If you’re buying or selling a new home, you’ve come to the right place. Here we will discuss some of the most important things you’ll want to keep in mind while you maneuver through the moving process. Whether you need to know what to look for when buying, what to consider when selling, or tips for the move itself, there are helpful tips here for any stage of the process. A new home is an exciting time, though it can be stressful. These tips will help smoothen the process.

Selling Your Home

When selling your home, you’ll want to consider renovations that can improve your return value. This is simply so that you can ask for more for the home and sell it quickly. Keep in mind, 48% of buyers interested in brand new homes cite “energy-efficiency” as their most desired feature. This may be useful for you too as you try to sell your old home. Consider replacing any appliances that are on their last leg with new, energy-efficient models. Not only can new appliances increase return value, but environmentally friendly improvements may be what sets your house apart from the next.

It’s also important to consider landscaping prior to selling the house. This is one of the easiest ways to not only attract potential buyers, but increase return value. Almost all realtors will suggest you invest some portion of money into landscaping. Curb appeal is a big deal for potential buyers, which is why landscaping can make all the difference.

Buying a Home

When it comes to buying a home, you’re going to want to have as many things recently updated as possible. This is because you don’t want to buy the property and then have to replace everything within just a few years of living there. If you’ve bought a good house, most things should already be taken care of. For example, windows and doors are a big area in which your money could be wasted if they aren’t up to date. Replacing standard windows with energy-efficient windows and doors that meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star program lowers energy bills by 7% to 15%. About one-third of the home’s heating and cooling bill is wasted if your windows and doors are outdated.

One way you can help ensure that everything is what you expect is by working with a realtor. This is probably the best piece of advice you can receive when it comes to looking for a new home. Realtors have the experience, market information, and contacts to help you find the home exactly right for you. For example, nearly 31% of people who want a custom home want a significantly larger home — more than 500 square feet larger than their current residence. A realtor will be able to find homes that fit this metric for you because they know exactly what’s on the market. They’ll be able to more easily find homes that are the square footage you’re hoping for instead of wasting your time looking at homes you thought were bigger, but actually weren’t. They’ll also be able to let you know what renovations have been previously done to the home and what hasn’t so that you won’t be surprised once you’ve already moved in.

Moving

The best thing you can do to help the moving process go smoothly is to make a plan. Decide what needs to be packed up first and what needs to be packed last. Have a plan for where everything is going to go once packed. Be sure to pack room by room, as well, so that your boxes are organized. Being as organized and meticulous as possible will help to move things along. However, be sure not to get hung up on the details, too. Sometimes you have to just throw it in a box and find a place for it later – and that’s ok for a few things. If there’s a lot of stuff you don’t know what to do with, create a “miscellaneous” box so that it’s at least all together. Remember to take breaks and enjoy the process as moving can be a very exciting time.

If you’re moving and are having to go through the process of buying a new home and selling your old home, there are lots of things to consider. This brief list is a great tool to get you started, but be sure to do more research yourself about what you may need to know for the process to best serve you. After all, it’s in your best interest to take the time to make sure everything is how you want it.