If you’ve moved even once in your life you know how stressful the process can be. Even when hiring professionals to do the actual heavy lifting the stress doesn’t go away. Having moved several times and overseeing the process for a variety of clients here are some tips I can share that will hopefully make moving day a little less painful.
Moving Yourself or go with the Pros?
Unless you have very few items I always recommend a professional moving company. Moving is hard work. Yes you can ask friends and family but do they really want to spend their Saturday helping you move? Also do you want to deal with truck rentals, insurance, and so on? It’s entirely up to you.
Choosing Your Moving Company
This is the first and probably the most important step there is. Searching review sites can also be helpful but be warned, there are are services out there that accept payment for positive reviews so you can’t always trust these sites. Lucky for you people are moving all the time so chances are you know someone who has moved recently that was totally happy with how the whole process went. A simple post on social media will garner more than a few suggestions. Remember, the cheapest option is usually not the best. You get what you pay for. A true professional moving company will send someone out to estimate the amount of work it would require and give you a written estimate. There are many fly-by-night operations out there that operate on a shoestring budget when it comes to the estimate but ends up costing you much more in the end. When the movers arrive make sure you check the contract first as you want to make sure they are aware of what needs to happen for a successful move
Packing Up
Although labour intensive this part if relatively simple from the standpoint of making sure breakables are wrapped carefully and making sure boxes aren’t too heavy. One thing that will save you a lot of time is to accurately label boxes. Make sure you not only list what’s inside each box but also where it should go at your new place. If you have something that has immense sentimental value for you you may want to pack the item separately from everything else and do it yourself (if paying others to do the packing for you). Once everything is on the truck make one last pass of your old place to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Also check for damages dome by the movers and make sure to document them to file a claim.
On the way there
Before leaving make sure the movers have your cell phone numbers and the destination address (yes, moving companies make mistakes). If you’re doing the driving take things slow. Hard braking and swerving will cause items in the truck to move and possibly break. I know your anxious to get to your new home but I want you to make it there in one piece.
Inspect your New Home
If possible try to get to your new home before the movers and inspect the home (could be days before if you did bridge financing, a topic for another day). Be sure to document any damages with good photographs and make sure all items that were included with the deal are still there (appliances, light fixtures, etc). Also label rooms and doors with tape so the movers know where to put things. Also you will want to make sure that the utilities still work (things like hydro and heating) so that you may address these items before it gets too late.
Remember to Relax
It’s important to note that as much as you prepare you can’t control every little thing with a move (traffic, breakage, etc). I also recommend that you take the day off and not have any other important tasks on the go so that your mind is as clear as can be. Make moving your main focus.