Moving: The Ins & Outs By Suzie Wilson
It’s almost moving day. This is the day you have been dreaming of for a while now, as you waited for a lease to expire, for a house to sell, or to close on your new place. Whatever path your journey followed, you are surely ready for a break. Unfortunately, now is definitely not the time to kick back and relax, since the physical part is just beginning. However, these tips from STK Property Group can help make your move a smooth one.
Pre-Move Prep
The difficulties you can expect to experience on moving day are directly proportional to the quality of your planning. Not having a plan (or assuming it is just putting everything in boxes and moving it) will lead to utter chaos, not to mention lots of wasted money, and trips to and from the moving truck. Strategizing how you pack and when each box goes on the truck will simplify the unpacking process significantly. If you choose to contract a moving company, make sure you understand its policies and any insurance limitations. It is also incredibly important to use Angi.com, for example, to read reviews of the nearly one hundred highest-rated movers in Atlanta. Instead of hiring movers to come to your home, you can rent a moving container. Renting a container allows you to pack at your own pace, and once you’re done, a moving company will transport the container to your new home.
Checklists can be helpful tools regardless of whether you or a contractor does the packing. Use a coding system to help you track what is in your boxes without drawing attention to the items, particularly if they are valuable. Often the packers and the drivers won’t be the same people, and the opportunity for theft or other mishaps is greatest when you aren’t with your items to supervise.
Moving Day
Planning will prove king when you start filling the truck, so it’s important to consider the truck’s size. If you substantially underestimate your needs, you could literally be left with boxes and no way to transport them. Likewise, if you overestimate, your items may not be as secure in the moving truck as you would like, leading at best to a shifted load that is difficult to unpack, and at worst to severely damaged items. Movers can definitely help with this, but if you are moving yourself, making sure you have the right-sized moving truck should be done early in the process, not the day of the move. It is also worth noting that adding space is much more costly on the day of the move, if you are using professional movers. Extra space in the truck is often sold to other clients to help keep transportation costs down.
Unpacking
Unpacking is often the most tedious part of moving. Remember that you will need just as many hands to unload the truck as you had to load it, if you plan to do it in the same amount of time. This might be easy if you are moving across town or hiring professionals, but it might be more difficult if you are moving out of state and are new to the area. Once the truck is gone, the real work begins. Unfortunately, you are already exhausted from your efforts, and finding a new place for each item can require mental acuity that you just don’t have at the moment. To help simplify this process, make sure you have packed all essential items that you need immediate access to in just a few boxes, and clearly marked them as such. Knowing where the bedding, coffee cups, toiletries, and towels are will make a big difference on your first day in a new home. Consider hiring professionals to assemble furniture and tackle bigger tasks while you focus on the important details of organizing your new home.
Moving is right up there as one of the most stressful events in a person’s life for a reason. It’s hard work. Taking time to plan, keeping things organized, and avoiding surprises on moving day will help make the process a little more manageable. Remember that you will already be tired once your items arrive at your new home, so having immediate access to necessities will help you settle in before tackling bigger tasks.
