Are You Paying the “Home Move Tax?”

For most homeowners, selling a home feels less like a straightforward transaction and more like taking on a second job. A job that doesn’t just demand your money but also your most precious resource: time. In fact, according to recent data, selling a home can consume over a third of your waking hours, turning your life upside down. 

So, if you’re wondering how to sell a home without sacrificing your personal time (or sanity), keep reading. 

The "Home Move Tax" 

We all know time is valuable. Between work, family, and personal commitments, there just aren't enough hours in the day. Opendoor surveyed 1,000 recent home buyers and sellers to understand the true cost of time—of “Home Move Tax”—lost during the traditional real estate process. Here's what they found:

• 71% of Americans say selling a home feels like a second job. This isn't surprising considering everything involved, from cleaning and staging to repairs and showings.

• Employed buyers and sellers are losing PTO and work time. The report estimates that Americans lose over $430 million in missed work time just preparing their homes to sell.

• Quiet moving is on the rise. 13% of respondents admitted to taking time off work, without their employer knowing, to deal with moving tasks.

Selling a home can also take a toll on your well-being, with 85% of sellers reporting they lost sleep worrying about the sale. Here’s what kept them up at night:

• Offer falling through: 41%

• Saying “bye” to my home: 37%

• Offer acceptance: 36%

• Home prep for listing: 36%

• Leaving memories behind: 32%

• Managing repairs: 32%

How to Save Time (and Stress) 

Every moment you spend on the home-selling process is a moment you could be spending elsewhere—on your career, with your family, or just taking a breather in a world that already feels too fast-paced. Recognizing the hidden time costs of selling your home allows you to make more informed decisions. 

And that’s why working with the right real estate professional is so important. Think of them as your project manager, advocate, and guide all rolled into one. They handle the heavy lifting—from setting a competitive price and staging your home to coordinating showings, managing negotiations, and navigating the mountain of paperwork.

1. Evaluate your possessions.

As you pack, evaluate if an item gives value to your life. Donate to local charities in your community, offer to friends or family, hold a garage sale or sell online the items that you don’t need to waste your time packing. Haven’t used it, worn it in the last year or holds importance to your functioning each day, let it go!

2. Stock up on packing supplies.

Avoid the dilemma of running out of packing tape the morning of your move by having plenty of supplies on hand. Early on in your moving process, start gathering boxes, tape, bubble wrap, newsprint, box cutters and markers. You can also save time and the environment by packing with materials you already have. Load up your suitcases and plastic containers and use pillows, scarves and towels to protect fragile items.

3. Pack like a pro.

Come up with a packing system so all of your boxes end up in the right rooms when they get to your new home. One option is to buy a box of magic markers and create a "color code" system for your movers -- red-labeled boxes for the living room, blue for the kitchen, etc. On moving day, hang a colored paper in each room so your moving support muscle can identify exactly where boxes go rather than having to ask for every box.

4. Make the house move-out ready.

Most movers won't disconnect anything that's hard-wired into your house, so unplug appliances and lighting fixtures if you're taking them with you. Make sure all paths are clear from your house to the moving truck. You can also help out your movers and speed up the process by knowing the ground rules for what they will and won't move -- movers won't touch flammable items, perishable foods or plants.

5. Pack a moving survival kit.

Don't throw everyday essentials in with your other belongings, only to have to dig through boxes later searching for your ID or your medications. Instead, pack a "last-to-go" box with all of the necessities -- toiletries, snacks, important documents and the like -- and keep it with you rather than on the moving truck.

6. Spruce up your home before moving your belongings in.

It's easier to clean, paint and make other improvements while your home is still empty. Before you haul in your furniture and boxes, vacuum, dust the baseboards, wash the kitchen and bathroom floors, and paint the walls.

7. Make a furniture plan.

Give your back a break by deciding how you want to arrange your furniture before moving it into your house. The best way to do this is to make newspaper cutouts of the furniture. Measure the dimensions of the item and tape together newspaper pages to match the "footprint" of the furniture. This allows you to easily try out several floor plans without repeatedly reshuffling your furniture.

8. Change your address and close accounts. 

When planning for your move, make a list of your accounts and who needs an address change notification.  Knowing who you need to provide your new information to and keeping track of will minimize major hassles for auto-ship accounts, service lapses, locked accounts and even identity theft. Also schedule dates to discontinue your utilities, phone, cable and Internet and arrange for these services at your new address. Several new services even let you save time by doing all your utilities hookups online. Most of these changes can be done online so make a list and keep track.

Final Thought

During this exciting time of moving to your new home, we work as your real estate professional to continue our communication guarantee. Knowing where you are through the process is essential. We provide dedicated concierge-level services from start to finish throughout this transaction. The Mayfield Group is committed to converting transactions into relationships by putting our client's interests above all else.

But beyond these tangible tasks, real estate professionals offer something even more valuable: peace of mind. By tapping into local market knowledge, extensive networks, and experience, they can streamline the entire process, helping you avoid common pitfalls that consume time and energy. This means fewer sleepless nights worrying about the next step, and more time for what matters.