Moving is such a mixture of sour and sweet. Yes, you’re probably happy to be upgrading/downsizing/relocating/what have you, but you’re also leaving behind a sanctuary, a neighborhood, a community, a school—a whole life that you’ve come to know and maybe even love. Attention must be paid. But how do you say goodbye to a house?

Over the years, I’ve heard from many clients who have given me ideas of how they do it, so I thought I’d share them here:

• After everything is out of the house, order some pizza or takeout from your favorite local restaurant, sit in the middle of your family room, put your phone away, and just be present together for 30 minutes.
• Turn on your phone’s voice recording app and have your family sit around one morning over fresh donuts to tell funny/endearing stories about the house. Make a calendar reminder to listen to it again in a year.
• Take a solo walk through the house before you start moving, make mental notes of your favorite corners and how you feel when you’re in them.
• Hire a photographer* to come take photos of your house (similar to listing photos) but in its real life, lived-in form. You will love looking back and remembering what life was really like in this moment.
• Take a picture of the front of your house (or your favorite spot) and have an artist* paint it for you, just like I did for one of my clients in the photo on the right below. Bonus: beautiful and meaningful art to display in the new house!

• Take what you can! For instance, if you measured all of your kids on a door like my clients Dan + Libby did (see photo above), you could either work it into the contract to take the door with you or just replace the door before showings start. It may not seem like a lot, but these little irreplaceable tokens can help your new place feel like home.
• Leave something behind. Sort of like the opposite of the above idea, but many families like to leave a note in a cupboard door or window frame. If changing something indoors isn’t an option, perhaps consider carving your family’s names into a brick or tree outside, or even bury a little time capsule in the garden.

Our homes are not just foundations, walls and a roof. They become a part of our family—a part of our life’s story—and it can feel challenging to leave for the unknown. If you or your children are having trouble coping with a move, check out “How to walk kids through the transition of a move” and “What to do when you aren’t happy to be moving“.

* Reach out and I can give you local photographer and painter recommendations!