Stop the hemorrhaging!

Ok, this is the first blog after the move from Maine to Tennessee. Now that the dust has settled a bit, I have a few tips to pass on to those moving from one house to another. This was definitely a learning experience for me. I looked into local wisdom about neighborhoods and housing, but most of the conventional wisdom focused on apartment living. It may work for most folks, but its not for everyone. My wife and I (plus our 4 cats and a dog) fell into this category. Having never moved a household such a distance, I learned these handy-dandy things that I'd like to pass along.

1. Watch the Cash Flow (out mostly). I have been very surprised at the cost of moving. Sure the actual movement of belongs is expensive, but it is the cost of fees to start service, fees to stop service, surcharges, forgotten items, broken belongings, bribes, and the simply unexpected that hit you where it hurts. It is such a shock that it was my inspiration for the title of this blog. (A-ha!... Now the title makes sense... half way down the blog... but it makes sense...)

2. Pack organized. Resist the temptation to have a box full of "I'll sort this out later". This is good in theory, but after moving it will remain as a box of "I'll sort this out later". It either important enough to move, or chuck it and save the weight / fuel costs / space.

3. Not everything is valuable. My wife and I each had things that were "irreplaceable". Now that I have schlepped many of them over hill and dale, I realize that its just junk, and I'm a pack-rat. Sell it, get the cash, see item number one.

4. Get a hand truck. They cost $50 at Home Depot. They are very handy, and worth the $50. Think of it as cheaper than new knees / back. Friends work well too. Feel free to call me... you can borrow my hand truck.

5. Drug your pets. It might not sound "nice" but it is better for them. Ask your vet! It is like they are drunk. They'd normally be very stressed... when was the last time you saw a stressed out drunk guy?

6. Check out the neighbors and the neighborhood.  Go there by yourself, park the car, and walk around the block. Do the neighbors wave? Can you hear birds? The highway? The rat-a-tat-tat of semi-automatic weapons? Check out the grocery store.

7. Check for closets, attic space, cellar space. You have stuff, it has to go somewhere. It is easy to forget when you are walking through the "5th house today"... but some "flipped" houses trade out closet space to make a room look bigger. If you not thinking about it, you might get hornswaggled.

8. Get a good Realtor and trust them. Joe knows a guy. I don't plug people that don't deserve it, but Joe definitely deserves it. Joe Hach (lazy pronunciation like "Ha" as in Ha-Ha-Ha ) was recommended to us, and he certainly performed. I don't want to expound on him too much, but I'll bring up two points. First, he treated us with respect. We weren't spending the oodles of money his normal client base spends, but he represented us and treated us as though we were. He is a quality individual. We wouldn't have found our house without him. Second, he fought for us. When an issue arose, he used his connections to fix the problem. In short, he got it done. I recommend him to any buyer. I  have no experience with his abilities as a seller, though I would imagine him to be equally capable. http://www.jkhrelocationservices.com/

9. Visit the house. ... after a rain and when it has been dry. Its amazing what you can learn with polar weather conditions. In the same vein, get an inspection. It is worth every penny.

10. Stay focused on the real prize. Vanderbilt. Owen. MBA. All this work is only the first step in this adventure. It will be worth it. It is a pain, but get over it. Be flexible, things will not go as planned. Adapt and change. Be persistent... the folks at DirecTV don't always understand what you are saying. Just call back until you get someone that does. Trust me, it may take five phone calls. Take a deep breath. In with the good... out with the bad...

Well, apparently I am a gas bag. A simple post turns into a dissertation. I can't help it. At least its not in Iambic Pentameter... Questions, Comments, Problems go below!

Comments

[Chaya Compton]

I'm actually disappointed about the lack of iambic pentameter in your post. I suppose that I'll live though. You forget the most important thing. You don't just drug your pets, but you're also supposed to drug the people that are helping you move. I suggest beer laced with HGH. They'll be stronger (which is helpful when they're moving your sleeper sofa) and the alcohol prevents them from saying "no" (which is helpful when you're asking them to move your sleeper sofa down several flights of stairs).
Not that I've ever done that before...

[Brad]

I must not be buying the right beer... my friends scatter like roaches when the light is turned on... I must have heavy stuff... Maybe I'll try that HGH thing next time...