Furniture: Sell It, Donate It – But, Don’t Bring It!

You’ve done it! You sold your home of 30-something years and are moving south to your Dream Home, as your retirement has officially begun!! But wait, what about all your furniture and worldly possessions? The transition from a home you have dwelled in for decades to a new/newer home can be…well, quite traumatic. The amount of work that needs to occur is almost mindboggling, as before you can do anything, you must trudge through all that “schtuff” you have been collecting for ions.

What’s the Goal?

As a homeowner who is ready to make the move from the cold winters of the North to the warm climate of the south. This includes consolidating your worldly possessions down to three tubs and yes, we said 3 tubs!

Yes, Doug said it, get rid of Grandma’s needlepoint chair that she made by hand in 1915. And why bring that cedar chest that has sat in the attic for 27 years that’s full of various junk from your husband’s childhood? As for you men, do you really need to bring 35 pieces of yard equipment with you to your new home when all your yardwork is included in your POA fees?

What’s the Reality?

Here is the harsh reality of a big move like this. If something has been in your attic for the past couple to 30 or 40 years, you will pay for it to be moved to its next storage area. Why would you do that if you don’t plan on using it when you move to your new home? And, not just furniture mind you – but this includes doll collections, wooden golf clubs, roller skates, wooden nickels, etc.

Oh, and no we didn’t forget about you ladies during this move. If your current furniture goes nicely in your traditional New England house w/bold colors, why do you think it will look good in a brand-new Low Country Coastal home w/a pastel motif?! In an effort to get Doug’s personal home on the market ready for sale, he recently held an estate sale. He sold many items at about 10% of what he paid for them years ago because the cost to move something like a king bed suite to a storage unit would have been more expensive to do so. Doug would have had to pay for the unit every month and who knows for how long? Plus, it was his goal to have only 3 tubs and no storage unit to deal with!

Be Ready to Move

As you get your home ready to sell, make a list of all your furniture and identify what your plans are for each piece. If you absolutely positively must, and we mean must, bring it with you to North Carolina, that is fine. But if you think it might go in the attic once you move here then let it go. You can either sell it, bring it to a consignment shop, donate it to Goodwill or give it to the kids or a family member. We do suggest that you have it gone before the Mayflower Moving Truck gets to your home to load up the truck!

For what it is worth, when any team member from Carolina Plantations lists a home, we set an appointment with the homeowner to essentially stage the home. What does that mean? Simple, anything you do not use on a daily basis is moved into the basement, attic or garage, for it is our goal to make your home look and feel as spacious as possible.

Why It’s Important to Minimize Your Things

Therefore, with that in mind, that is almost the same litmus test for what furniture makes it on the truck, if in fact it will match the decorum of your new/newer home down south.

Taking the emotion out of furniture sometimes is not easy. We know for many that selling Grandma Gertrude’s dining room set is almost an unconscionable act of treason. But, does an 80-year-old dark cherry Queen Anne dining table really belong in a beautiful new Low Country cottage style home here in the south?? Yes, we understand that it can be difficult to get rid of the furniture that you’ve had for year. But have no fear because within a 3-hour drive from Wilmington is many furniture stores located in Hickory, NC.

Lastly, we often encounter clients that insist that their new home has tons of room for storage, and we often ask “why”? If you have family heirlooms your conscience cannot bare to see depart the family, then give them to the kids or your siblings now, as storing them in your 120-degree attic here doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it?? If you are still searching for your forever home located on the coast of North Carolina we can help you today!