Whether you have moved once or a dozen times, it never seems to get any easier. The culmination of all the emotion associated with selling a home is another huge emotional challenge: Moving! Here are some fsbo tips that we hope you will find helpful as you prepare for moving day.

To avoid surprises, get coordinated in advance: Use this checklist to monitor your progress.

• Make agreements with buyers (ideally at the time of the contract, but definitely long before the closing date) regarding possession of the home and moving date. Having sellers and buyers meet on the front walk--each with a house full of furniture--is not a happy situation.
• Start planning early. Once you are reasonably confident that you will be proceeding with the sale, start weeding out your current possessions. Toss (or give away, or sell at a yard sale) things that you don't want to move. This goes a long way toward uncluttering your life, too!
• Compare moving plans. Are you going to want to do the entire move yourself? Will you want a professional mover to handle the entire process? Don't wait until the last minute--or you may be doing the whole move on your own! Compare rates and services as well as availability.
• Make a list on any important items you will need to buy for your new house. Examples: draperies, blinds, shower curtains, etc. Having these things with you on the day you move in prevents unnecessary surprises.
• Start packing early. Anything that you are sure you will not be using before moving day should get boxed.
• Determine a "staging area" where any items that are ready to be moved are placed. This saves a lot of the aggravation associated with having boxes scattered throughout your present living quarters and gives you a place to look should you need an item that is already packed.
• Mark every box and carton. Again, it makes it much easier if you need an item before you move, and makes it much simpler after you move. Unpacking will probably be somewhat of a gradual process--this way you know where the most necessary items are located.

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