10 Ways to Get Your Home Packed and Moved without Breaking Stuff:

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1.  Where and How to Start Packing?

Each time we move I feel overwhelmed, a little anxious and definitely unprepared. Moving is tough and with so many tasks to do, it's hard to know where you should start. To help, we came up with this easy guide to help you through the first steps inmoving house which usually begins with how to organize the packing and sorting of all that stuff.  More »

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2.  Everything You Need to Know About Moving Boxes

When you're moving, getting organized with boxes is an important step. Should you spend some money and buy sturdy boxes, or is recycling old ones the way to go? Is bigger better? Sure a big box will hold more, but is the box strong enough to hold more, and will it then be too unwieldy to carry?  And how many will I need?

To get you thinking beyond the box, here is help on what you need to know when getting boxes for your move.  More »

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3.  Easy and Essential Packing Quick Tips

Not all of us have a lot of time to move. While I usually recommend at least 8-12 weeks to organize, pack up and move a home, some of us don't always have that kind of luxury.  So, to help, we've provided some quick packing tips that will make your packing go a little more smoother and faster. So faster, in fact, that you'll be surprised just how easy it is to get your home ready before the movers arrive.More »

Tape the Box Closed. D. Schmidt

4.  Must Have Packing Supplies

I remember one move when the night before the movers were to arrive to pick up your household goods we ran out of packing tape. It was a nightmare trying to find a store open late, never mind one that sells packing tape. My husband spent over an hour trying to track down a roll or two.  In the end, we completed our packing in time.  But not without a lot of unnecessary stress.

So, to make sure your household goods are packed securely and on time, start with purchasing the right kind and amount of packing supplies. Just remember that buying the right supplies from the beginning will save you time and energy. More »

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5.  Packing the Moving Truck

You've booked your moving truck and packed your belongings, now it's time to think about moving day. If you're like my husband, then you'll want to plan how thetruck should be loaded before you put even a single box in the back of the truck. I have to admit, I'm not the most patient mover, but advance planning on how to load the truck is a good idea. Just don't tell my husband I said so! More »

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6.  How to Pack and Prepare Major Appliances for a Move

Large appliances are difficult to move. Not only are they heavy and awkward, but they usually require some kind of uninstallation. Add to this issue is the fact that most moving companies insist that all major appliances are prepared before they arrive. Most movers do offer a professional service that will prepare major appliancesfor you for a fee. While it may seem pretty simple to prepare your appliances for moving, if it isn't done correctly, you may find units not working when they arrive at the new destination. More »

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7.  How to Pack Electronics

While electronics aren't as complex to disassemble as major appliances, they still require some knowledge when it comes to packing. Use this easy to follow step-by-step guide to pack all your electronics, including how to properly label the plugs and wires to ensure you can set-up the equipment when you get to your new home. More »

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8.  Guide to Packing Pictures, Frames and Mirrors

A friend of mine who moved recently decided to move her framed pictures by stacking them side-by-side then taping them together. While she managed to move them from her old home to the new place without any chips or breaks, the tape ruined the finish.

So, how do you pack pictures and frames without chipping corners or breaking glass or using tape that will cause permanent damage? Find out in this easy step-by-step guide. You'll be sure to have all your artwork and photos arrive safely. More »

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9.  How to Pack Flatware and Plates

It may seem that plates are pretty easy to pack and move. But, over the years andmany moves our family has made, we found that plates can be easily chipped and cracked depending on how they're packed into the box. Use this guide to pack your plates to ensure they arrive in one piece.  More »

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10.  All You Need to Know About an Essentials Box and How to Pack One

I can't tell you how frustrating it is to move without an essentials box.  Our first few moves we didn't know how important it was to prepare one, which left us scrambling for the first night in our new 

How finding a great mover took me 3 years:

Moving sucks

Some research says moving counts as one of the top 5 most stressful things you can do.  I believe it.
I’d like tell you a story – a story of how I spent 3 years finding a great mover.
First, some background.  I moved more than 15 times in my life.  Early on, I would move myself.   As I acquired more stuff and got a bit older, I hired movers.    Every single time I tried to find a mover online, I thought to myself, “wow, moving is the industry the internet forgot about.”   Why could I not search movers?  Why could I not read verified reviews? Why could I not see photos of movers, or get any info on them at all?
When you search for other things online, reviews, prices, photos, and other great information guides you to an informed decision.   I wanted an Amazon, or Orbitz, or Tripadvisor, or Cars.com, or HomeFinder for moving.   Heck, I would have settled for a list of licensed movers in my area.    Instead, I constantly ran into a blind lead form – one that asked for all of my personal information, without showing me any of the movers that would contact me. You know what happened when I submitted that lead form?   I got called by not one, not two, but by SIX movers.  Argh!

