It’s Time to Move Into a Home with More Space — We Can Help

So you’ve made the decision to move out and find a home with a little (or a lot) more space. Congratulations! It takes a lot of determination to finally say out loud that your square footage and livable space just aren’t cutting it anymore. But now comes the real challenge: managing the move into your new home.

It may seem daunting to organize such a long list of priorities when you’re on the move to a new property, especially if you’re dealing with luxury real estate that’s spacious and richly furnished. But there’s no need to fret: below, we’ve included all the information you’ll need to get through the process in one piece and come out the other end happy and settled into your new abode. Let’s get started!

Once you’ve finally sighted your new, larger home and gotten excited to move in, it can be easy to start planning the move right away. While it’s always a good idea to be prepared ahead of time, you might end up wasting energy if the closing date is pushed back or possibly canceled when moving to Raleigh. Inspection reports might dredge up some unexpected news, or the appraisal may come in with conflicting figures. It’s best to wait until you’ve officially closed on the home before you start organizing the move.

As moving day gets closer and closer, it starts becoming more important to draw up an organizational plan of action for you, your family, your movers, and more. Write up a document or to-do list that outlines exactly what furniture, items, and personal effects you’re going to bring with you. Organize these units by room on your chart, then order them in terms of importance. That may mean you put them in the order that you plan to put them on the moving vehicles, the order that you offload them at the new home, or a personal order that works for you.

What’s important is that you inventory all the items in your current house before the time comes to finally move. You don’t want any surprises happening on moving day, nor do you want to lose anything, least of all any prized possessions or family heirlooms.

Once you’ve moved in, the impulse may be to rush into the decorating process with a head full of steam and start outfitting the new larger home all in one go. You may end up overspending this way, and you could ultimately purchase too many furnishings for the home if you overestimate how large the house’s floor plan really is. Instead, we suggest going about the decorating process room by room.

Make a list of what functions you want each room to accomplish. Consider the natural lighting available in each room. Plan your color schemes around the architectural features already present in the bones of the house. Handsome crown moldings will invite you to buy a certain style of furniture, an unusually dark room will require a matching hue of wall paint, and an outstanding floor will beg to be decorated in a way that shows off its natural beauty.

It’s hard to make these kinds of judgments if you’re decorating in a rush or if you start purchasing new furniture, paint, or fixtures before you’ve lived in the house for a while. Take some time to observe how people naturally move through the home and how the light changes on surfaces. That kind of patience will be rewarding in the long run.

One of the big benefits of upscaling to a larger house is the extra space you have to experiment with new furniture arrangements and storage options. It can be tempting to do everything at once and start purchasing new items to fill that extra floor space, and it can be a good idea in some cases to capitalize on the energy boost that comes with moving by purchasing some new furniture to celebrate the move.

But usually, it’s more prudent to go at it slowly and think more long-term about furnishing your new home. Outfit the essential rooms of the house first (think the living room, kitchen, bathrooms, and bedroom) before turning to the parts of the property that call for new seating, storage areas, or appliances. By pacing yourself, you’ll ensure you don’t overspend in the heat of the moment and grow naturally into the new space, filling it slowly over time with objects and furniture that fit.

There’s no better opportunity to rethink the way you live at home than the days and weeks following a big move. This critical moment is an ideal time to reorganize the arrangement of furnishings that may have gotten a little dull or boring in their past set-up. With all the extra space available to you, it’s an opportune time to think creatively.

Reposition your old sofa in a private room and insert a different one in the main living area. Switch up the seating in the dining room with the chairs you used to use in a studio or office. Consider angling pieces of furniture, tables, and lighting fixtures in unique ways that accentuate the architectural features of the new home. You never know what you might have been missing with the furniture oriented the way it used to be. Plus, you can keep your budget low by creatively reusing old furniture rather than buying new units.

There you have it: a starter’s guide to moving into a larger home. If you have any questions or comments to share about moving to Raleigh or the Raleigh housing market, don’t hesitate to reach out today! Contact Courtney Whalen for more information.