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Diane McLafferty
Associate Broker - ABR,
GRI, e-Pro
diane@warrenhomes.com
Warren Real Estate
830 Hanshaw Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
Office: (607) 257-0666 ext.5243
Fax: (607) 257-8801
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Many sellers simply don’t plan their move early enough and feel totally overwhelmed when moving time finally arrives. If you are able to move at any time of the year, don’t wait until the peak moving season...summer. The last few days of the month are the busiest for moving companies so take that into consideration also. The earlier you start the process the most likely you’ll be able to get the date of your choice if you are using a moving company.
Since some moving expenses may be tax deductible, don’t forget to keep a record. Now’s the time to start packing away any personal items and anything else that you won’t be using to help prepare for the “buyers eyes”. Fill out a Household Inventory list for each room. This is important for establishing the declared valuation on your shipment and as an inventory for insurance purposes. List the year of purchase and the original cost of each item as nearly as possible. If you have invoices or records of purchase attach them to the inventory list. Most moving companies will provide a separate inventory sheet for high-value items which can include: art, antiques, collectibles, computer equipment, crystal, jewelry, oriental rugs and tapestries.
Unless you’ve been given a binding moving estimate where a firm price is established in advance, the exact cost of your shipment cannot be determined until after the truck is loaded and weighted. The weight of the van alone is determined in advance.
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| Moving from one home to another is seldom easy or fun for adults and it can be especially worrisome for younger children. But if parents deal with their children's concerns and needs thoughtfully, much of that distress and discomfort can be avoided. Children see moves differently than their parent’s and they benefit much less from the change in their routine. Most often a change in homes or towns is an big step even for the adults in a family.
A move can be prompted by a better job opportunity for one of the adults in the family. Or maybe the family can finally afford to move to a larger house in an up-scale neighborhood. A typical family these days moves on the average of once every six years. Six years is a smaller percentage of a mom or dad's life as compared to an 8-year-old child's life. Six years is 75% of an 8-year-old child's life! This may not have been the only home that you've lived in during your live time, but it may be for your children. To the kids, it may be the only home that they can remember. This is their house, the place they feel happy and safe in. A home is much more than just brick and mortar to a child. It's the center of his or her world. Moving threatens to take that familiar, safe place away and leave something totally unknown in its place. The familiar friends, schools, shops, theaters, streets, trees and parks will no longer exist for them. Everything soon will be unfamiliar, and they will live in another world. The impact of the move on the typical child starts about the time he or she first hears that mommy or daddy has accepted a new job or promotion. The transition can continue for about a year, until the new house becomes home, and memories of the previous home fade. It's not usually necessary to announce this big change to children immediately, although they must hear about it from you, before someone else breaks the news. Most teenagers see themselves as the adult members of the family and will probably feel left out if they don't hear everything from the first day . But it's probably not a good idea to tell toddlers and preschoolers until they have to know. There's no point in making them worry too far in advance. Be sure to announce the move in a totally positive way. You might say how proud you are that mommy's or daddy's company has chosen her or him out of many other employees to manage the new office in Anytown. Talk about what a beautiful city Anytown is and how good the schools are and how nice the people are. Tell truthful but very positive stories about how nice the new house will be. Ask them what the favorite things are in their lives now and then try to make them happen in the new home. If the new home is to far away to allow a visit by the entire family after it has been selected, show the children pictures of it from every angle. Video it, if you can. Emphasize the positive and be sure to include pictures of each child's new room. Try to name the house with some romantic description like the "Chestnut Hill" for the chestnut trees and the rolling hills.
Every parent must plan to deal with heir children's fears, sorrows and worries. Your children may lose friends that they've had all of their lives but remind how exciting it will be for them to make new friends and learn about new places.
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