Making it better

3 years ago, Shannon Cullins, then HomeFinder’s VP of Product, and I decided to change things.  We learned everything we could about moving, and decided to build an incredibly trustworthy, consumer friendly service to help consumers find great movers and experience happy moves.  We called it MovingCompanyReviews.com (MCR for short).  Shannon took over as General Manager, and we launched the site in February of 2013.   We launched with a few key features to guarantee we focus on helping people find the best movers:

• We verify every review with either a moving receipt (called a Bill of Lading), or a move confirmed by a quality moving company
• We prominently display each mover’s review rating
• We prominently show every mover’s state and federal licensing information, links to their federal complaint history, and any other pertinent government information
• We put caution badges on movers with suspect quality, or fraud complaints

Moving Packing Tips:

Use the right size boxes.
Put heavy items, like books, in small boxes; light items, like linens and pillows, in bigger ones. (Large boxes packed with heavy items are a common complaint of professional movers. They not only make the job harder but also have a better chance of breaking.)
 

Put heavier items on the bottoms of boxes, lighter items on top.
And if you’re loading the truck yourself, pack heavier boxes first, toward the front of the truck, for balance.
 

Don’t leave empty spaces in the boxes.
Fill in gaps with clothing, towels, or packing paper. Movers often won’t move boxes that feel loosely packed or unbalanced.
 

Avoid mixing items from different rooms in the same box.
It will make your packing quicker and your unpacking a lot easier, too.
 

Label each box with the room it’s destined for and a description of its contents.
This will help you and your movers know where every box belongs in your new place. Numbering each box and keeping an inventory list in a small notebook is a good way to keep track of what you’ve packed―and to make sure you still have everything when you unpack.
 

Tape boxes well.
Use a couple of pieces of tape to close the bottom and top seams, then use one of the movers’ techniques―making a couple of wraps all the way around the box’s top and bottom edges, where stress is concentrated.
 

If you’re moving expensive art, ask your mover about special crating.
Never wrap oil paintings in regular paper; it will stick. For pictures framed behind glass, make an X with masking tape across the glass to strengthen it and to hold it together if it shatters. Then wrap the pictures in paper or bubble wrap and put them in a frame box, with a piece of cardboard between each framed piece for protection.
 

Bundle breakables.
As you pack your dishes, put packing paper around each one, then wrap bundles of five or six together with more paper. Pack dishes on their sides, never flat. And use plenty of bunched-up paper as padding above and below. Cups and bowls can be placed inside one another, with paper in between, and wrapped three or four in a bundle. Pack them all in dish-barrel boxes.
 

Consider other items that will need special treatment.
Vansant says his movers treat TVs like any other piece of furniture, wrapping them in quilted furniture pads. He points out, however, that plasma TVs require special wooden crates for shipping if you don’t have the original box and can be ruined if you lay them flat. If you’re packing yourself, double-box your TV, setting the box containing the TV into another box that you’ve padded with packing paper.

Benefits of realistic pricing:

Why not just price your home as high as you think you possibly can?

The chart below, from the National Association of Realtors, shows your likelihood of selling at different market values:

 

Price % Above Market Value		Percent of Homes Sold
+15%		20%
+10%		30%
Priced at market		60%
-10%		75%
-15%		90%

Realistic pricing means you will:

1. Capitalize on the first few weeks of high activity and interest.
2. Attract more prospects.
3. Increase the likelihood of receiving higher offers.
4. Minimize the inconvenience of keeping your home ready to show.
5. Accomplish a faster sale.

Remember, your need for money does not increase the value of your home. If IBM stock trades between 104 & 108, it does no good to insist on selling at 112. Pricing too high only means your price will make other homes in your area look like better deals.

