Exciting New Blue Pencil Home Offerings: Concierge Moving Services

“You made a huge difference...and provided more value per dollar than almost any service I have ever paid for.”

— Chris, a client preparing to list his home for sale

Imagine this.

You walk out of the home that you recently sold. You say goodbye. Lock the door. And walk away.

Days later (perhaps after a few days of traveling or even relaxing somewhere fun), you unlock the door to your new home. You walk in.

And your home is: All. Set. Up.

You simply walk away from one home and walk into your new home in the new location and everything has been taken care of for you.

Artwork and family photographs are hung, your kitchen drawers are finished, beds are both set up and made. Closets are not only filled, but they contain the perfect organizational system necessary for their space. Televisions are mounted; cable and internet are streaming and working perfectly. And this is only the beginning of what has been taken care of in your home.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?

If you are preparing to move, relocate, or downsize, we can help you with the entire process, described just as I did above.

Katie and I are thrilled to introduce the addition of white-glove, luxury concierge moving services for our Blue Pencil Home clients. We’ve been working out the details for these new services over the past few months and we’re thrilled to share them with you. These services allow us to handle every step of your moving process, from the very beginning through to the end when you turn that key in your new front door.

Staged living room we photographed after packing up the home.

How to Survive the Moving Process and Actually Enjoy It

We’ve found, in our decluttering and organization work, that our clients would love to have a one-stop shop for all things related to moving. Some people are preparing for a move across the country as part of a job relocation. Other clients are ready to downsize their home and need to work through years of memories and items. Some people are moving across town and they only want to take the necessities—things they actually use—to their new home.

One of our clients who is preparing for a move, Kim, mentioned:

“Blue Pencil Home took most of the burden off of my shoulders. They helped to declutter, take items to Goodwill and organize what we had left back. We have not moved yet, but what Blue Pencil Home has done in our current home will make that process super simple. I can already tell that when it’s time to box up and move, it will be a much speedier and more organized process.  The decluttering and helping to find a home for everything will help us the most in the moving process. Can’t wait for Brooke and Katie to help us start off on the right foot in our new home!”

Preparing for a move can be the key to success in the actual move. This work that happens before the moving company even arrives can save more time than ever.

Tip: When we help clients do the big portion of the work—editing, purging and decluttering—prior to their move, it saves them so much time on the back-end of the move.

Once you’ve entered your new home, exhausted and worn out, the last thing you want to do is open a box full of things you didn’t need or want at your last home. That’s just torture.

There was one time I moved years ago, and I was so burnt out and tired from the process that I simply took a bathroom drawer and upended it into a box. I sealed it and off it went to the new home. I think you can guess what I did with that box in the new space. I simply threw the contents away. Loose bobby pins and half-full bottles of shampoo just don’t work.

We’ve seen this same exhaustion on our clients’ faces when they are decluttering and organizing their homes. Moving is exhausting. As Rebecca told us:

“Decluttering our closets and installing our clothes into the new closet was one of the best parts of the moving process. We could never have staged our new closet in the way they were able to, so that was key. Also, the fact that Katie and Brooke took all of our kitchen boxes and left us with neatly organized shelves and cabinets with everything in its place.  I didn't give them any direction on where I wanted things to go. That was the coolest part because they just know where things should reside in a kitchen and they set things up in a manner I wouldn't have on my own.”

A client’s closet we staged before the house was listed.

When the Blue Pencil Home Network Saves You Time

Many times our clients ask us what moving companies we recommend, what company stages the home best, and which cleaning services are the most effective.

We realized that not only do we have a great network of people for each of these needs, we could manage this entire process and eliminate all the stress for our clients.

We are fortunate, in that our network is large—we personally know and have the best recommendations for:

• Moving companies

• Real estate agents

• Staging professionals

• Cleaning companies

• Painters

• Carpenters

• Handymen

From firsthand experience, Katie and I know that the moving process can be extremely stressful, time consuming, and emotional and we’ve found a way to streamline the process for our clients.

