It’s so much easier to do something when you know how to do it, right?
Even the fairly complicated process of moving house can be turned into a problem-free and stress-free experience when you’ve got a convenient list of things to know before moving out.
Make your move the easiest one yet by being 100% prepared in terms of what to expect from your move and what to do to keep the relocation as smooth as possible.
Here’s what to know before moving – the top 10 things you must be familiar with when moving from one home to another.
1. Precise cost estimation is the first step
The home moving process can be rather confusing for people who have never moved house before or who have little relocation experience. With so many things to do before moving out, it’s easy for a person to get baffled as to how to start the preparation period.
What to know when moving is that as soon as the house move is confirmed, your very first step is to learn how much that upcoming move will cost you. Keep in mind that the cost of the move will determine how you approach the entire relocation.
Then, when the initial contact is established, ask those movers to visit your home in person so that they can provide you with accurate in-home price quotes. You must have those moving experts visit your place – cost estimates received over the phone or via e-mail cannot possibly be accurate enough.
So, one of the very first things to think about when moving is getting correct cost estimates done by professionals at your own home.
One of the things you should know before moving out is that hiring good movers to get the job done is the best way to approach the situation. Many people mistakenly believe that using professional movers is always the more expensive option, but that is clearly not the case.
One thing that should not be forgotten is that organizing a self-move has a number of hidden DIY costs that can really hurt your budget: from the cost of packing supplies to renting moving equipment and a moving van, the self-moving expenses will only continue to grow even without factoring in the costs of repairing possible property damage or treating personal injuries.
The thing to remember when moving is that top-rated full-service moving companies offer customized relocation solutions to fit different home moving budgets. In addition, professional movers come insured so that you know your prized possessions will be in good hands. Pro movers’ extensive experience in packing and moving all types of household items cannot be easily dismissed either.
Hiring the right moving company for you comes down to doing your homework. One of the things to consider when moving to a new city is researching your movers well prior to using their services to avoid unpleasant surprises.
One thing you should know by now: Following a moving checklist is the key to a well-organized home move.
One thing to think about before moving out is this: the preparation stage often turns out to be an unfair race with time due to the overwhelming number of pre-move tasks waiting to be completed. This is why organizing your time properly is the key to having a successful move from start to finish.
Take full control of your time by following a moving checklist – the ultimate time management tool you must use to your advantage. A good moving checklist will not only list the most important things to do when moving house, but it will tell you when to do those tasks and how much time you’ve got for their completion.
Take a great moving timeline and personalize it to make it your own. Remove the tasks that are irrelevant in your relocation case – for example, dismiss all pet-related tasks if you don’t own a pet animal, and include jobs that are specific to your set of relocation circumstances.
Also, prioritize the moving checklist to make sure all essential tasks are completed first.
One of the things to know before moving is that, in the majority of cases, moving house will prove to be an expensive affair. The average cost of an interstate move is approximately $4,300 for a move distance of 1,225 miles.
As you can see, this fact is good enough to make you start looking for various ways to save money when moving between two homes. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and you understand well that your savings will be at risk unless you do all in your power to reduce moving costs.
Hiring the services of an affordable moving company can drastically cut moving expenses – see Step 2. Keep in mind that a low-cost mover does not necessarily mean lower quality of services.
Moving fewer items will help you save BIG – see Step 5. One of the things to think about before moving is what exactly you plan to take with you.
Deciding to pack your things without professional assistance can save you plenty of money – see Step 6. Nevertheless, you should still leave special items – antique furniture, a grandfather clock, a pool table, etc. – to the pros.
5. Decluttering your home before moving is strongly recommended
If you haven’t moved house before, you may easily make the costly mistake of moving every single item you own without decluttering your home first. To avoid this common relocation error, one of the things to consider when moving out for the first time is to inventory your entire home and then get rid of all items that are useless.
Interestingly, decluttering your home is easy – it’s WHY you should do it that may prove to be harder in the end. The top reasons why you should get rid of unwanted items and move with as few possessions as possible are:
Transportation costs. More items will mean an increased shipment weight, which in turn will lead to higher transportation costs.
Packing time. You’ll be able to pack your things much faster when their number has been optimized in advance.
Storage space. Think about this: moving more household items into the new home may prove to be a bad idea if you don’t have enough storage space for them all.
Fresh cash. An important thing to consider when moving out is that selling stuff you won’t ever use again will transfer fresh cash toward your moving budget, making your house move much easier to manage from a financial point of view.
What you need to know before moving is that packing as a moving task will play a major role in determining how smoothly and affordable your move goes. Why?
Consider packing your home by yourself to save money.
Without a doubt, packing for a move is the most important assignment in your moving calendar, so how you handle it will make everything either easier or tougher for you in the end.
Choose to manage the packing challenge by yourself and you will be rewarded with the ultimate prize when moving to another home – substantial cost reduction.
Don’t pay for moving boxes. The good news is that you can find free moving boxes. That’s right – the major packing expense can be eliminated by 1) asking friends for cardboard boxes they don’t need, and 2) visiting local businesses that are required to recycle their cardboard containers at the end of the day.
Substitute other packing supplies. Take cost reduction to another level by substituting moving (furniture) blankets for ordinary blankets, bubble wrap for thick pieces of clothes such as towels or even socks. Packing paper used for padding only (not for wrapping delicate items) can be substituted for newspapers that come virtually for free.
Ultimately, it’s the fact that you’re not paying for professional packers that will help you save plenty of money during the relocation process.