Overpricing your home could also make it difficult for a buyer to finance. 99% of all homes are financed. If you overprice your home, a buyer may be denied financing because the appraisal will come in too low to justify the loan.

Catching the crest of the buyer-interest wave

Timing is critical!

The majority of buyer activity occurs in the first two weeks after a home goes on the market, and peak sales activity occurs within the first 10 days. Buyers who see a property at a non-competitive price will not be back for a second look. The longer your home stays on the market without an offer, the more it risks taking on a “shelf-worn” appearance, reducing your chances for closing a sale with a full-price buyer.

How To Easily Downsize Your Home:

Moving is hardly ever an easy thing to do. You have so many things to consider and sometimes – so little time. One of the most challenging relocations is downsizing from a house to an apartment. At first it may seem like there is less to do because you have fewer items to pack and move, and therefore the moving cost will be lower. This is a good point, but the process of actually getting there is longer than it is on a regular house-to-house or apartment-to-apartment move. What is the best way to downsize your home and how do you make it happen?

How To Prepare To Downsize Your Home In 3 Steps

Downsizing could be quite of a challenge if you don’t know where to start from, so here is our list which will guide you step by step into this tough process.

De-clutter. You need to begin downsizing your home by removing all the clutter and garbage that you may have inside. Throw away all obvious things like broken electronics, tools which are no longer working, old fashioned staff you’re never going to wear, the broken hose in the garden, etc. which hangs around long forgotten in the attic, garage and basement. In other words, everything that is in front of your eyes around the house and is a must-go anyway.
Attic, basement, garage, garden. The easiest way to continue downsizing is to go through the least used rooms and premises in your home. This could also be the guest room if you have one, for instance. In such places around the house it is easy to store things you don’t want or need in the moment and then forget about them. But they are still there and will not clean themselves up.
Clean up your car. If you have the habit of hoarding things, you may have been leaving things in your car as well. Remember to check the seats and the trunk. Make the downsizing uncompromising – this is what will make it efficient!
Downsizing Your House In 5 Steps

How do you actually decide what is worth taking and why? These ideas will help you take a decision!

Can you use it at all? There may be items in your home that are broken, torn, or worn out. In other words, they do not longer serve you. So, how about just tossing them away? You don’t need all that. When downsizing from a house to an apartment this is the easiest decision to take – throwing away what is actually useless.
Is it old fashioned? If you really care about fashion then this is an important decision to make. Do you have items that are out of fashion like clothes, shoes and accessories? Be honest with yourself. If you haven’t used it for the last two years, chances are you may never do it again. Things that you don’t want in your home and those that are outdated could go away.

Do you have space in your new home for you the things you want to move? Take measurements and consider well!
Is it of emotional value to you? There are items that are dear to us which hold an emotional value like gifts from people we love and cherish. Those could be souvenir or practical things like clothes. Either way, if you really care about it and want it in your next home, pack it and take it.
Do you really need it? There are some things that we actually need and some – that only fill in the space in the shelves, drawers and racks on our home, collect dust and nothing more. You don’t need to pay to move all that, especially if it is something bigger and/ or heavier!
Do you have room for it? It is important to take measures of your future home and decide what will and what will not fit in it. Why would you pay to move your sofa if there is not enough space in the room for it? Make a floor plan of your next home in order to make the estimations right.
What do you do with the things that are in a good condition and can be used but you have decided not to move? You can organize a moving sale and sell whatever you can. You can separate kids’ clothes and shoes, and toys, and donate them to an orphanage. You can just give away some things. Of course, if you still want to keep some things but will not have space for them in your new home, you can always use a storage unit. And remember to choose a mover carefully!
Does downsizing your house still look like a complicated task to you? If you have questions that you want to ask or experience that you want to share, you can make a comment!

Interest rates to rise this fall:

Janet L. Yellen, the Federal Reserve chairwoman, said on Friday that she still expected the Fed to start raising its benchmark interest rate later this year. Source: www.nytimes.com 

While I don’t expect a huge increase immediately, I do expect the start of a phase-in process to return to more sustainable levels. What impact will that have on mortgage rates and home values?

