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No matter how close or far your upcoming move is, one thing stays the same. It is stressful. Less than reputable movers can give you bait and switch price quotes, you might pack stuff you have no intention of keeping, making packing more difficult, or you may not leave yourself enough time to get everything done in a planned, orderly fashion.
Here are some tips you can use to prepare for your move to make sure it all rolls out according to plan.
Don’t Hire An Untrustworthy Moving Company
We’ve all heard horror stories about moving scams, and perhaps maybe you’ve been the victim of a moving scam yourself. If you get a bad feeling about your moving company, don’t use them. Do your research. Look at online review sites and even ask friends, neighbors or relatives in your area who they may have used as a moving company and what they thought of them.
While doing this research does take time, this is time very well spent that can make or break your entire moving experience.
Require An “In Stone” Estimate
When you hire your moving company, make sure they send someone out to your home to take a look at everything so they can give you a guaranteed moving estimate. If the company you are thinking of hiring doesn’t want to come out to do an in-home estimate, you need to keep looking for another moving company.
It’s always also a smart idea to get quotes for a few different moving companies. You want to get the best price of course, but you always want to feel comfortable with the company you are going to hire. Even if the company you like the best has the highest rate, they may be open to negotiating with you to get the price where you need it.
Lastly, this probably goes without saying, but when the movers come out to give you an estimate, be sure you get it in writing.
Don’t Overpack
Before you start packing, you need to trim down your belongings. Think about throwing away or donating things that you haven’t used/seen in years. You can even pick up a couple of extra bucks by having a garage sale to get rid of some of your unwanted belongings. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t seen it, worn it or used it in a year or more, it’s best to make plans to get rid of it. There is no reason to spend time packing (and paying to move) things that you have no intention of using anymore.
Schedule Your Move Well In Advance
During the summer months, good moving companies are booked up quickly. Rather than waiting till the last minute, make sure your move is scheduled weeks — or, better yet, months — in advance. You don’t want to be scrambling to find a mover the day before you’re supposed to head out. Moving already is stressful enough without adding that frustration.
A second added benefit of booking your move well in advance is your quote will likely be much lower than if you waited until the last minute to find a mover. Planning ahead will always work to your benefit.
Give Yourself Enough Time To Pack
We get it. Packing is NEVER fun. But just because it isn’t fun doesn’t mean you should leave it to the last minute before your move.
The sooner you start before moving day comes along, the easier things will be. Do things in small steps. Start by boxing up stuff that you won’t need right away — for instance, if you’re moving in the summer, pack up your winter clothes so that they’re out of the way. Also, be sure to carve out time in your schedule to check items off your packing to-do list.
If you get down to the wire and need help with packing, enlist friends, neighbors, relatives or colleagues to lend a hand. Make sure you’ve got plenty of food and beverages as a “thank you” for your volunteer helpers. If you can’t rustle up any free help, consider hiring laborers to do the packing for you; that may be a small price to pay to alleviate moving-related stress.
