Answering the question, “What should you declutter before moving?” is tough! Whether you are living in a small apartment or a large home, you will probably have some degree of clutter. Be sure to consider how much time, money, and energy you’ll save yourself by getting rid of the clutter you truly don’t need instead of moving it. With that being said, what should you declutter before moving? This blog post will help.

What You Should Declutter Before Moving

One great way to whittle down some of the stress from moving is to take time and declutter before the packing begins. Get rid of stuff – the junk and things you’ve randomly accumulated and hung onto over the years. Ease your overall stress by decluttering not only your home, but your life.

How to Approach Decluttering

To start, gather a bunch of boxes and bags. Label them:

• Give away or Donate

• Sell

• Toss

• Unsure or Thinking about

From here, you can easily fill these labeled boxes and bags with your clutter and manage these items without a lot of headaches.

How to Decide What to Keep When Moving

Below is the 9 step process for deciding what to keep (or donate or sell!) when moving.

1. Pick a room to start in. Now is the fun part. Whichever room you start decluttering in, decide if you will also be packing at the same time. This can be a helpful time-saver. However, if you have packers coming to move you, you can just take this time to go through all the drawers, cabinets, closets, and bins to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.
2. Give yourself a time limit. Setting a time limit will help make the decluttering task more manageable, relaxing, and maybe even fun. Will you spend an hour? Half an hour? Set a timer if you’d like and get started. Maybe you can fit the time in while dinner is cooking or while the kids are at a sporting event. Decluttering doesn’t have to happen all at once.
3. Pick a designated area. Choosing one spot to store your items as you are decluttering can help manage the project and keep the decluttering process from turning into a mess of its own. Can you have a designated area in the garage to set up the donation and selling boxes? Or perhaps in a spare room?
4. Ruthless vs. Flexible. I’m not going to lie – decluttering can be exhausting. “Should I keep this? My late relative gave it to me 40 years ago, but it just collects dust. It’s kind of nice, though.” See where I’m going here? Decluttering can be tough. A good solution might be to have a separate pile labeled unsure or thinking about it, and revisiting that pile once all your other decluttering is complete.
5. Persevere. Keep at it until you have decluttered your entire home – attics, too. Remember the garage space and the yard areas as well. Things can be hiding where you forgot about them, and you’ll surely discover several items you packed away at some point and forgot all about. It’s hard work, but it will be so exciting when you have decluttered and shed those items you no longer need or want.
6. Review. Once you have assessed everything in your home, finalize your decisions on your Unsure pile.
7. Rummage Sale. Schedule your rummage sale or post your online listings. Whatever is left, you can give to interested neighbors or set with your donation pile.
8. Time To Donate. Schedule your pickup with your local donation program to make donating your items easy.
9. Celebrate. You have weeded out all your unnecessary possessions and decluttered your home for moving! It must feel great to finish this large project. Celebrate having less clutter to take to your new place!

Working with an Experienced Memphis Area Real Estate Agent

When it’s time to sell your existing home or buy a great new place, turn to a highly regarded and well-informed local real estate agent. You want someone that you can trust to give you the best advice and know-how for your new home purchase or sale. Check out my other great articles to help you through your home selling and buying experience here in Memphis. Staging homes for sale is also part of my expertise. Please ask me about it when you reach out.

Take a minute to learn more about me. With over 15 years of top-notch service for my clients, I can guide you with your house sale, new home purchase, or buying a great parcel of land. As a top, licensed real estate agent in the Memphis area, showing you the best properties for you and your family is my goal!

Contact me at (901) 828-8919 or drop me a quick note at angie@angiekelley.com and we can speak in person about your plans and options. Ask me about seeing homes for sale by video or virtual tour and find the best place for you!

Angie Kelley, Crye-Leike Realtors
(901) 828-8919 or (901) 756-8900