Moving to a new location is a significant life transition and sometimes it can be a very scary process. Meticulous planning and preparation is the key to making a stress free relocation possible. Whether you're relocating across town or across the country, this comprehensive guide will help you prepare for anything that might come up during your moving process.
1. Choose the Right Movers
Before anything else, research and hire a reputable moving company that you can trust. Make sure they offer the services you need, be it packing, storage, or specialized item handling! Get quotes, read reviews, and check their credentials. Give them a call and get a taste of their customer service. Most of the time you can tell by how a service representative from the company speaks to you, regardless of the service you might pay for, how they will treat your belongings. Trust your gut and choose the affordable movers in Houston who make you feel safer and at ease. Sometimes more professional movers may cost more money, but remember, going with an unreasonably cheaper service might yield catastrophic results due to negligence and/or lack of experience! Getting your Houston moving companies cheap can lead to preventable damages and a horrible experience!
2. Create a Moving Timeline
Establish a stress free relocation timeline that outlines all the tasks you need to complete before moving day. Start this timeline at least two months before your move. We understand that sometimes things may come up that may put you behind schedule. But remember, if you already hired your movers ahead of time, your clock is ticking and if you’re not prepared, the move might not go as smoothly. By completing each of your tasks bit by bit every day, you can avoid being rushed in the last couple of days before your move. When hiring movers, we suggest you look up "Inexpensive movers Houston"!
3. Declutter and Downsize
Moving is the perfect opportunity to declutter your belongings. Sometimes it’s better to get rid of the old to make space for the new. By going through your belongings and downsizing, you can end up making more space and discovering things you might prefer to have out in your new home. Go through your items and decide what to keep, donate, or sell. The less you move, the more you save on moving costs.
4. Notify Important Parties and Update Your Address
Remember that we all have responsibilities outside of our home. When you move, taking care of your belongings and obtaining a proper moving service are not the only things you have to worry about. You need to notify your utility companies, banks, voter registration, insurance providers, and more about your upcoming move. Once you do, double check everything to ensure your mail is not getting misplaced and being sent to your old address. It is very important that legal documents, insurance or medical records, and other things are not being misplaced so it’s always a good idea to check repeatedly to make sure you’re having a smart move.
5. Pack Methodically
Begin packing well in advance, starting with items you use less frequently. You want to make sure that you have access to the belongings you use on a day to day basis until the very day before your move (computer, silverware, toiletries, etc). You wouldn’t want to be bored out of your mind every day until your moving day if you packed your phone and other electronics right? Next up comes the important task of labeling boxes. Label boxes with their contents and the room they belong to, this will not only help you be more organized but will also help movers and prevent them from mixing up your belongings. Use quality packing materials to ensure your belongings stay safe during transit. Remember that when it comes to dishes or other fragile items, it's best to cushion them as much as possible and have them packed vertically (it makes them more resistant!). Don’t mix heavy items with easy to break items, and definitely don’t mix flammables and lighters in the same box!
6. Create an Essentials Box
Pack a box with essential items you'll need immediately upon arrival at your new home, such as toiletries, clothes, important documents, and some basic kitchenware. Sometimes after moving into your new home, all you want to do is lay down and sleep after a stressful day. Of course no one wants to have to unpack when they’re tired after a long day, so having a box or couple of boxes with your essentials might be a smart idea! Even if you don’t fill those boxes right away, set them aside so that on moving day you have empty boxes to pack and unpack perishables as quickly as you can!
7. Back Up Your Digital Life
Back up your computer and important digital files to an external hard drive or cloud storage. Ensure you have access to critical online accounts and email addresses. We get it, sometimes we can pack things as safely as we can and they still break. So the best thing you can do is have a back up plan in case the worst possible outcome of your move comes through. You can even go a step further and write any passwords, accounts, and other information so you can have quicker access to it and not struggle later in case you need to recover anything on a new electronic device.
8. Handle Special Items with Care
If you have valuable or fragile items, discuss their specific packing and handling requirements with your moving company. As previously mentioned, some valuables require extra cushioning or even individual priority packing within their own box. When boxes are moved, the heaviest box usually goes in the bottom while the lighter ones go on the top. A fragile item can be unlucky enough to end up at the bottom of a stack or fall off of a stack if it’s put on the top. We recommend using packing paper, newspaper, bubble wrap or anything else to protect your items from blunt damage! By labeling your boxes, you can help your movers take extra care of certain boxes to avoid breaking anything. Remember, it always helps to be detailed with the things you value.