Moving house is an impossible task for one person – if you still don’t realize this, you will soon. So, when the time comes to start the preparation steps, it’s really important that you figure out who your helpers will be.
Family members. If you’re lucky enough to have family members willing to give you a hand during that transitional period, then you’ll have one fewer problem to worry about. Smaller children can also help by packing and organizing their room for starters.
Friends. Relying on your friends to help you pack and move heavy furniture is the usual scenario when you’re moving out without hiring professionals. Be sure to inform your pals early enough so that you don’t ruin their plans at the last minute. Show understanding if someone seems unable to rush to your aid. Also, promise to return the favor when the right time comes.
Professional movers. One of the top things to consider when moving is that reputable movers will make things much easier for you, especially if you opt for professional packing services as well. With top-rated movers by your side, you can actually use the free time on your hands to take care of a number of other important things – like saying goodbye to your friends, for example. All that ease and convenience will have a price tag attached too – fill in a free cost estimate to learn that price.
Obviously, there are quite a lot of things to know when moving from one home to another. In fact, you have to keep track of so many things that you may soon get overwhelmed, and then confused about what to do next.
Make sure you remember this: SAFETY when moving house – that is SAFETY on moving day itself – should be a TOP-PRIORITY task for you. The thing is that, when heavy and big items are being moved on the day of the move, things can become dangerous in a split second.
SAFETY is what you should be thinking about when moving house. Here are 3 things you should do to guarantee a high level of safety for you and for all participants in the house move.
No children and pets allowed. Moving day can be particularly dangerous for small children and pets. Make sure your loved ones are being taken care of by someone you trust while you concentrate on the tasks at hand.
Proper lifting techniques. Lifting and carrying heavy items on the day of the move will put a lot of strain on your body. Use proper lifting techniques to avoid painful injuries of any sort.
Moving equipment. If you’re moving without hiring professional movers, then you must get hold of the right moving equipment. A furniture dolly is a must, while furniture sliders and moving straps will help you make things safer and easier.
9. Moving out can be more stressful than you think
What to know before moving across the country? Get this: the home moving process is one of the most stressful events in life.
Sure, you may have heard from someone, or you may have read somewhere, that moving home is extremely stressful, but have you wondered why that is so?
Now that you yourself are moving house, it’s time to find the answer to that question, and of course – possible solutions to reduce that relocation stress.
Your house move doesn’t have to be stressful at all.
Here are the top 3 reasons why moving home is so stressful:
Financial burden. It’s no secret that moving house is expensive, which means that your hard-earned money will be at risk. The creation of a moving budget will enable you to manage your finances and reduce moving expenses as much as possible. Also, you must use good ways to cut moving costs when you’re moving on a budget.
Time constraints. Time is seldom enough when getting ready to move out. The major issue is that there are tons of things to do within a relatively short period of time. The less time there is until moving day, the stronger the time pressure will be. The solution? Proper time management.
Relocation fears. Regrettably, you may have to deal with the psychological side of moving as well: fear of the unknown, fear of making costly mistakes (see below), and sadness of leaving behind friends, family, and familiar places.
To make a mistake is never fun, but to make a mistake when moving home can easily end up being something much more serious. After all, your money, your time, and your energy will be tested during the home relocation process, so any error from you will only make things more complicated.
To err is human, but as long as you’ve done your homework by familiarizing yourself with the most common mistakes people make when moving, then it’ll be so much easier to remain error-free from start to finish.
Whatever you do, just don’t make any of these 10 moving mistakes:
NOT researching your moving company
Self-moving WITHOUT considering your options
NOT requesting in-home estimates
Organizing your move WITHOUT a moving checklist
Packing on your own WITHOUT a good plan
Spending a FORTUNE on brand-new boxes
Packing and moving ALL your belongings
NOT buying insurance for your valuable items
Turning your back on moving day SAFETY
NOT exploring all good ways to cut moving costs
Click here to find more information about each serious moving mistake and what you can do to avoid it without hurting your chances of having a problem-free move. And even if you do make a mistake, don’t be too hard on yourself – rather, find the best possible way to make it right again or at least limit its harmful effect.
Great tips you’ve put together when moving! I particularly liked the ones about what NOT to do before you move. I also agree that one of the most important things to consider is going with a reliable moving company that knows what they’re doing. It’ll save you so much headache!
I wish I was not so gullible. I was moving April 2023I saw Forbes magazine recommend a mover called International Van Lines and also saw they had glowing reviews and hired them. Had to pay 25% upfront which was non refundable. Moving day their mover showed up in budget rental trucks and needed 6 thousand more than the so called binding estimate. Complained and they said I used a lot more truck space than estimated. I was screwed. I never paid for a move before. I had no idea how corrupt the industry is.
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my family and I are making plans to move to another state what things should we do first to make it a sucess.
Great tips you’ve put together when moving! I particularly liked the ones about what NOT to do before you move. I also agree that one of the most important things to consider is going with a reliable moving company that knows what they’re doing. It’ll save you so much headache!
I wish I was not so gullible. I was moving April 2023I saw Forbes magazine recommend a mover called International Van Lines and also saw they had glowing reviews and hired them. Had to pay 25% upfront which was non refundable. Moving day their mover showed up in budget rental trucks and needed 6 thousand more than the so called binding estimate. Complained and they said I used a lot more truck space than estimated. I was screwed. I never paid for a move before. I had no idea how corrupt the industry is.