Welcome to Top 10 Tips for a Smooth Relocation!
You finally heard back from the sellers of your dream home and they have accepted your offer! At long last, you’re moving forward on your new home and one step closer to living the dream. Suddenly, you come to a sinking realization that puts a serious damper on your joy— that means you have to move. And now is a good time to discuss your top 10 tips for a smooth relocation.
Most people find moving to be an absolute ordeal, citing it as one of the most stressful events in their life. In fact, some surveys have found Americans find moving more stressful than getting married, getting a divorce, and having kids.
Luckily, we have a few tips that make your move a cinch and have you well on your way to your new home and new life! Check out our top 10 moving tips that’ll help you make the transition smooth as butter!
1. Plan Ahead
The importance of planning ahead cannot be understated. It’s the difference between scrambling to get everything in order or showing up looking calm, cool, and collected on the day you’re meant to hand over the keys to your old place.
Before making a single phone call, put together a checklist of everything you’ll need to do to ensure you have everything you need, have everything logistically taken care of, and will not have to go crazy when the actual moving day arrives.
Here are a few things most people need to take care of prior to the moving day that’ll help you get started:
• Research moving companies
• Transfer school records to new district (if you have kids)
• Grab moving supplies
• Officially change your address with USPS
• Notify all appropriate parties of address change
• Request vacation or PTO from your employer
• PACK!
It doesn’t hurt to create a folder or binder to keep all important documents, contact numbers, and other things together so, whenever something arises, you know just where to look to get it sorted out!
The more time you give yourself, the better you’ll feel, but we recommend a minimum of two months. A move can certainly be planned with less time, but it sure won’t help with the stress!
2. Declutter
Your home doesn’t need to look like an episode of Hoarders to be in need of some decluttering. Most people accumulate knick knacks and things over time that they meant to get around to using but never quite did.
Take this as an opportunity to discard or donate anything that doesn’t “spark joy” so that your job, and the movers’ job, is simplified. Carting everything to the new place and then figuring it out only creates extra work for everyone in the long run, so burn a weekend afternoon rooting through closets, drawers, and cabinets to see what needs to stay and what has to go.
This one’s a good practice even if you’re not moving, so consider doing it annually.
3. Pack Strategically
It’s tempting to toss everything loose into a cardboard box, wrap it with packing tape, and call it a day, but this is going to create a certified nightmare when you get to your new home and you’re trying to settle in.
Often, packing everything up is only half the battle, and unpacking is an entirely separate ordeal. Luckily, you can take the teeth out of the task by packing strategically from the jump. That way, you know where everything will ultimately wind up and could effectively command the crew you hire and minimize the amount of actual physical moving you have to do when you eventually get to where you’re going.
Use sturdy boxes and be generous with protective materials like bubble wrap or newspaper. Once each box is filled to your specifications, seal it completely using tape and label it with a bold marker so you know what’s in there and what room it should be placed in when you arrive.
Moving becomes much easier when you put together a plan and work the plan.
4. Top 10 Tips for a Smooth Relocation – Pack Essentials Separately
Don’t get too carried away packing though; there will be some items you need quick access to either mid-move or in the days that immediately precede or follow the move. You definitely don’t want, for example, your phone battery to die while you’re busy coordinating the team and your charger is somewhere in the back of a moving truck.
That’s why it’s worth it to fill a suitcase, duffel, or tote with a few essentials, including toiletries, a few changes of clothes, important documents, chargers, medications, and some basic kitchen items so you don’t have to unpack a bunch before you can eat something.
Did we mention moving seriously works up an appetite? Definitely keep those kitchen utensils handy!
5. Hire Professional Movers
Back in the day, you may have been able to tempt a few friends to cart your stuff to a U-Haul in exchange for some pizza and beer, but that doesn’t hold the same allure as you exit your college years.
The fact of the matter is that moving is hard. It’s physically demanding and time consuming, so many people aren’t too keen to volunteer their help.
