Realtors: don’t pay to move junk you don’t even want

Moving is expensive enough without paying to haul the same unwanted furniture across town, unload it into a new house, and eventually pay someone to take it away. Yet it happens all the time. Clients are busy packing, the moving truck is scheduled, and suddenly the old mattress, extra refrigerator, worn-out patio furniture, and boxes of things nobody has touched in years are headed to the new house simply because nobody had time to deal with them before moving day.

The problem? Those items still have to go somewhere eventually. By then, the homeowner may have paid to move them, spent time unloading them, and finally called a junk removal company to haul them away. That’s a lot of effort and expense for something they never wanted in the new house to begin with.

A little planning can save more than just space

A week or so before the movers arrive, walk through the house and ask one simple question about the bigger items: Would I pay to move this if I were buying it today?

If the answer is no, it may be time to let it go.

That old sectional that won’t fit the new living room? The refrigerator sitting in the garage? The exercise equipment collecting dust in the basement? Moving is a natural opportunity to make those decisions before everything gets loaded onto a moving truck.

Getting unwanted items removed before moving day can help avoid paying to transport things that aren’t needed, reduce the amount of packing and unpacking, and make settling into the new home a little less overwhelming.

Of course, not everything needs to be thrown away. Items in good condition may be worth selling, donating, or passing along to family. The goal is simply to make a plan for the things that aren’t making the move.

What if there’s more to remove than a curbside pickup can handle?

Sometimes it’s a few bulky items. Other times, a garage, basement, or entire house needs to be cleared before the movers show up. The best option depends on how much needs to go and how much work the homeowner wants to take on.

Up Up and Away Junk Hauling offers several options to help clients get unwanted items out before moving day:

• Full-service junk removal: Crews can remove unwanted items from inside the home, upstairs, downstairs, garages, basements, attics, and more.
• Curbside pickups: A convenient option for a few items that are already outside and easy to access. The customer doesn’t even need to be home.
• Dumpster rentals: Useful when clients want to sort through belongings and load items themselves as they prepare for the move. Bonus? Our dumpsters sit on wheels, so your client won’t have to worry about damaging their driveway right before their move!
• Larger cleanouts: For homes with years of accumulated belongings, a more extensive cleanout can help get the property ready for its next chapter.

Planning ahead also gives clients more flexibility to choose the service that fits the job rather than scrambling to find help when the moving truck is already on its way.

A helpful tip to pass along to your clients: when clients are preparing to move, junk removal might not be the first thing on their checklist. A quick conversation about what they’re taking and what they’re leaving behind could save them from paying to move unwanted items and then paying again to have them removed. It’s a small step that can make moving day smoother and help them put their moving budget toward things they actually want in their new home.

Up Up and Away Junk Hauling has earned more than 1,750 five-star reviews and has been named Best of Cobb for Junk Removal two years in a row, giving realtors a trusted local resource to share when clients need a hand clearing things out.

The goal is simple: help clients move into their next home with less stuff they don’t need, fewer expenses they could have avoided, and one less thing to worry about.