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The fast and the furiously packing: Tips for moving in a hurry
From the questions to ask realtors and movers to how to pack efficiently, we’ve got you covered. But we won’t be there to cart your couch.
The prospect of buying a house around here remains daunting: The median price of a single-family home in Greater Boston spiked to $900,000 in mid-March. Mortgage rates have climbed above 7 percent. And the rental market is tough, too, even farther from the city: In fact, the Worcester metro area was recently named the third-most competitive rental market in the country.
But life happens: divorce, a new job, a parent who needs help. Sometimes you need to move, and fast. How can you make the process less painful? Here’s advice from the pros:
Work with the right realtor, because connections are everything. Mary Yazbeck-Saliba, with RE/Max Real Estate Center in Walpole, understands the need to move quickly: In 1991, she fled to the United States to escape civil unrest in Sierra Leone; now, she specializes in relocation. “In buying, choose a realtor who practices real estate full time, someone who you know networks with a diverse group of brokers and is well-liked and respected,” said Yazbeck-Saliba. “This is important because you can get leads before a listing goes public, and you’re likely to get an accepted offer faster. Agents on the other side [then] know the buyer’s agent will have a buyer who’s well-guided and able to close without any hiccups. You want an agent who safeguards you.”
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Vet your realtor with the right questions. “Ask questions like: ‘How many properties did you put under contract for buyers in the last year?’ and ‘How do you help buyers get the winning bid in a multiple-offer situation?’” said Amy Weitzman, an agent with Commonwealth Standard Realty Advisors in Newton.
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Also, ask them about lenders.
“Choose a lender that is reputable,” Yazbeck-Saliba said. “Go with your realtor’s list of recommendations. As realtors, we know who offers the best rates and service. Importantly, they will pick up your call on a Sunday night at 9 p.m. You want to hire a team who communicates and works well together. Rapport is very important, and that team will safeguard your escrow deposits at all costs. A reputable lender who can close quickly is a key player, too.”
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Don’t wait for an open house. “Make sure to call your realtor right away once you see a matching home. Don’t wait for open houses to visit those homes. Private showings can be requested, and you can make offers before the open houses, giving you leverage for an accepted offer,” Yazbeck-Saliba said.
Search beyond the Multiple Listing Service and Zillow, and flex your network. “If you have a well-connected friend in the neighborhood you’re looking to buy or sell in, reach out and see if they know anyone who’s moving or looking to buy,” Weitzman said. Join town Facebook groups, too: Many towns have groups specifically for real estate listings; general town discussion groups, too, are a helpful source for insider knowledge.
Don’t let urgency override financial responsibility. “In order to buy or sell fast, buyers are waiving home inspections and their mortgage contingencies,” Yazbeck-Saliba said.
But that’s not always wise: “Waive the mortgage contingency only when you have the cash or liquidated assets for reserved funds. Losing five percent in escrow if you lose your job or get into a health crisis is too much of a gamble,” she added.
Look into a short-term rental. Can’t find what you want? There are options: “Typically, people will go the fully furnished route and put their belongings in storage. I recommend Blueground,” said Alana Colombo, a certified relocation agent with eXp Realty in Boston. Colombo said the online rental marketplace offers stylish, fully furnished listings in Boston, Cambridge, and beyond with month-to-month leases.
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The cheapest mover isn’t necessarily the best. “Beware of movers who are low-balling the quote to try to get the job,” said Wendy Buglio, an Arlington-based organizer and move manager. “You don’t want them to show up under-resourced, without enough [movers] or not enough truck space or not enough packing materials. If you’re in a time crunch, that can delay and just add to the stress, so you’re better off aiming high.
“When getting a quote, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples: How many hours? How many movers? How many trucks are they suggesting? Pick the one that feels like the right fit,” Buglio added.
Ask movers to help you pack. If you’re willing to pay a bit extra, Buglio strongly recommended this to expedite the process.
In a hurry, “people end up packing boxes with kitchen sponges mixed in with family photos. If you have the resources, delegating some of the packing either to the movers or to an organizer can be great. Leaving them something like the kitchen is a really great strategy because the movers will be much more efficient, and kitchens take forever because of the endless cabinets,” she said.
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Plus, it’s savvy from an insurance perspective.
“Movers will not generally insure things that you packed, unless they clearly drop and damage a box. If they pack the box and a glass breaks, then they’re responsible for that breakage. I always like to have movers pack fragile, valuable, expensive things,” Buglio said.
And if you’re doing it all yourself? Label wisely. “Don’t just label the top of a box; label the sides, too, because boxes are usually stacked one on top of another, and you won’t be able to tell what’s what,” she said.
Tech-savvy? There are apps that allow you to list what you’ve packed in a particular box, tie it to a QR code, and recall it with a sticker.
Pack a suitcase with necessities. “Pack like you’re going on a trip with all of your essentials: medications, critical documents, electronics, laptop, your chargers, toiletries, clothes for a couple of weeks, and just keep that suitcase with you so there’s no risk of something getting packed in a random box that you can’t find for six weeks while you’re trying to unpack. Having that essential bag is really a great idea,” Buglio said.
Declutter and load up efficiently. When packing, “think of your house like an onion: Work from the outer layers of things that you aren’t using currently, and save the stuff that you use every day for last,” Buglio said. “I always start with storage areas, seasonal items, artwork, and books. As much as we love having those things around, they’re not essential to everyday life.”
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Take your ego (and aesthetic) out of the sale. If you want to offload your home swiftly, pare down — way down. Don’t be offended if your real estate agent suggests putting your belongings in storage. It’s not personal.
“It isn’t that we’re not valuing you or your choices, but it’s simply not how we sell. And the reason that I don’t sell that way is because I can get you more money if I minimize how much of you is still here,” said Kymberlee Albertelli, who runs the Find Your Village Team with KW Realty in Concord. (She’s also a former sales designer with Circle Furniture, so she knows aesthetics.)
Embrace mirrors. On that note, Albertelli recommended that sellers who want to move quickly use lots of mirrors — and not to gaze adoringly at themselves.
“I spend a lot of time putting up mirrors. And I know that sounds hokey, but I want buyers to actually see themselves in the place as they move about the house and imagine their own lives there. They literally see themselves in the house,” she said.
Don’t neglect a deep-clean, even if you’re in distress. Before listing your home, give it a thorough cleanse. Albertelli said homes that are often sold under duress — due to a divorce, for instance — also are less maintained due to distractions. Don’t forget this detail.
“A regular cleaning person is probably not doing your baseboards and inside your appliances every week, or [cleaning] a washer and dryer that’s dusty and linty. Cleanliness is next to godliness, which makes [buyers] feel as though it’s been tended to and maintained at the highest level,” Albertelli said. “Nobody likes anybody else’s dirt.”
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