Moving can be a stressful experience. In fact, studies have ranked it along side the death of a loved one or a messy divorce. The good news is that really only applies to moves that aren’t well-planned. Here are a few tips for getting prepared, and making your next move as trouble-free as it can be!
- 1. Give it the time it deserves.
Moving can be a surprisingly time-consuming process, so allow yourself plenty of it to fully navigate the territory, from shopping for a mover to gathering supplies to actually packing and transporting your goods. Our best advice is to allow at least a month if you have that luxury. It can take several days to decide on a good, reputable mover and obtain an estimate. If you’re doing it yourself, give a day or two to arrange for the truck in advance, gather or buy supplies, and allow for about 4-5 hours per room to pack.
- 2. Make a Checklist.
An exhaustive checklist of things to do will help you make certain all of your bases are covered. This is a lot easier than it sounds because, thankfully, thousands of people move every day and they’ve populated the internet with some amazing info. A few minutes of web-surfing will probably yield more information than you even need; and if you’re using a professional moving company, they can probably help you here, too. We suggest that if you’re using a mover, you might want to take video or pictures of the items you’ll be moving so that you can prove the pre-move condition of your items in the event that anything is damaged along the way.
- 3. Don’t take what you don’t need.
If you’ve been living at your current address for any significant amount of time, you’ve probably accumulated a lot of stuff. Moving is an ideal time to de-clutter your life with the added benefit that you won’t be expending time, energy, or money pack, move, and unpack things that you don’t really need. As you’re making your packing plan, give careful thought to what can be donated to charity, given to friends, or sold! Think of it this way … you’ll get tax credit for charitable donations and ready cash to defray the cost of your move for anything you can sell before the fact. These items bring double-dollar benefit because you’ll pocket the cash and not have to shell out more to move them. This is also a good time to set aside items you’ll need on your first night(s) in your new home—clothing, towels, toiletries, basic cleaning supplies, a few edibles, etc. Some movers won’t allow food items on their trucks at all; so you’ll need to plan to move these yourself if you’re making a short move.
- 4. Make sure your financial bases are covered.
Have ready cash or a certified money order or check before the movers take a single box off of the truck. In fact, they can legally drive off with all of your goods if they don’t receive payment in the form they’ve asked for or prefer. Some won’t accept credit cards at all, so be sure to ask. If you’re using your bank debit card, be sure to call your bank in advance to make certain you’re not going to run into a transaction limit.
- 5. Stay Involved.
This is particularly important if you’re hiring pro’s. You can stay engaged in the process without getting in their way, giving careful guidance about what you want packed together or in “open me first” boxes (items you’ll need immediately upon arrival), and keeping an eye to ensure that furniture is appropriately padded and packaged, particularly where valuable items are concerned. Don’t be afraid to ask the movers if you should be concerned about the transport of something particularly meaningful … they’ll most often be honest about whether or not you should carry it along, yourself.
Whether you’re conducting a full-service or DYI move, remember that it pays to BE PREPARED!
