We’re about 90% packed, which feels great with moving day fast approaching. We’re scheduled to load the truck on Sunday and, barring any hiccups with the closing, officially move on Monday afternoon (if the closing is delayed, it could be Tuesday). Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.
Here’s where we stand on the small to-do list we shared earlier this week (link reference: Pack It Up Pack It In):
- Removed every item from the walls and patched/painted all nail holes in the house. This turned out to be much simpler than we expected: remove all nails at once, spackle everything at once, then paint room by room. That workflow saves a lot of time versus doing spackle and paint separately in each room.
- Transferred all utilities so they will be active at the new place on move-in day.
- Packed the entire bathroom, leaving only travel-size shampoo and conditioner, our toothbrushes, and the shower curtain for last-minute use.
- Packed frames, mirrors, books, ceramic pieces, and about 80% of our breakables. We still need to finish the dishware, which feels a little daunting.
- Raked the yard so the new owners won’t arrive to a giant pile of leaves.
- Oversaw completion of a few inspection items; a professional handled some flue work.
- Had our remaining oil tank measured for closing—new buyers pay for the oil that’s left, which seemed like a fair arrangement.
- Said goodbye to our tan slipcovered Pottery Barn sofa in the den; someone from Craigslist is scheduled to pick it up.
- Packed the rest of the kitchen and about 10% of the remaining rooms that still needed attention.
- Planned to clean the oven and the fridge right before departure so they’re spotless for the next occupants.
- Will vacuum and sweep before locking the door, probably with a few sentimental tears.
Not bad, right? Just that final 10% of packing plus some cleaning remain, and then we’ll be off to the new place with plenty of energy—well, maybe not literal springing if we’re hauling heavy boxes. Yesterday was long and stressful with last-minute closing details and paperwork, but we took a calming drive by the new house and sat in the car just looking at it. Even Clara and Burger watched from their seats. It was a nice reset and reminded us why we’re doing all this: we’re excited to start the next chapter.
For the readers who enjoy seeing a house mid-transition, here’s how things look right now:
Several readers have asked which items are conveying with the sale—that is, what will remain in the house for the buyers. Here’s what we’re leaving behind:
- All kitchen and laundry appliances.
- Storage units and built-in cabinetry in the basement.
- The built-in wardrobes flanking our bed and the bed frame itself.
- Floating shelves in the dining room.
- All hardwired light fixtures and the plug-in swing-arm bedroom lamps (we did replace the chandelier in Clara’s room with a standard fixture, so that chandelier came with us).
- All blinds, shades, curtain rods, and curtains—except for Clara’s curtains, which we kept for sentimental reasons.
- A folder containing appliance manuals, house information, and labeled interior and exterior paint samples organized by room.
We’re genuinely happy to leave those items—having them included made the sale quicker and allowed us to accept an offer above asking. Below are some practical packing strategies that worked well for an organized, detail-oriented person like me:
- John suggested using blue painter’s tape to mark boxes that contain breakables. That visual cue makes it easy to spot fragile boxes during loading and unloading.
- He also put painter’s tape on kitchen cabinet doors that aren’t yet emptied. That prevents repeatedly opening every cabinet to check what’s left inside.
- We labeled nearly every box with a permanent marker describing its contents and the room it belongs to. That saves time when we need something quickly—like Clara’s bath supplies.
- Following recommendations, we picked up sturdy boxes from our local wine store. They’re free and many have built-in handles, which makes carrying heavy boxes easier.
- We packed a “vacation stash” containing clothing, toiletries, baby essentials, and a few other daily needs to get us through the final days here and the first few days at the new house. That reduces the urgency to find specific boxes immediately.
- We prepared a “first-night” box that we’re keeping in the car. It includes toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, basic cleaning supplies, disposable cups, and a handful of items we expect to need right away while friends and family help us unload.
So far, everything’s progressing nicely. We’re keeping our focus on the prize—the new house—and taking it one packed box at a time. Eye on the prize, indeed.