Selling your home is just the first part of the battle. Now you’ve got to move! But moving is more than just putting things in boxes and driving them to your new home. To move with the least amount of stress and work, you need a plan. Here are a few tips to help make your move easier.
Ask your Realtor for Information – While your realtor may not be able to help you pack up your things, he or she may be able to give you a contact list of local movers or for local utility companies. This can be especially helpful if you’re moving to a new city. Your realtor may also be able to point you to the best stores to purchase a new washer/dryer, refrigerator, or furniture if you need to do so.
Gets Quotes from Multiple Moving Services – If you’re going to use a moving company, get information from several of them. Find out what services they offer. Do they have insurance? Are they equipped to handle extremely large or fragile items? Are their quotes binding?
Create a Box for your Important Documents – You may need things like your most recent bills, your children’s school records or immunization records, tax information, and other documents soon after your move. Keep these documents in their own box and mark that box as one that you personally move. That way, you’ll know exactly where it is.
Create a “Personally Move” Stack – Along the same lines, there may be a few items you want to personally move, even if you have friends and relatives helping you instead of a moving company. This shouldn’t be a huge number of items, but it can include your important documents, fragile family heirlooms, and your expensive jewelry. Basically, take personal responsibility for anything you’d be devastated to lose or have broken.
Don’t Move it All – If you have clothes you haven’t worn in over a year or old items you don’t use regularly, donate them. Do your best not to move anything that you don’t need to move. If you start early enough, you’ll have time to go through everything. If not, you may find yourself throwing trash in a box and moving it just because you don’t have time to see if any of it is worth keeping.
Have a Labeling System – Make sure you know what’s in every box. Some people like to write detailed descriptions on the outside of the box with a marker, while others use different colored stickers. Whatever your method, have one. That way, it’s clear where the boxes go and what’s in them.