Moving is often ranked as one of life’s most stressful events. The process involves packing up your belongings, finding a new place to live, notifying important contacts, hiring movers, and getting settled into an unfamiliar environment. It’s a major life transition that can quickly become overwhelming.
According to a 2020 survey, over two-thirds of respondents found moving to be either “very stressful” or “extremely stressful.” Additionally, a report by Forbes states that nearly 27 million Americans relocate each year. With so many people moving annually, it’s clear that better preparation is needed to ease the stress.
The good news is that you can minimize the headaches and hassles associated with relocating with careful planning and organization. Implementing smart preparation strategies well before your move date can help ensure the process goes smoothly. This lets you focus on settling into your new home rather than dealing with last-minute problems.
Below are eight smart tips to help you organize, plan, and prepare your home for a streamlined, stress-free move.
1. Hire a reputable moving company
Managing a move entirely on your own can be challenging and time-consuming. Hiring professional movers, such as the Coleman Moving Company, takes the burden off you for tasks like loading, transporting, and unloading heavy furniture and boxes. This renowned company has been known to provide comprehensive moving solutions, ensuring that your belongings are handled with utmost care.
So, always do your research to find an experienced local or long-distance moving company with positive reviews. Ask about their licensing, insurance coverage, experience with moves like yours, and what services they provide.
Hiring movers provides peace of mind, knowing your belongings are in good hands. It allows you to focus on other aspects of relocating, like changing accounts and services.
2. Start organizing and decluttering early
One of the best ways to prepare for a smooth move is to start organizing, decluttering, and packing as early as possible. Ideally, you should begin 2-3 months in advance as it will give you time to sort through belongings room-by-room and decide what you want to keep, donate, or throw away.
The more you can pare down possessions now, the lighter your moving load will be later. Have a garage sale, donate to charity, or sell gently used items online. For items you’re keeping, properly label boxes with contents and the room they should go in. Taking these steps early on makes packing go faster later. It also prevents you from wasting movers’ time and your money hauling things you don’t need.
3. Buy packing supplies
An often overlooked part of move prep is getting the right packing supplies. Investing in quality moving boxes, bubble wrap, and tape will help safely transport your belongings. Sturdy boxes in various sizes and packing paper prevent items from shifting and breaking.
You can purchase these supplies from moving stores, big box retailers, or online merchants. Another option is saving and reusing boxes and materials from your own previous moves.
4. Update important accounts and contacts
An often-overlooked part of move prep is updating your contacts and accounts. Make a list of all the businesses, organizations, and people who will need your new address.
This includes financial institutions, insurance providers, medical professionals, subscriptions, memberships, and employers. Update your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and voter registration.
Doing this well before moving day ensures you don’t miss important correspondence from anyone. It also prevents disruptions to utilities, benefits, and other services.
5. Schedule transfer of utilities
Contact utility providers like gas, electric, internet, cable, and water to cancel services at your old home. Schedule turn-on dates for utilities at your new residence coordinated with your move-in date.
Doing this in advance ensures you have running water, power, and gas when you arrive. No one wants to move into a home with no electricity or hot water for showers. Coordinate the cut-off and start dates for a seamless transition of services.
6. Plan for care of kids and pets
If you have children or pets, make arrangements for their care during the most hectic parts of moving. Options include having kids stay at a friend or relative’s house for a few days. You can also look into pet boarding facilities so your pets are comfortable and safe.
It protects them from getting lost or escaping outside in the rush. Ensure their essentials like medications and pet food are packed last or travel with you. Also, if you are traveling by car, make sure they are prepared for the long drive.
7. Arrange for cleaning and repairs
Don’t wait until the last days to clean your old home or make any needed repairs. Clean thoroughly as you are packing up each room. Scrub bathrooms, vacuum floors, wipe down appliances and baseboards. This makes any final touch-up cleaning easier.
For repairs, take care of small holes in walls, leaky faucets, and other issues. This leaves the home in good condition for the next residents. For your new home, consider hiring cleaners to make the space spotless for move-in day.
8. Label boxes and make a moving day plan
As previously mentioned, properly labeling boxes makes unpacking so much easier. Use color-coded labels to mark which room each container should go in. Number boxes and keep a list indicating what is in each one.
Also, make a detailed schedule for moving day. Plan the order for loading items onto the truck, starting with those that will go in the back. Assign rooms or tasks to movers and helpers. Ensure boxes and furniture for each room are grouped together.
Conclusion
Moving can be both chaotic and stressful. However, with proper preparation and organization, it is possible to have a smooth, relatively stress-free relocation. Implementing key strategies like decluttering, hiring movers, updating contacts, scheduling utilities, and labeling boxes makes a big difference. Attention to detail and planning lets you focus on settling into your new home rather than dealing with moving headaches. Keep these smart preparation tips in mind for your next move.
