Every listing agent tells sellers the same thing: pack up half the house before the photographer comes.
The idea is that you need to remove all personal items from the house so the new potential buyer can better imagine themselves living there. So all your family photos, all your kids' artwork, your personal Star Trek figurines and collectibles all need to go.
Most sellers do it with whatever cardboard they can get their hands on. They tape up boxes, and stack them in the garage. After the house has an offer, they start to pack the rest of the for the actual move.
Turns out the same totes can do both jobs. Pack the clutter into our totes for the listing, photos, first open house and walk throughs, and when the house sells, keep them for the move.
Why cardboard makes this harder than it needs to be
Decluttering boxes don't sit still. Somebody needs the waffle iron, so a box gets opened and taped back up. The stack gets shoved around before every showing, and more often than not the bottom box is crushed by the time the house is getting showings. We have all walked through a house for sale and seen the garage full of thier Leaning Tower of Pisa box piles about to fall over. It is just not a good look for the house.
Then the seller needs boxes again. Many of them to replace and re-box the first round, because they are now too beat up to reuse, so they buy more and start over.
Totes stack without tape and roll out on a dolly. Whatever went in for the photos can ride in the same tote to the new place. And they are much easier to get stuff out and back in. Especially with our QR code "What's inside" feature. You'll know exactly where that waffle iron is.
Realtors, this is something you will love!
Home owners, this is for you too.
How it works
Owners or Realtors - For the right house this makes total sense. It has to be priced right and able to show well. The problem is all the stuff! Book the package that fits the house. Realtors, this is your presale closing gift to your client letting them know how awesome you are, and it is your best chance at selling quickly. Your clients will love you. Delivery, a dolly, and pickup are included, and the rental runs two weeks. If it is timed right this is enough time for the photos, first open house, and first showings. Your best chance at a quick offer and sale.
The seller packs the clutter: the stuff on the counters, the overflowing closets, anything that makes a room look small in photos. The totes stack in a garage or a spare room.
Photos and showings happen with the clutter out of sight.
Then when the house sells, your client can extend the rental themselves at $2 per tote per week instead of booking a new package, and finish packing into the same totes. It actually saves them money on the extension.
We pick them up after the move, same as any other rental.
What it costs
Every package includes two weeks. After that, each extra week is $2 per tote. Here's the math at our current prices.
Studio (20 totes): $130 for two weeks. One extra week is $40, two extra weeks is $80.
1-Bedroom (30 totes): $160 for two weeks. One extra week is $60, two extra weeks is $120.
2-Bedroom (40 totes): $190 for two weeks. One extra week is $80, two extra weeks is $160.
3-Bedroom (55 totes): $235 for two weeks. One extra week is $110, two extra weeks is $220.
4-Bedroom (75 totes): $295 for two weeks. One extra week is $150, two extra weeks is $300.
5-Bedroom (100 totes): $370 for two weeks. One extra week is $200, two extra weeks is $400.
So is extending cheaper than booking a new package for the move? Most of the time, yes.
One extra week costs less than a new package at every size. A 2-bedroom seller pays $80 to keep their totes another week, instead of $190 to book again.
Two extra weeks still costs less up through 3 bedrooms.
At 4 and 5 bedrooms, two extra weeks costs more than booking fresh. For a 5-bedroom there's a better option. Upgrade to our Commercial package for $129 more and extensions drop to $1 per tote per week, so two extra weeks comes to $329.
It's usually cheaper, not always. Tell us the size of the house and a rough timeline, and we'll run the numbers for your seller before anyone books.
When it fits, and when it doesn't
This works best on a listing that's priced to move. If the house goes under contract in a few weeks and the seller is moving locally, the totes never leave.
On a listing that might sit a while, extension weeks add up. In that case it can make more sense for us to pick the totes up after photos, and for the seller to book again once there's a closing date.
You know your market and your listing better than we do. Pick whichever one fits.
Who pays for what
One way to handle it: you cover the first two weeks as part of listing prep, and the seller pays only for the extra time when they move. The simplest way to cover it is a Gift a Move certificate, which the seller uses when they book.
Your seller gets a house that shows better, and nobody packs it twice.
A house that's easy to show is usually a house that's easy to move out of. Might as well use the same totes for both.