Residential Moving Tips
Many of the stresses of moving can be eliminated if you invest a little time and planning. Here are some suggestions most people have found helpful.
Things you can start doing 2-4 Weeks Before Moving Day
Get the necessary moving supplies and start packing the items that are rarely used. Call the local utility companies and schedule the transfer of utilities or disconnection dates.
Fill out a change of address form and give friends and family the new address as well as: schools, banks, doctors/dentists, phone company, loans, churches, credit cards, insurance, social security, attorney, accountant, etc. Prepare important documents such as birth certificates, financial documents, etc. and keep them in a safe place.
Schedule your new phone service at the new home. Confirm arrangements for your children and/or pets for moving day. Clean out the refrigerator and use all perishable items that cannot be moved. Transfer or discontinue the newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Create driving directions for the moving company. If you have a safe deposit box remember to remove all items and cancel the box. All oil and gas should be removed from equipment or tools such as lawn mowers. If you are traveling a long distance get the vehicle you will be driving serviced. Confirm the move time with the moving company or rental truck. Determine how the apartment or home you are leaving will be cleaned for the new occupant and make the arrangements.
More Handy Tips
1. Keep the contents of your dresser drawers as they are. If there are breakables inside, pack towels on stop or around them to prevent breakage.
2. Of course, the furniture is lighter if empty and going through everything gives you a chance to throw out old items so you aren’t moving junk.
3. Towels, shirts, non-breakables, can be packed in garbage bags. Make sure to use heavy bags with ties, and make sure the bags aren’t packed so full that they are hard to handle. Label the bags so they are not mistaken as trash!
4. Smaller, same-sized boxes are a lot easier to move than a bunch of different-sized large boxes.
5. Use packing tape NOT duct tape to seal boxes.
6. Most of the truck rental companies sell boxes and tape and all other supplies. These are the best boxes to use as they are of uniform size (they stack better) and are studier than free boxes that were made for one use. U-haul will buy back any unused boxes so be sure to save your receipt. Penske also offers free shipping of moving supplies.
7. Bags of clothes can be used as a barrier between fragile items, or to fill in the open spaces that appear when loading if you are moving in a U-Haul. Label each bag by contents or rooms.
8. Use masking tape to make a large ‘X’ on any mirrors, curio cabinets, anything with a lot of glass. This may prevent it from breaking from vibration but will help contain broken glass as much of it will stick to the tape. Consider removing glass panels and packing them flat inside a drawer or mirror box. Take the measurements to a packing store and you can have a box made.
9. Begin packing well in advance seasonal items like Christmas lights, coats, garden tools if you aren’t going to use them until after you move, and get them boxed up early. Toss out or donate any unused items.
10. When packing boxes remember that towels, washcloths, and socks make excellent packing material for fragile items. The plastic bags you get when you make drugstore purchases are also good packing material; they trap air.
11. Don’t invest a lot of money in bubble wrap or packing peanuts if you can avoid it. In addition to saving money, this will also keep the post-unpacking mess to a minimum. There are some cases where the extra expense in certainly justified but check around for recycled items and avoid the Styrofoam peanuts that are not biodegradable.
12. If you’re stuck buying boxes or will be leaving some boxes in storage or outside, consider getting some plastic bins instead. Discount stores often have Rubbermaid or Sterilitie bins for not much more than cardboard, and they’re sturdier, have nice built-in handles, stack more stably, and are water resistant.
13. It is polite to sweep and vacuum each room before you leave. The next person to move in would appreciate moving into a clean place without rubbish all over the place. If possible, contact a cleaning service to go through the house after you’re gone. Someone may know an individual who may be willing to do this for a small fee. Cleaning services bring their own supplies, vacuums, etc. so you won’t have to worry about packing those.
14. Reserve a moving truck as soon as you know the exact date you will be moving. A week before the big day, call and verify the reservation on the truck.
15. Pack your cleaning supplies on the truck last, as you will need those at your new home.
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Jeffery McClintock, is a real estate broker in Denver and prides himself on providing clients with professional guidance in all phases of residential new construction, including market research, product development, consulting, marketing and advertising. His personal mission is to bring to you a level of knowledge, experience, commitment, high standards and results to answer your real estate needs. He believes, the most effective way to provide superior service is to build a strong working relationship with you. His system includes regular consultations and feedback, which is the best tool for identifying and clarifying your real estate objectives and help define strategic solutions.
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