A good foundation for a successful move is planning and preparing. If you just jump in and start moving your items without any proper preparation or organization, it will end up as a disaster. Trust us, and don’t even try to do it this way. Regardless of how experienced you are with moving, you might already know some things that will help you prepare, but we came up with the list of top 10 moving tips. Reading this list might be useful for those moving first time, as well as for those who already moved before. So, let’s start and you will be ready as a professional for the next move.
Make a list – a mental list doesn’t count
The worst moment to rely on your memory is moving. A good plan will make you feel safe and it will reduce the stress level on your moving day, so make sure to make one. If you are wondering where to start, that is not even that hard – just start writing tasks that you need to do before the move, and after you start many more ideas will come to your mind. After you write everything down, you can sort out the tasks by days, weeks, or months. In case you need some inspiration, there are numerous moving checklists online that you can see to get the idea. Don’t forget to write down the info about the moving companies that you called and the one you hired, just in case. You will be surprised how often people forget this.
Set the date
It is important to clear the schedule for the moving day because you don’t know how long the moving process might take and you don’t want to rush and stress out because the move is not done when you expected and you are late to work or a meeting. This is another task of planning ahead and doing things according to one.
Do the research and hire professional movers
When we say to do the research, we don’t mean to type local movers near me and schedule the first moving company on the list. You really want to dig deeper, to read reviews, read everything that you can find online. The best-case scenario – ask people you can trust if they can recommend the company they used. Be as detailed as possible when it comes to this because you will have to put all of your belongings into the hands of that local moving company. Once you find a few moving companies, call them to see what services they are offering and learn more about their pricing plans. And as soon as you find the moving company that is suitable for your needs – book your date. You don’t want to end up using some other moving company or to change your complete schedule because someone else just booked the last spot. Why waiting when you already did the hardest work? Oh, and once you book local movers, don’t forget to read the confirmation email and check if all the information is accurate.
Set the moving budget
Setting the moving budget is tricky because it is hard to think of all the expenses that will show up. But try to set the moving budget that is close to it. Make some effort and think of everything that will cost you – moving boxes, furniture movers, additional insurance, expenses for the new home, and similar. Be prepared that you probably won’t fit the budget for every task, but if you are realistic when making one, it should be close.
Declutter
The ideal opportunity to get rid of everything that you are not using or that you don’t want! If you don’t declutter during the move, you will probably keep that stuff forever, and you don’t want to hoard anything in your home. So once you start planning your next step – packing, go through all the items that you have and sort them into 3 piles: keeping, throwing away, giving to someone. Be realistic! That lamp that you keep in the attic won’t be used in your new home, so get rid of it! You can even have fun during this step by organizing a garage sale where you will give away all of your unneeded items and possibly make some money that you can invest back in your relocation. If you want to make someone’s day better, you can always make gifts for your friends and family members, if they always wanted to have something that you have. Or you can always take the items to Goodwill, and do a nice gesture.
Start packing ahead of time
After preparation and declutter, it is time for packing! This step is the most complex and it will require the most time, so arm yourself with patience and start as soon as possible. Never underestimate the size of your home and the number of belongings that you gathered during the years. The professional tip is to start with the least used rooms and continue towards the frequently used rooms. Don’t forget to label the boxes as soon as you pack them, so you can easily unpack. There will be many fragile items around your home, so you don’t want to rush and damage them on the way. Note that everything that is too valuable and irreplaceable should be packed and moved by you, just in case. Regardless of how much you trust your local movers, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Be patient, be careful, and take your time. It is extremely important to start packing in time so you can avoid any problems on the way due to lack of time.
The essential bag is a must
This is something that people often forget, unfortunately, but think about it – you will need some things during your first night at home or even the moving day. This box should contain everything that you cannot survive the night without, such as linens, toothbrushes, some dishes, and similar. The last thing you want after the whole day packing and moving is to go through a bunch of boxes in order to find something that you need to go to bed.
Hire a babysitter
A moving site is definitely not the place for kids and pets. Make sure to plan ahead and hire someone to take care of your loved ones. Just imagine, you will have professional movers carrying heavy furniture, doors will be opened, and you will be busy as well. The last thing you need is to worry about where your pet is or if your kid is going to get hurt. You can do better than that! Someone can always bring your kids to your new home, or you can pick them up after the process is done. After the stressful part of a day is done, you can all enjoy it together.
Prepare your new home to move in
Before moving day, make sure your new home is prepared for moving in – from things such as painting walls, renovating, to transferring utilities. You want to feel at home from the first moment you walk in. Don’t forget to make a layout so your movers know where to put what piece of furniture.
Check if everything is packed, loaded & unloaded
This is something you should check during every step of relocation. So, before you leave your home for good, check if you packed up everything and if local movers loaded everything in the truck. And before they leave your new home for good, you should inspect the moving truck. It is way easier to check everything at that point rather than having to chase your professional movers to see if something was left behind. There is a big chance you will never find that item, not because your movers won’t be willing to return, but because no one will know where the item was left.