9. Obtain Your New Home's Keys
Make sure you have the keys to your new home well before moving day. This can save you from unnecessary stress when you arrive at your new location. If possible, every member of your household should have their key to your new place so no one is locked out, so whatever you need or don’t need can get picked up or dropped off, and so that your movers don’t struggle on moving day when they have to drop stuff off. As mentioned before, just like you should make copies of files on your computer, having extra copies of your key could serve as useful in case one copy gets lost.
10. Prepare Your Furniture
Disassemble furniture as needed and ensure it's ready for moving day. Keep all hardware and instructions in a labeled bag. In case you’re disassembling something like your dining table or treadmill, keep that labeled back taped to the main body of the furniture! An alternative is to have a small box set aside to leave your hardware baggies in! In case you have a piece of furniture that you think you might not need in your new home, set it to the side. You might want to take out anything loose from bigger pieces of furniture like an armoire/showcase, grandfather clock, and set them aside so that they’re not bouncing around whole being moved. As a last step, grab the furniture you won’t be using and wrap them with anything that can prevent dent damage! We recommend thick blankets which you can then tighten with tape or bands, followed by a little bit of shrink wrapping!
11. Pack a Moving Day Kit
Prepare a kit with essential items for moving day, including snacks, drinks, phone chargers, and important documents like your lease or mortgage agreement. This shouldn’t be confused with the “essentials box” point as these will be items that you'll be carrying with you at all times! You want to maintain a form of communication with your movers in case you need something from each other or in case there’s a minor inconvenience such as traffic. This means your phone needs to be charged at all times! More importantly, you want to be full of energy to celebrate once you’re moved in, so snacks of any kind are a must. Think of a move as if you were going camping, you wouldn’t want to go camping without food, water, your phone, and your lease agreement right?
12. Conduct a Final Walkthrough
Before leaving your old home, do a final walkthrough to ensure nothing is left behind. Check all closets, cabinets, and drawers. If you stash away anything valuable, double check that you didn’t leave it behind! Ensure that no leftover damages were left at your old home (sometimes the landlord or property owner might overcharge you for them). Make sure you and your movers aren’t taking something they’re not supposed to as well! Once you finish checking every nook and cranny, check once again.
13. Secure Your Valuables
Carry valuable items like jewelry, important documents, and electronics with you, rather than packing them in the moving truck. The last thing you want to go through is something being misplaced, damaged, or stolen! By keeping these important things in hand, you’re ensuring easier access to them as well as more safety.
14. Communicate with Your Movers
Stay in touch with your moving company leading up to moving day. Confirm all details and make sure everyone is on the same page. Although unlikely, some moving companies have scheduling problems and the last thing you need is to have no movers on moving day! Not only that but you can ensure the proper manpower is being dispatched to move you in the most efficient and secure manner possible. It never hurts to double check!
15. Take Photos
Before disassembling or packing items, take photos of their current condition. This can be crucial for insurance purposes in case of damage during the move. This not only applies to your new home or your belongings before and after being moved, but to your old home as well. In case there’s any foul play by your old landlord or property owner, you have evidence that you left the premises before moving to your new home. More importantly, taking pictures of your furniture and new home ensures that you have proper proof of any moving damages that you might want to get repaired!
16. Final Cleaning
Leave your old home in good condition by doing a final cleaning. This is not only courteous but can also help with getting your security deposit back. As mentioned before, it can also help you avoid any issues with the home’s insurance involving property damages!
17. Moving Day
On moving day, be present to oversee the process. Provide clear instructions to the movers and double-check that everything is loaded onto the truck. Make sure your movers know what’s being moved or being left behind, that they’re handling your things with care, that they have the right address for the drop-off location, etc. Normally when dealing with professional movers, once expectations are set, you’re able to go out and about once they get started. However, it never hurts to be present and at the ready in case anything comes up!
18. Settling In
Upon arrival at your new home, unpack the essentials box and moving day kit, and start settling in. Take it one room at a time, and don't rush the process. If you prefer, take a nap or go out to celebrate. You already got done with the hardest part, moving, so the rest should be easy!
19. Update Your Address (Again)
Update your address with your new local authorities and any organizations that still need to know your new location. Get into contact with your homeowners association and ensure that every single piece of mail is being sent to the correct address. This is something that should always be checked before and after your move to make sure everything is being mailed to the right place!
20. Celebrate! You Just Finished Moving!
Once you're fully settled in your new home, take a little trip with the family or celebrate the fact you finished moving! This of course, requires an independent celebration for moving everything in as well as for packing. Hopefully you don't need move again so soon, but if you do, don't forget to read these tips again!
By following this detailed guide, you'll have a well-prepared plan for a stress free relocation, ensuring that every aspect of the process is covered. With the right planning and organization, your relocation can be a smooth and successful transition to your new home. Don't forget to give your moving company a review!