You may think that moving is an easy thing to do. Perhaps you have not moved many times, or you’ve had the help of friends and had a positive experience. However, moving presents many unforeseen challenges that, if left unplanned, can become a real nightmare.
Even with proper planning you may find yourself in a position that can be stressful enough to make you consider another future move.
That said, here we have selected some of the most important things to consider when planning a move, so that you don’t make those costly mistakes.
Lack of scheduling your move with several days in advance
It is not uncommon for moving companies to receive last-minute requests from customers who want to relocate. The result of this can be finding yourself in a highly stressful situation that will put you in a place you don’t want to be (e.g.: spending time finding the right moving company, paying for extra rent, high moving rates, etc.).
To avoid that, try to schedule your move with at least two weeks in advance and make sure you request an estimate and provide with all the important details to the movers.
Trying a DIY move
Certainly, there’s nothing wrong to plan a move on your own when you have reliable friends, vehicles and not much stuff to move. However, even then it is always a good idea to hire professional movers who can take care of transporting your goods in a safe and proper manner. Is it really worth saving a couple hundred dollars to damage your back (perhaps permanently)? Can you really count on a friend or be sure his/her car will have enough space for the move?
Professional movers are there for you to take care of all those important details that you may forget, like miscalculating the size and weight of your stuff or properly handling some furniture or appliances.
Sometimes just renting a uHaul truck can be a way worse experience than hiring movers as you may not be experienced in driving big trucks and may be more prone to road accidents. Even if you pay for insurance, it’s never nice to deal with such situations, so just find a reliable moving company and forget about all that fuzz.
Not packing your goods properly
Packing your stuff properly does not necessarily mean spending lots of money in moving boxes and other supplies. Also, even though packing can be time consuming there are certain things you can do to spend less time packing. Instead of buying expensive boxes you can go to a supermarket or liquor store nearby and ask them to give you some boxes. You’ll be surprised on how willing they are to get rid of them. Also, you can always go to the dollar store and get some packing tape and even bubble wrapper (yes, it’s amazing how you can find everything in those shops!).
Have some friends over for a pizza or beers and have a quick packing session so that you can also have fun and pack your stuff. Just don’t forget to give them clear instructions so that they don’t ruin your precious furniture or instruments.
Forgetting to change your address
Make a list of all the companies, banks and friends (are there still people doing that?) that send you letters via mail on a regular basis. Even better, contact your bank or utility company and switch to paperless and save some trees! As easy as this sound, this step may be very important, especially when failing to receive statements from credit cards with temporary promotional rates (you don’t want to miss a payment and go back to the non-sense 23.99% rate!).
Also, when moving to the new place make sure to check that your mail arrives within a month, otherwise, make sure to contact your bank or utility company and verify that they have the right address (somehow some agents fail to click on the update button).
Packing flammable, explosive or other dangerous substances
Not only you may be violating the law but most probably the movers will refuse “in lieu” to move that kind of substances. Make sure you dispose of them according to the rules of the city or transport them yourself (if not violating any law).
If you still have more questions check out our FAQ and/or TIPS sections.