Our client, Rebecca, described her experience in using us to help her family move,

“Blue Pencil Home was HUGE in helping! They came in first and de-cluttered our closets so we were ready to take only what was needed with us. Then once it was time to pack, the girls came and helped box all of our clothes in hanging boxes. Then they packed up my kitchen and china cabinets (which were definitely the most difficult areas of the home to pack). They made it simple!  Everything was boxed up ready to go weeks before we actually called in the movers and it couldn't have gone more smoothly. Once the boxes arrived at our new home, Brooke and Katie came back and unpacked our kitchen, pantry and closet items. I was amazed at how quickly they were able to get these rooms move in ready! Once the movers set up all the furniture, we were able to live in the home within a couple of days thanks to their help.”

We helped declutter and organize this master bedroom and closet (and the rest of the home) prior to our client putting their home on the market.

The Two Moving Concierge Options

Some people choose to handle many of the moving details themselves and use us simply to help them pack their belongings and then unpack in their new location with efficient, effective organization systems we install.

Other clients may want us to handle every detail, from arranging and attending the meetings with the moving companies to managing moving day to setting up every aspect of their new home.

No matter which type of service you prefer, we can help you with it all.

And the most important part for us: Ensuring our clients feel satisfied, happy and safe with the entire process. Central to our work is confidentiality and respect. In our work, we never judge, we place integrity at the forefront of our projects, and we consistently maintain a reputation for ironclad confidentiality.

Rebecca recalled,

“We have moved a couple of times and hands down, Blue Pencil Home’s services are something I'll never go without again. I don't think people realize how quickly they can not only pack key areas of the home but also how quickly they can unpack them and organize all these spaces in the new home.”

Our clients asked us to help them organize and declutter their entire home before they placed it on the market to sell.

Here’s Just How Blue Pencil Home Can Help With Your Move

You may be wondering what this looks like. Here are the big pieces in the moving process in which Blue Pencil Home can help:

• Scheduling a consultation and assembling the necessary team scaled to the scope of the project

• Pre-move preparations to organize and declutter the home in advance of the home’s sale and to begin the moving process

• Packing, labeling and categorizing the home’s items by room with white-glove treatment

• Moving with the best, safest movers to manage the loading and unloading process

• Unpacking each box, ensuring the home and all belongings are protected

• Creating systems of organization that are tailored to the client’s needs which are efficient to maintain

• Setting up the entire home for turn-key needs

On a more specific, detailed scale, we can also help with the following:

• Take photographs and inventory of client’s home before the move

• Curate and stage existing furnishings to optimize the home’s going to market

• Design consultation and closet planning for organization in necessary spaces in the new home

• Arrange for charitable donations and consignment of appropriate clothing and furniture

• Manage all packing, move coordination and logistics on move-out day

• Manage electricians, contractors, AV, IT, and other third party resources for necessary installations

• Meet movers at client’s new home and manage every aspect of the move-in day

• Unpack the boxes and put all contents away in a logical and organized manner

• Arrange the furniture or work with client’s decorator to do so

• Assemble and make all beds

• Purchase organizing supplies

• Organize the kitchen, all closets and bathrooms, garage, and all other rooms of the house

• Supply, cut, and install shelf liner in the kitchen, baths, and laundry room

• Set up basic home electronic systems

• Hang art, photographs and other decorative items

• Breakdown all empty boxes and remove all moving debris

• Purchase groceries

• Vacuum, dust, and clean all areas of the home once items are put away

• Honor client’s other special requests as needed

No matter which way you move, it’s an all-consuming process with many details. We enjoy helping our clients to smooth out these details and take the burden from their shoulders. This is something we enjoy. Finding new systems and methods to make our clients’ lives easier is exactly our hope.

Our client, Rebecca, mentioned,

“I couldn't have imagined having to box everything Katie and Brooke helped with. It would have taken me weeks to do what the three of us accomplished in just a couple of days.”

So if you’re planning a move of any shape or size, reach out to us and consider letting us help to make the process easier and more efficient.

Until next week!

P.S. What to do with items you’re ready to toss!