Here’s a rough estimate of how long the moving process takes.
Getting ready to move entails thousands of decisions, hundreds of hours, and is extremely challenging—both mentally and physically. For the fifth video in my Rightsizing With a Moving Mindset series, I’ll give you an estimate of how long the moving process takes from start to finish. Click here for a link to the previous four installments.:
Downsizing vs Rightsizing
Rightsizing
How to Decide Where to Live
Where to Start Decluttering
The process of gathering information about moving typically takes one to five years, and there are seven individual steps that have their own time expectations:
1. Thinking about moving (six months to five years). For this step, you’re weighing the pros and cons and comparing them to your physical resources—i.e., downsizing versus rightsizing with the moving mindset.
2. Talking about moving (six months to two years). You’ve probably already had conversations with friends and family. They can be a good sounding board for your thoughts, ask you some good questions, and provide explanations for further consideration on your part.
The amount of decision-making alone is exhausting!
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3. Deciding on geography (zero to six months). Sometimes this gets done after you’ve decided on a housing option, but people more frequently settle on the housing areas located where they want to live, and that’s generally within 50 miles of their current home.
4. Researching housing options (six months to a year). Physical needs will narrow some of your options, and anticipation of physical needs may help direct you. Keep in mind, this and the previous step are covered in the “How to Decide Where to Live” video in this series.
5. Touching everything (60 days to one year). This is a real time vampire because you probably have lots of belongings, and many people struggle with getting up and down ladders, retrieving boxes, hauling items, and other physical tasks. The amount of decision-making alone is exhausting!
6. Researching where to donate your stuff (two weeks on average). This and the previous step are covered in the “What to Do With All of Your Stuff” video.
7. Preparing your house to go on the market (one month to a year). This step in itself is a multi-step process that involves the following:
- Selecting a Realtor
- Decluttering, packing up, and eliminating excess furniture
- Getting a pre-listing home inspection (which we provide)
- Doing a deep clean
- Staging
- Scheduling the photographer
How long your house is on the market is based on competitive prices, market conditions, and presentation of the house. Today’s buyers are savvy and always comparing your home to model homes and those they see on TV. They expect the best house at the best price, and if you want to sell for top dollar it’s important to make your home move-in ready by completing any unfinished projects and keeping a neutral palette. Your goal should be to have the buyer recognize there’s not much work needed before they move into the home.
Be sure and stay tuned for the next video in this series, where I’ll explain how to take action. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help.
