It was hard work. My husband has a new business, and one or both of us is on the road with our 14-year-old baseball player a lot. So, we had a lot of helpers with our move. It was still exhausting AND, it was SO worth it!
Our new home fits us in our current stage of life. I have a special little nook for morning coffee. It’s quiet and it has a view.
Heaven.
So when I tell you that I know how to make your Ottawa move as stress-free as possible, I want you to know it’s true. I’ve been there. Recently.
What’s even better? I’ve got a list of all kinds of vetted helpers, and I’m glad to share them anytime. If you’re my client, I manage/coordinate all of these helpers so you don’t have to. If you sell your home with me, I include many of these helpers in my fee – they don’t cost you a penny.
And now, as buyers start to have a little more choice in the market, you are going to want your house to shine.I have packers, organizers, declutterers, stagers, designers, cleaners, carpet/upholstery specialists, handypeople, art hangers, home/pool/fireplace inspectors, smoke/mould remediation specialists, painters, plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, yard clean-up people, gardeners, roofers, garage door experts, junk removal and so many more resources.
If I can help with expert/resource referrals or help you buy and sell with ease, please just send me an email! How and when to use the above services is really important. Timing is everything.
For our move, we used the following services at the following times. I follow this formula and process with every listing:
Preparing the home for sale
To prep our home for the market, we needed to make it as close to perfect as possible. We lived with all kinds of quirks but I know that buyers may see quirks as flaws. So the first step was fixing it up:
- Electrician to fix a light switch
- Locksmith to replace garage door lock/handle
- Plumber to fix a slow drain and replace faucets.
- Painter to freshen key areas and paint out a bold accent wall
- Handyperson to do some other minor fixes around the home
- Once everything was in great working order, it was time to think about preparing to market the house. That meant clearing it out and making it as appealing as possible to the widest number of ideal buyers: This included:
- Decluttering by donating/packing/storing personal items and out-of-season items
- Disposing of unwanted items
- Staging
- Upholstery cleaning
- Deep cleaning
- Pre-inspection
Preparing to Move
Once the home was sold, we went back to regular life but did not unpack any of the already packed items. We used both packers and movers to help us. I also had an interior designer tour our new home to do a short consult on furniture placement so we could be efficient in using what we have and selling the rest. It’s a downsize for us.
Getting Settled
As the movers unloaded the trucks, my helper was there to start unpacking and organizing the new house with me. Once unpacked, we also hired a handyperson to mount TVs, and do a few odd jobs. Finally, I have a cherished art collection so I hired a person I know and trust to curate and hang most of it.
We have a choice when we do almost anything – money or time. Moving is no different. You could put up a sign outside an as-is home, or you can spend money and/or time making it as appealing as possible.
You can hire professionals to get a new home unpacked so you can go back to your everyday life, or you can pay your friends with a case of beer and do it all yourself.
In my case, spending money saved me time, allowed us to be back in our normal work routine faster (and probably saved the whole family a ton of stress).
I’d love to help you move with as little stress as possible so please send me an email if I can help.
Or better yet, book a chat directly on my calendar.