The United States Postal Service processed 39.7 million address change forms in 2013. With that many moves, it’s no surprise that technology has provided many opportunities to make the stressful moving process easier on everyone involved. From quick, online reservations of moving trucks to apps that make sure you don’t leave anything behind, you’ll find that technology plays a big part in preventing your moving day from becoming the apocalypse.
Review Checking
When you check out a house or apartment, the real estate agent or leasing manager is doing all they can to sell you on the property. The last thing you want is to be three months into living at your new home and to find out that the neighbors enjoy having loud parties that last until 4 am. Nothing beats visiting the location at different days and times of day, but finding out major mishaps through reviews provides you with another tool to avoid headaches. If you Google the apartment complex, oftentimes the business listing has reviews. If you’re purchasing a home and have worries that you aren’t working with the best real estate agent, check out a review service such as Angie’s List, which provides reviews from clients of real estate agents and other professional service providers.
Local Flavor
After you’re done using a service to find apartments for rent, you’ll want to know what you can do without going far from the neighborhood. An app such as Yelp, which is free for iOS and Android users, uses the phone’s GPS to bring you a list of businesses nearby. While Yelp is commonly known for restaurants, it also has listings for every other type of business you can think of. If you’re wondering where you’ll be looking for new tires, groceries, or movie theater listings, using Yelp while you’re doing your walkthrough gives you a great idea of how day to day life is going to be for you.
Online Reservations
You already have to make enough phone calls to utility companies, the leasing company, and new schools. Cut down on the amount of calls you’ll have to make by going with moving companies that offer online reservations. For example, U-Haul’s website allows you to make reservations online, giving you rates, nearby pickup locations, and the optional extras such as insurance.
Before You Move In
Before you leave your old place, and officially move in your new home, you’ll want to do thorough inspections to make sure everything is ready for you. You also don’t want to be pinned down with any issues with your old home that you shouldn’t have to deal with. The Home Inspection Checklist for Android phones is a free app that takes you step by step through the home inspection process. You know exactly what to look for as you walk through your old and new homes.
Another essential app is Moving Day, a free iOS app. This app strays from typical moving checklists by allowing you to create lists of items and print out barcodes for the boxes. Instead of figuring out where you left your kitchen essentials, you can scan the code and know exactly what’s in the box without hauling everything out in a frantic rush. This allows you to have stress free and efficient packing and unpacking time.