The chart below shows how interest rates for the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) and 30-year Fixed Rate Mortgages (30yrFRM) have moved over the past 42 years.  Note how they have moved together with the 30yrFRM showing less volatility.  The 30yyFRM appears (roughly) to be 1-2% points higher than the FRB. However, today it is more like 4% points. One thought is that the 30yrFRM has stayed higher assuming that the ultra-low FRB rate was only temporary. Therefore, maybe, the 30yrFRM will not rise very much when the FRB does make their move. Then again, the 30yrFRM is at it’s lowest point in 40 years. The 6-8% range for 30yrFRM appears to be more representative of a rate that is sustainable.

Source: FRB www.federalreserve.gov and 30yrFRM www.freddiemac.com/pmms

How might an increase in 30yrFRM impact the monthly mortgage payment? Here is the impact on a Buyer for a $1.0M home with 20% down, which means a $800,000 mortgage. The monthly mortgage payment for principal and interest for today’s rate (4%) and potential future rates of 6% and 8%:

8% = $5,870 (+54%)

6% = $4,796 (+26%)

4% = $3,819

Source: www.bankrate.com/calculator

Now most Buyers won’t be able to qualify for a higher payment. The assumed payment of ~$3,800 is at or near the maximum they can qualify for based on their monthly income. When rates do rise, the most likely option is to reduce the amount they borrow in order to keep the monthly payment the same, which in turn means lowering the purchase price. Here is what happens if we keep the $3,800/mo and 20% downpayment:

8% = loan of $520,000, purchase price of $650,000 (-35%)

6% = loan of $640,000, purchase price of $800,000 (-20%)

4% = loan of $800,000, purchase price of $1,000,000

Therefore, it appears if mortgage rates were to increase 2% points higher, to say 6%, then many/most of the Buyers would need to reduce their target purchase price by 20%. How might this impact home values?

Not dramatically over the next few years. First, the Fed is unlikely todo anything that would “shock” the market. Secondly, there is such strong demand that there is probably plenty of buyers to keep the market going. Lastly, buyers are likely to use lower cost mortgages to cover the initial increase in rates. Below is a chart that shows the current spread between 30yrFRM and lower-cost loans such as Adjustable Rate Mortagages (ARM). An ARM would buy some time, however in this timeframe rates will be expected to continue rising, making it more challenging if they refinance the loan.

The long-term impact may be a deliine on Buyer’s purchase power and downward pressure on home value appreciation. Here in Silicon Valley, the effect will be less than at the State or National level as long as some external event doesn’t slow-down high-tech growth and hiring. I do expect that rising rates will push our hyper-appreciation of 10-15% back to more sustainable levels of 6-10%. Really hard to imagine price going down, just not up so fast.

As to our current home prices – using Mountain View as an example, they are about 13% higher than the average of ~7% annual appreciation over the past 17 years. Doesn’t feel that far out-of-line (to me) given the hyper-growth of Google, LinkedIN and others and the significant reduction in the supply of New Listings.

The continuing decline in the supply of New Listings is also a key factor. It is amazing to me the nearly 40% drop in New Listings today from pre-Great Recession period of 2002-05. This factor alone would result in nearly a doubling in demand and significant upward pressure on prices. One explanation is that 2002-05 was higher than usual due to the bust of the Internet bubble (I remember people leaving Silicon Valley back then).  Maybe the supply of 1998-1999 is more representative of the norm.

Summary

For Buyers – homes are likely to be more expensive the longer you wait. Prices are expected to rise 10-15% a year for the next two years. On top of that, interest rates are likely to rise, forcing you to lower your target purchase price from today. A double whammy.  My belief is that you are best serve by owning a home that will rise and fall in value along with the rest of Silicon Valley real estate, especially if you intend to stay in the Bay Area for some time. The good news is that you can lock-in a mortgage rate that are still unbelievably low.

For Sellers – no immediate rush to sell as prices should keep rising. A word of caution, people are rarely able to “time the market”. If you intend to sell in the next 3-5 years, it may be advisable to sell in a Seller’s market. Media coverage of the Fed deciding to rise interest rates may also cause a mini-shock on market demand, that undermine’s the Seller market. Current tax laws may allow you to exclude up to $500,000 in gains and carry your existing Property Tax base to the next home (if 55+).