So you’ve made the big decision. My husband has agreed. The house he’s been eyeing in that lovely shady park-like setting is finally up for sale. You have met with the owner of the house, she has accepted your deposit. The mortgage is approved. You now have just 60 days to prepare for the big move. Now what?

You’ve lived in the same 3-story house for 31 years. You have accumulated tons of stuff. Three floors and a complete basement. Don’t forget two garages and a storage shed. All full of your combined things. The new house is going to be great, but we both know that some of her stuff is going to have to go. Well, okay, I think there are a couple of tiny items I could live without.

Seriously, there are some things that no longer work. Some of it belongs to other family members. The huge collection of books you will never read in this life, the mannequin in the attic. Please.

When you’ve lived in a home for so long, there are probably a lot of little things that need patching up or fixing to get it ready for the next family. The first step is to get organized with a plan. We just moved across town, so the need for a lot of serious heavy packing boxes is relatively low. I envision putting the contents of my clothing closet in the back of my truck and driving across town to my new home. There I’ll take them from my truck straight to my new bigger and better walk-in closet and happily hang my belongings where they now belong. I will remove each dresser drawer carefully leaving the contents intact. Then I’ll stack two or three crates on top of each other in the back of my mini van and again make the ten-minute drive to my destination. Wait, I’m getting carried away here.

I still have some patching and painting to do. The goal is to have all of these small, minor tasks completed well before moving day.

First will be the tapestries, mirrors, photographs. Take them down, group them by size and place them somewhere out of the way, behind the sofa if necessary. Remove window coverings unless you plan to stay. You can always tape down newspaper for privacy.

Now let’s get started.

Mop or broom your walls, windows, and ceiling fans to remove that buildup of dust you’ve now decided you can live without.

Scoop out the repair compound and fill in all those little holes. Be sure to look at each wall one at a time from top to bottom for cracks. Now check the wood around the windows. There are several quick-drying all-purpose fillers on the market, so get one that works on wood as well.

Now that you’ve got the ladder out, go ahead and clean the ceiling fan.

Take a break, have lunch, then apply a small amount of matching paint over the filler and you’re done.

Keep the view of the patch small and mix the paint by rubbing in small amounts. This will keep your finished product from looking patchy.

There. You did it. One room down.

Depending on how many rooms you have, you could make one each day and still have plenty of time to plan the furniture layout in your new home.

Some small business details to remember are:

1. Be sure to get a home inspection.

2. Buy a home warranty. It will provide some protection against breakdowns of things like heating, cooling, and major appliances for a limited time.

3. Apply for an Umbrella Policy in your insurance.

These are very inexpensive, the insurance agent will not offer this information, and it could save your savings and assets in the future.

Consider hiring a real estate attorney to review the closing documents and represent you at the closing. This could be an extra $200 to $500. Consider it another form of insurance.

Finalizing the Sale This is usually done at a title office and involves signing documents related to the property and your mortgage arrangements. The package of papers should include the deed, which proves that you now own the home, and the title, which shows that no one else has any rights to or liens in it.

Now enjoy your new home.

There will be sunny days from here on out.