Walking into a new home for the first time can feel like heading into a foreign land. You love the home, or you wouldn’t have bought it, but it can still be a bit strange and unfamiliar. Where will everything go? How will you arrange each room? Will your furniture and décor look “right” in this new place? As agents, we understand these feelings. In fact, for your resident blogger, these exact thoughts have been on my mind for weeks as we look for our new house. If you'll indulge me this week, I'm going to write from a little more personal perspective because a move, and your "stuff" that goes with it, is...well...personal.
I assumed that a lot of other people have shared these feelings and asked themselves the same questions during a move, so thought I would share the ways I am preparing and planning, so our new space feels like home. I should also disclose that I am fighting the strong urge to get rid of most of our stuff and buy all new furniture to fit the new house. As tempting as it is, I’m not going to overhaul just yet and I’ll tell you why.
The first piece of advice I have is to walk through the house as much as possible. Once you decide it’s the one, carefully stroll through and try to envision how you will live in the house. How will you use each room? Where will large pieces of furniture fit and where will conveniences like TVs be hung or set up? Once you decide those basic elements, I recommend getting a bit more specific in your plans, meaning furniture placement and finally decor and finishing touches.
I like to see things laid out before I arrange a room, so I always sketch how I want furniture and important decorative pieces to be placed. I highly suggest trying this strategy before a move. Measure each room to be sure your pieces will fit, and then roughly draw the space including windows, doorways, and closets. You can look at your rooms with fresh eyes each day and change as you see fit. This strategy helped me realize we do not need to get a new entertainment center to replace the loss of our built-ins. I plan to use a buffet from our current dining room and open shelving to accomplish the same purpose. Allow yourself to be creative and consider multiple uses for your favorite pieces.
That thought leads me to discuss fighting the urge to buy all new stuff. Don’t get me wrong – I would love a fresh look for the new house, but that needs to wait. First, see what you can work out with existing pieces. Don’t buy without a plan. I know we will invest in a few key pieces down the road, but at first I really encourage editing what you already own and determine whether it will work long-term. Give yourself three months or so to get settled and decide whether you like your current room arrangements. At that point, if you feel like new items are the way to go, then you’ll be confident that you’re not just buying for the sake of buying. You’ll be investing in things that will create comfort and ease in your new home.
Another strategy I have embraced is cutting the clutter. This is critical whether you’re downsizing or upgrading. I am donating or selling items we don’t need or no longer love. In our next house, I want to be surrounded only by things we use, need, and love. Those old guest room dressers that were hand-me-downs? Gone. The ugly old chair my husband has had since college? Bye-bye. This is a chance for a fresh start, so embrace the opportunity to let go. Weeding out things that tend to just take up space will also help you take inventory of what you have and brainstorm how it can be used in your new house. It’s also incredibly liberating to be able to let go of stuff and have faith that you will be fine without it.
Finally, the strategy I am still working on myself is giving yourself a little grace and a little credit. Moving is hard and stressful, even when it is an exciting change. There is a lot to do and a lot to think about during the moving process, so please don’t worry about creating a magazine-worthy space within weeks of moving. In time, as you become settled and acquainted with your home, you’ll figure out what works, what doesn’t, and make changes accordingly. If you’re anything like me, it’s likely you’ll still be rearranging and adjusting your rooms several years after moving in, and that is quite alright!
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