Just bought a house
 

Weird question but, I have never actually "moved" with like a moving company and all. I have over a month before I actually move. Should I start packing now? The thing is that I plan on renting this apartment out and I am trying to keep it nice so people can see it when I am trying to lease it.

My current condo (why I didn't use movers before) is pretty small, 600 square feet. Could I pack that up in a a week?

Thoughts?

It depends on how much little stuff you have!
Find out if your moving company will be sending packers or if they expect you to have it all packed and ready to go when they get there. If they send packers, then if you box something and it breaks, they won't pay for it. If the former, I would only pack things that I want to move on my own, such as sentimental items that I don't want to risk breaking in the truck.

If they expect you to have it all packed before they get there, then I would start packing ASAP. Start by boxing up seasonal items and rarely used items. You will be surprised how much stuff you have shoved in drawers and closets, and how long it takes to wrap and pack it all. Hit grocery stores now, and ask them if they have any boxes they were going to put in the baler that you can have. Save all those stupid coupon mailers, and ask your friends and family to give you theirs. You will need them for wrapping fragile items. The week before you move, the only things that should still be unpacked are your daily use items and a few outfits to get you through the week.

If they send packers, then it will still help things go smoothly if you have everything ready to pack when they arrive. Dishes cleaned and stacked, clothes pulled out of the drawers and placed on hangers so they can just put them into the wardrobe boxes. Pictures should be off the walls and stacked neatly in piles. Beds should be stripped and the linens cleaned. Make sure that everything is in the correct room so that you don't go searching for a teacup only to find it with your DVDs because it was in the living room.

I am a military spouse, so I have it down! Lol Seven addresses, five states in five years. Blah!

If you have the extra time, you can totally pack that in the week following up to your move, are you naturally a organized person? Get your supplies ready...nice boxes from Uhaul, permanent markers, packing tape and stuffing materials (bubble wrap, newspaper, etc.).

Make a master plan. First I pack the things that I don't really need right away, like picture albums, decorative pieces, etc. Then I go room by room and pack things in a way that doesn't make the boxes too heavy. Label, label, label! Everytng can be boxed up by the night before, and any extras can be tossed in your car.

Good luck!

I would pack as much up on my own as I could and definitely not send anything with sentimental value with the packers!

What kind of boxes should I use? Bankers boxes or are there better boxes that I should get?

i had bad experience every time i used a moving company. i did better packing and labeling all myself and then hiring guys to carry the stuf to a truck and into the new place. movers broke so much of my stuff and even stole and antique bench once...it was crazy getting back.

I always start packing the minute I find out I am moving... there always ends up being so much to do toward the end, and also friends who have helped always commented that they appreciated that I had everything totally ready when they came to help.

when we moved into our house, i started the minute we knew they'd accepted our offer on the house....i was packing for DH and myself and the kids...i weeded through ALOT(!) of stuff, freecycled a lot, got rid of a lot to the dump etc...then i boxed up everything else in the order suggested by the other posters...then we recruited our BIL, his construction worker buddies, and a few strong kids and moved everything in one night to our new house, furniture and all....

however when i was younger in college, we would be asked to move to other dorm rooms on very short notice by the college personnel and i was an expert at packing quickly and hauling it to the next building over....i moved our entire dorm room to another dorm room in one night, just throwing stuff in boxes and hauling it over

I moved myself 8 times, the 9th I hired a well-known company but packed everything myself and only moved things myself that were very valuable to me; whether it was sentimental or jewelry. Best money ever spent!!

Start downsizing now, Goodwill things you really don't want anymore...the less you have to move the better. Give yourself a week to pack. The kitchen is the worst.

Great advice!

I'll add... Get medium boxes so they aren't too heavy when packed

Such good advice here. I second taking valuable or sentimental stuff with you and would add -
1)Get boxes with tops!
2)Get more boxes than you think you need.
3)If you have time as you pack and label boxes, try to number the boxes & write a quick 'inventory' on a piece of paper with box # & what's in it.
4) Pack stuff you know you'll need right away - toiletries, meds and first aid stuff, dishes for the first days, paper towels, even cleaning stuff if you'll need to wipe down counters or what have you when you get there. Make sure this box goes with you, and know where it is.
5)Last minute, have a backpack handy to pack up the markers, scissors, tape, and anything you may come across that you forgot!

Enjoy your new home!

You have a lot of good advice here, just wanted to say congratulations on your new house!!:congrat:

Yes, you can pack up in a week, but I would take the advice of going through what you have today that you will definitely not want -- stuff that you want to take to Goodwill or throw out that you were waiting for "that" day to do it.

Your house might look better for the potential renters too, if it's stuff that's visible.

Once you have the house rented, it might give you more than just that one week, so you can start packing ASAP!

I second (third) the advice on getting medium sized boxes (if the movers are not packing for you) because even if you hire big burly college men to move your stuff, you will still have to move those boxes on your own once the big burly college men are done moving everything and it's better to have it in manageable boxes.

Good luck!

It took me about 3 months a few hours after work a night and weekends to pack up that size of apartment but then again I was there 10 years so a lot of that was downsizing and shredding paper. Work in an office and I found the perfect boxes are the paper boxes of 8 1/2 X 11. Had a few bigger boxes and a few smaller ones. Used bags too and suitcases (one actually kept with stuff for last night in the old place/first night in the new place). I actually moved quite a bit of smaller, lighter, breakable stuff before the movers and had them move the furniture and heavy boxes. Also had an open me first box...TV remote and chargers and other important stuff lol.

I LOVE those paper boxes. Good for storage, too. And I forgot all about chargers & remotes when I mentioned the last-minute box - good one!!! Also, if you ever have to resort to using a garbage bag (very bad idea unless you are desperate), put a HUGE label on it so no 'helpful' person takes it to the trash!!!!