If People Knew How Much Work was Involved, Would They Move?

I have read that the human memory is a miraculous thing. It does not remember the feeling of pain. You remember that things hurt but you cannot relive it. Now, that same memory is working when you move. You remember that it was a hassle but you cannot remember how much work, physical effort, stress and organizational skills were required. Thank Goodness!!!!!

Let’s just stop of a minute and think of the work involved in getting your home ready for a sale. You start by paring down on the things in each room and then clean it the house to a new level of immaculate. You may have to organize people to come in and get the home ready – certainly a real estate agent and a home stager, painters, handymen, installers, gardeners, movers (to shift some of your things to a storage locker), and pest control people. The list goes on depending upon what you need to do to have your home ready.

Once your home is on the market you are going to need to keep it clean and tidy. You never know when someone will want to see it and you have already left for work. Your morning routine will now include getting the home ready to show, each and every day.

Finally, you get an acceptable offer and have a set date to remove yourself and all of your things from the home. For many people, leaving a home is like leaving a very good friend. There is an emotional attachment and a grieving process that is involved as you drive away for the last time. I know my husband would have hugged one of our favourite homes as we spent our last minutes in the driveway saying good-bye to the neighbours.

So why move? Well, there as many reasons to move as there are houses on the market. Outgrowing the house or needing to downsize are likely the most common reasons to move. Of course, being transferred is a moving force. Economic reasons whether going up or down cause people to want and need to move. Finally, there are some people who love change and are looking for the elusive perfect house. We all know people who spend a part of everyday house shopping on the internet and never miss an Open House day. A quick internet search showed that North Americans move anywhere from 10 to 16 times during their lifetime (depending on what site you are visiting). That is an astounding number of moves!

The good news about moving is that, over time, you will forget the pain and stress of doing it. Take heart!

Photo credit: Moving Day