If it’s within the budget, it is well worth it to hire professional movers. Not only do professional movers staff physically capable individuals who are accustomed to the manual labor intensive demands of the job, but they have systems that make the move quicker, smoother, and less stressful.
With minimal oversight and involvement on your part, your items will be whisked to the truck, transported to the new place, and unloaded in a pinch.
We recommend researching a few highly-rated options in your area and getting a quote from each. So long as each candidate is highly-rated and well-reviewed, you will be in the position to make an informed decision.
6. Top 10 Tips for a Smooth Relocation – Notify Important Parties
We’re not talking about having a going away party or housewarming party at the new place, although those are good ideas too. We’re talking about updating your address with important parties so that you continue to receive mail and correspondence where you are now living.
Some of the most important ones to update include:
• The post office
• The DMV
• Your bank
• Your employer
• Utilities companies
• Internet and cable service providers
• Subscription services like Amazon
Setting up a forwarding address first and foremost will help correspondence from the others get directed your way in case you forget to make an important call, but you’ll want to systematically work your way through everyone that sends you a bill or mail and update your address in their systems.
7. Transfer Services
You may need to arrange for new services with new local contractors and service providers, depending on how far you’ve moved, but some will remain the same. For the ones you will continue to use at your new address, let them know that you’ve moved and that all bills and correspondence should reflect the new address.
That includes your Internet, cable, phone, electricity, and possibly gas, oil, and water too.
Subscription services like Amazon should get the new address as well. You don’t want to send your Amazon purchases to the buyer of your house by mistake.
8. Top 10 Tips for a Smooth Relocation – Take Measurements
Once you have an accepted offer and you’re cruising towards the closing date, you’ll want to swing by the new place and grab a few measurements ahead of time. This will give you information to make sure that the furniture you have fits the space well and, if you’ll need some new stuff, you’ll know how much you can get away with in terms of size and dimensions.
Don’t just measure the rooms and assume all is well though; some homes have hallways and doorways that are narrow. Some homes have tricky nooks and crannies where there’s less clearance than usual, and larger furniture items may not fit through unless they come in pieces.
It’s difficult to account for every last location in the new home, but get as many measurements as you can in each room to give yourself the best chance at success. It also doesn’t hurt to review return policies at the furniture store in the event you find out the hard way that there’s no way that dining room table is going to make it to where it needs to go.
9. Stay Organized
You will likely accumulate a lot of documents during the move. We’re talking contracts related to the house, your moving contract or lease agreement, utility information, and other important documents that you may need to produce in a pinch.
For easy access, consider putting together a folder or binder at the start of the journey and file everything away inside for quick access later. You may not need to retrieve everything that winds up in the folder, but it’s good to have on hand in case you need to refer to it later.
Once the move is complete, stash the folder somewhere convenient for a few months or digitize the information and discard appropriately. You likely don’t need to hold onto it forever, but it helps to have it while everything settles down again. You know, just in case.
10. Top 10 Tips for a Smooth Relocation – Label Electronics
A final tip that’s often overlooked but incredibly valuable: label those electronics!
Some devices need to be disassembled or separated during the move. We’re talking power cords for TVs, HDMI cables for your cable, gaming consoles, and other electronics, Ethernet or lightning cables for modems, routers, laptops, and more, the almighty cell phone charger which you will immediately need a replacement for if anything were to happen— the list goes on!
Label each before wrapping it up and shoving it in a box to give yourself the best chance of restoring everything the way it was once you’re finished moving in. Better yet, consider taking a few quick pics with your phone so you can visually see how you had everything setup originally and you can replicate it with ease.
Final Thoughts
Moving is daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Following a few of our tried-and-true tips will render this fearsome feat harmless, helping you get everything in order without all the hassle.
House hunting also seems intimidating, but having the right professionals to guide you makes a big difference. Our team boasts years of experience and is ready now to walk you through all aspects of the home-buying process.
Contact us today at (614) 316-3324, and let us take care of all your real estate needs!
