The kids are grown, the cavernous rooms echo, the toys in the basement haven’t been touched in years, so you think you should probably downsize and move.  Wait! What about the 45 years of accumulation of stuff??

Fear not!  It didn’t accumulate overnight, so it’s not going to be emptied overnight.  But you can move with a plan in mind.  Before you have your realtor walk through, do some counter and cabinet clearing.  You are in your kitchen for hours each day.  You know the things you use. Look closely at the things you don’t use daily. Are you really going to use those things?  And there is a good chance the kids don’t want them either.  You can ask, but don’t be offended when they say no. Pull those items out and put them in a box to donate. But leave room in the box so you can close it.  It’s much easier to haul boxes and stack them in your car when they are closed and stackable.  You have to organize your discards as well!

Every nook and cranny and drawer and cabinet needs to be addressed.  Whether you pack yourself or hire someone to pack, it is a lot easier if the junk of the junk drawers is sorted with like things.  It also is incredibly smoother on the other end when it comes time to unpack.  I have unpacked garbage cans and junk drawers that were just dumped onto packing paper and wrapped.  I don’t think you want to open a box with a mess in it and have to think about sorting it before you can find a home for it in your new home.

You know there are certain areas of your home that you have been avoiding because you don’t know where to begin processing the things of yesteryear.  For those areas, I’d say get some help.  A Professional Organizer can help you make decisions and process the years of accumulation amazingly fast.  While you stare at the pile in dismay, they will help you work through the pile and move it on to another home or concur with your decision to purge the pile.

An unbiased third party can help you process the things of life a lot quicker than you.   Consider the value of hiring a Professional Organizer before you move to save your sanity and expedite your move.