Guide to Relocating to a New Home 

Are you planning your next move? Relocation is a mix of emotions, blending the bitterness of goodbyes with the thrill of starting afresh in a world of endless possibilities. However, the tasks and costs associated with planning a move can quickly become the very pits of hell. 

Unfortunately, there is no way around facing these responsibilities. The only option is going through the move to reach that coveted destination. But don’t worry, here are a few tips to help you maneuver the bumpy road and come out of your moving obligations ready to enjoy your new home, plus all the benefits it has to offer. 

9 Tips for Seamless Moving

1. Start Planning Early

Failing to plan is planning to fail, but a late plan is not nearly effective. Establish a moving plan as soon as you identify your new home. 

A plan helps you spread responsibilities, reducing the burden and stress of handling things in a time crunch. It also gives you ample time to handle all responsibilities without losing your mind.

A last-minute rush can make you overlook essential moving items like moving and parking permits or enough gas for the road. People forget to update addresses, terminate location-dependent subscriptions like gym memberships, notify utility companies about the move, and so much more. 

The rush also increases disorganization, elevating the risk of accidents and errors. Develop a plan to ensure you have sufficient time and manpower to handle packing, loading, and hauling. 

2. Establish an Estimated Moving Cost 

Set a budget for the move and work to ensure the funds reach this limit. The moving cost should cover permit and packing fees, gas and car servicing costs, insurance for your belongings while in transit, temporary stays, airfare, packing material, and storage services.

If you plan to hire a moving company, check out their costs and set funds aside. Most certified movers have transparent pricing and a moving calculator to help you estimate costs. Pricing estimates depend on: 

i. Number of Rooms in Your Current Home 

The number of rooms helps movers approximate the weight of your belongings and determine the number of moving pods, manpower, and time required for loading, unloading, hauling, and, sometimes, packing. 

ii. Time of Move 

The date of your move can make or break your moving budget. For instance, moving during the holiday season can cost more than other days due to low staffing and increased demand. Moving in winter is equally costly because of the increased risks associated with snowfall, from slippery roads to reduced visibility. Prices also increase in moving seasons when service demand exceeds supply. 

iii. Distance of The Move

Moving companies charge a fixed price per mile or hour. Long-distance moves require more gas, have more risks, and consume more time. So, the greater the distance between your current home and new abode, the higher the moving costs. 

iv. Insurance

The type of insurance you choose influences the overall cost of the move. Movers offer insurance with partial and comprehensive options. You can receive compensation for your belongings in case of accidents, theft, damages, delays, and errors. Insurance also covers injuries for the workforce during the moving process. 

v. Additional Moving Services 

You pay extra for packing and unpacking services. The cost may cover packing material. Movers make such charges on an hourly basis. You may also pay more for expensive or delicate items that require special handling and storage equipment. 

3. Find a Moving Company

The best moving company is not the one that pops up first on the search engine. Landing a reputable and affordable company takes time and requires due diligence on your part. Analyze reviews on Yelp or Google Review to shortlist viable movers. 

Go on your selected movers’ websites and look for proof of certification and license. Do they provide insurance? Review testimonials. Ask followers on your socials for relevant experiences with the moving company.

Check the services offered and compare prices. Ask for pricing and ensure it is a one-time fee without any hidden charges. Review your findings before putting down your down payment. 

4. Make a Checklist 

Staying organized through the process is imperative to a less hectic move. Create an outline for your move, breaking down everything associated with the move. Your list should include the date and time of the move. You can extrapolate it into a timeline to cover all moving tasks while being realistic in your time allocation to avoid exhaustion. 

Note down packing materials from boxes, packing tape and paper, markers, and labels to bubble wrap and styrofoam inserts. Generate an inventory of all items, which serves as a verifying list after the move. 

You can use it for insurance claims in case of an accident. Ensure to include a packing plan, starting with the least used items. Include a breakdown of tasks and their estimated timelines.  

5. Declutter Your Home

Relocations are incentives to streamline your belongings. It is time to relieve yourself of all the junk and wrong purchases you have accrued over the years. It is easy to pick out these unwanted items after identifying the items designated for relocation. You can:

• Clear your load through a yard sale 
• Add the proceeds to your moving kitty 
• Donate the remainder of the items as a way of giving back to the community 
• Store usable items temporarily at a storage facility  if you have space constrain in the new home 

Another benefit of decluttering is moving cost reductions. Decreasing your load can reduce the number of transportation pods needed for all your belongings. If you are hiring a moving company, they charge per weight. So, streamlining your belongings cuts costs significantly. 

6. Establish a Packing Strategy

Packing is an art and requires strategizing. Shoving everything in a box and hoping for the best during transportation is a recipe for disaster. Plan your packing by organizing your packing on a room-by-room basis, starting with the area of the house that is rarely in use. 

Start packing your books, magazines, and media. Store out-of-season clothing and decorations, extra bedding and towels, and non-essential kitchen items early. Use packed rooms as storage space to maintain organization in your home during transition. Ensure to label each box and update your list accordingly. 

Pack your dishes and utensils, electronics, valuable items, cleaning supplies, and important documents on the days closer to the move. Remember to pack a box of essential items containing a change of clothes, medication, toiletries, pajamas, and your phone charger. 

7. Take Extra Care of Your Fragile Items

Use bubble wrap and styrofoam wrap to pack delicate items that may break during the move. Wrap your fine china with newspaper before placing it on boxes layered with packing material. The extra covering absorbs shock, preventing cracks. Label such boxes with big conspicuous letters as fragile for delicate handling during loading, unloading, and hauling. 

8. Change Your Mailing Address

Update your mailing address to ensure you get all your important mail to your new address. Tackling the address change ensures you get your bills, taxes, bank statements, legal notices, and personal correspondence on time. It also protects you from identity theft, as such letters contain personal information. 

9. Notify Utility Companies 

Avoid service disruption by notifying utility companies of your move. The update allows them to schedule service activation at your new address. It also enables the accurate depiction of your final bills and meter readings. 

Work With Certified Movers

At Joshua’s Moving, Packing & Storage, we offer expert and comprehensive moving services, from packing, loading, unloading, hauling, and storage. We provide transparent quotes to enable you to plan and prepare accordingly. 

Our movers maintain professionalism throughout the moving process, respecting your time, space, and resources to accomplish each relocation at no extra cost. Call us today to schedule your move.