Plastic bags large enough to cover the entire pot and go up the stem. A garbage bag works well for this. Tie it around the base of the stem to close it off and load it for transport.

Moving your plants in the winter?

We want to keep our plants from feeling the effects of the cold. Indoor plants can be a little more sensitive and even seconds in the cold could do damage. If you have an attached garage the concern is less, just make sure the garage door is closed and load them in the car. If this isn’t an option, then be sure to wrap your plants. You can use newspaper, plastic or sheets. The idea is to keep the leaves protected and limit the time in the elements.

Long distance move

Moving our plants cross country is a little more involved than just wrapping them and keeping them upright. If your move means spending days in the car, treat them like you would a pet. They need water and consistent a temperature. If it’s possible to take them into your hotel at night, that would be best, otherwise be sure to get them plenty of water during the trip. Extreme heat and cold can be just as damaging as not watering. If you see your plants starting to wilt, check the soil and the temp. Adjust accordingly. If they are left in the car for an hour or more, and it’s hot out, crack the windows and give them water.

If moving to cross-country, it is a good idea to check with your new state’s Department of Natural Resources to make sure you can bring your plant with you. There could be an agricultural or environmental effect of the plant itself or the soil. And because plants are considered perishable, a moving company may not be able to transport your indoor garden.Load your plants last

Load your plants last

Plants are living, breathing things and do not do well if they are the first item loaded and the last item to arrive in the new house. Allow them space to breathe.

Moving any kind of piano can be a daunting task. Follow these steps to help ensure you and your piano are both safe.

Piano Prep

First things first, make sure your piano will fit into the new space. Will it make the corners? Are the stairs steep and narrow? A piano cannot be tipped on its side, moving it upright is the only option, checking and double checking the new space is the very first thing you need to do. Once you have made absolute sure your piano will fit through all the doorways, these are the things you will need to move it.

Piano jacks!

Also known as piano dollies. These are designed to roll your piano easily across all surfaces. Do not use the piano’s rollers, the legs are not designed to hold the weight and move across carpeting. Always either lift the piano to relive the weight or use a piano jack.

Moving blankets and straps

If your piano is going to travel any distance other than across the room, be sure to secure any lids on your piano. Then wrap it completely with moving blankets. Don’t just drape the blankets around the piano, use tape to keep the blankets in place. The blankets will protect it against scraps and scuffs if it meets a wall.

Once the piano is wrapped, it’s a good idea to use straps to secure it to the dolly. Thresholds and other bumps in the floor or stairs could cause the piano to slip off the dolly and do some serious damage to your piano.

Optional equipment

Stair-climbing dolly – this is a dolly made with a toe-plate. This will allow for up-down switches to make stairs easier.

Moving the piano

Manpower

When asking for help moving your piano, always ask for more people than you think you might need. Typically, two people on each end of an Upright is what is needed. The piano will need to be lifted onto a dolly as the legs are not sturdy enough to carry the weight when tilted. (Piano legs are mostly for decoration and are positioned to center the weight across each evenly)

Keep it upright and centered.

Turning a piano on its side could untune it and hurt the inner mechanics. However, it is necessary to turn a piano on its side, make sure to have the weight centered on the dolly. It may seem awkward to have the dolly more to the left or right, rather than centered to the piano, but the weight of the piano requires this.

Secure it

Once you have loaded your piano into the moving truck, be sure to secure it to the side. To do this, place the keyboard side to the wall and strapped in place. Earlier you secured the dolly to the piano, you will want to separate them for transport.

Retune

Once you have successfully wrapped, moved and unwrapped your piano, you will need to have it tuned. As mentioned, putting it on its side is bad for the inner workings and that means having it checked out to ensure it sounds as beautiful as before.