The number one moving advice I could give to anyone is to start the moving and packing process as early as possible. The moment you think you may be moving is the perfect time to start preparing for the move. Moving is a huge job, and by breaking it into smaller pieces it becomes a lot more manageable. Here are ten ways you can start preparing from your move early!
1. De-clutter NOW!
There is no sense in moving junk from one house to another, so right now is a good time to start getting rid of stuff you no longer need. Just begin going through one room a day to decide if there are some items you’d like to either donate, sell or throw away. If you are a bit of pack rat, it may be a good idea to set some goals as to how much stuff you’d like to get rid of before a move. Even just aiming to fill up one trash bag or box full of items to get rid of can be a good place to start. Once you purge yourself of some items, you may be surprised how addicting it can become. Remember, the more stuff you get rid of now, the less you’ll have to move later!
2. Pack Decorations
Pictures, nick nacks, collectables, shelved books and other items that are just there to be pretty can be packed as early as you’d like. This tip is especially useful if you are selling your home, because the less items there are in the home, the easier it is for potential buyers to envision themselves in the house. If you have lots of breakable paintings and decorations, this can be a good time to get all the packing supplies you need to safely transport these items. It is a lot easier to back breakable items when you are not in a rush, so getting these things packed early is a good way to avoid damaging any items.
3. Rent a Self Storage Unit
If you want to really go extreme with tidying up the house, move everything you don’t need to a self storage unit. Using this method you can move extra furniture, clothes, books, electronics and everything else into a self storage space. This also allows you to first get settled in your new home with the essential items, then, when you are ready, you can unpack the self storage unit into your new home.
4. Clean the House
Before moving out you are going to have to do a thorough job of cleaning the house, so you might as well start keeping the house clean now. Treat this cleaning like a major spring cleaning, where you get behind, under and over everything for a nice dusting and scrub. This is also a really good idea if you are going to be showing your house to strangers, because no one wants to buy a house that looks like a pig sty!
5. Clean the Yard
Take the time to take care of anything that needs to be done in the yard. Trim hedges, cut branches, mow the lawn and all those small tasks that need to be kept up with. Also, any toys, junk, tools, equipment should be packed, moved or neatly ordered in the yard.
6. Pack Non-Essentials
Anything that you own that you won’t be needing, you can go ahead and pack it up. Tools, books, extra dishes, decorations, unused toys, sentimental items, seasonal clothes and all that junk can be put neatly ordered into boxes. You can either store these items neatly in your home, or you can consider renting a self store unit to store them until moving. It is nice to have most of your items packed already when moving day start to approach.
7. Get Early Bids from Movers
If you have any idea of when you are supposed to move, start to get bids from different moving companies. This will give you time to thoroughly research each potential moving company. If you are looking for a discount, ask the moving company’s proprietor if there are certain days or times where you could get a discounted rate. Don’t be afraid to try to haggle with moving companies, because there are lots of different moving companies available out there. Compare the prices of at least three different moving companies, so that you can choose the company that works best for your budget and needs. Be sure to look closely at the contracts, because a lot of moving companies will surprise you with extra fees and charges in addition to the bidding price.
8. Decide Where You are Going to Get Boxes From
Pricing out boxes early can give you a chance to where you want to get boxes. On our website this page gives you a lot of the details of the price, size, quality and shipping costs of seven different box retailers.
9. Plan Where You’ll Put Things in New Your New Home
If you already know where you are moving, it is a good idea to start figuring out where everything is going to go in your new home. Sketch out each room and think about how all your stuff will fit into the new space. Think about whether in the future you’ll want to buy more items to fill the space, or if you need to store or get rid of some items for everything to fit.
10. Research Your New Home
This tip is especially important if you are moving a long distance, because there is a lot of info. you’ll need about the new area. Research the local hospitals, fire department, police department, vet, schools, etc. Map out the lay of the land to figure out what grocery stores, gym, restaurants, parks and other areas you may want to try to visit in the future. With Google maps it is easier than ever to start researching the new place you are going to live. This step also can help you get excited to move somewhere completely new!