Moving into a new home is difficult. There are many things to pay attention to and tons of chaos along the way. Making sure you don’t lose anything, everything gets to the right place, nothing get’s damaged, and the list goes on and on.
In order to stay a little more organized during your move we have put together a list of 8 tips that will help you stay calm and relaxed even when things get out of hand. We limit the list to just 8 to ensure it doesn’t get overwhelming. Let’s keep this easy.
Change your address ahead of time
If you don’t change your address at least a week ahead of move out date you will loose tons of mail that contains sensitive and confidential information. It is recommended to change your address at least a week before moving into your new home to ensure that your mail begins to arrive on time as soon as you move in.
Labeling like a pro
The most common problem when unpacking in your new home is finding something specific when there are hundreds of boxes all over the place. It’s practically impossible to find things quickly and this is what causes the most headaches and makes move in take months.
Take advantage of the technology available to us in the 21st century. Color code, number, and label all of your boxes in a easy to understand way.
We recommend using numbers on every single box so that you know exactly how many there are and which items are in which box. This way you know if you lost one and you also know which box number to go to when searching for a particular item.
When packing the boxes open up a google doc or an excel spreadsheet and create a short list of the items that are in the box. This way when you are looking for a specific item you can do a simple search in the spreadsheet and find which box the item is in. Looking for a number is much easier than digging through every single box labeled bathroom.
Boxes must be same size
To make packing and unpacking that much easier we recommend that instead of just finding old used boxes to stuff all of your belongings in go ahead and purchase same sized boxes. By using boxes that are all similar in size you will be able to pack and stack items much better in the moving van saving you time and space.
One of the best places to get cheaper boxes is home depot. Large sized boxes are approximately $1.50 each.
One more tip… if you saved original boxes from some of your appliances and electronics it’s a good idea to use them. Placing your tv back into it’s original box is probably a much better idea since the box was designed especially to fit the exact model you will avoid potential damage. Same goes with all other appliances, vacuums, tech, etc.
Find a reputable moving company
A moving company can either make or break your move. Many will ask the question why is a moving company even necessary. It’s simple… hiring a moving company will save you hours of time, reduce the risk of injury for yourself and your friends, eliminate the risk of damage to your belongings, gives you tons of time to take care of the more important tasks.
Finding a reputable company is what’s important however. Hiring some random moving company off the internet is risky. A reputable company will insure that your belonging make it safely to wherever they are being moved to (which is something you cannot insure on your own). They also have all of the necessary gear and muscle to do the heavy lifting. They have experience getting that funky couch through the tight doorway and down the stairs. Wouldn’t you rather have someone who does this on a daily basis take care of it for you?
One of the best ways to check if a company is reputable is taking a look at their online presence. Find them on Facebook and take a look at what previous customers have said about them. Check out their Google reviews as well and make sure that they have plenty of satisfied customers.
Take note of damages
This is always important to do wether you are renting the home or have purchased it. When moving in you will notice a lot of damages that you may never notice again because the rug is over it or a tv is in front of it. However when you first notice this damage write it down so that you can remember. This will help you later on when you are planning maintenance or a remodel. You can take these damages into account and work towards getting rid of it.
If you are a renter taking note of these damages and even taking pictures of it will help safeguard you against being liable for it later on. This way you will have proof that the damage was not caused by you once you have to move out.
Make a to do list beforehand
You probably have close to a thousand things on your mind when moving. You may think you have it all under control and organized but inevitably you will forget a lot of things that you wish you didn’t. While preparing for a move have a small notebook that you write to-do tasks in. Even the most basic things like unplugging something or setting an item aside for later.
Having a running to do list will prevent you from forgetting important tasks. You can also keep track of what you have done and what you haven’t.
Get Rid of a Lot of Things
Please get rid of your stuff responsibly... don't leave it on the side of the road ;)
We love to hoard things and just save them for later. Even if they are 100% useless. We say we’ll need it later, it’s sentimental, too valuable to throw out, etc. The reality is that you will never actually use half of the things you “save for later” and most of them are just sitting there taking up space.
During a move you have the perfect opportunity to leave behind the items you no longer need and guiltlessly dispose of. Try to get rid of as much stuff as possible. Only keep the bear necessities. Anything that you haven’t used in the last year must go. If it isn’t something that you know for sure you will need.. dispose. Trust us this will make moving so much easier and your new home so much more pleasant to live in.
Consider using a storage unit
After you have moved into your new home the most common problem that people run into is sorting out the giant mess of boxes. You don’t really take into account where you plan on placing all of your belongings when moving in so you’re left to doing that later. However later you have no clue what you’re doing and it takes forever to sort through the mess and make it feel like home.
This is where storage units come in handy. By moving a great portion of your belongings into a storage unit before moving it into the new home will allow you to spread out the move in process into a few phases. Moving the most crucial furniture in first allows you the empty space to move it around and figure out the best configuration. Next you can move in the secondary items and fit them in as you figure it out. This does prolong the move in process, but it does make it much less chaotic.
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