5 Moving Hacks (by Mindy McKnight)
We ALL know how stressful moving can be. Watch this video and learn 5 moving hacks that can help make the process a little bit easier and less chaotic!
Moving Checklist to Organize and Manage your Move
Whether you are relocating to a new state or just moving across the street, leverage this Moving Checklist to organize and manage your move.
8 Weeks Before Your Move
- Create a list of all home repairs needed and research contractors if needed. Make your home beautiful to ensure the best deal if you are selling your property.
- Find a Realtor to list and sell your home, if needed. Or Sell your property independently using forsalebyowner.com
- Put in your 60-day notice at work, if required.
7 Weeks Before Your Move
- Research new school and childcare options for the kids & enroll as necessary.
- Research local doctors and/or vets for your new location.
6 Weeks Before Your Move
- Schedule your open house with your realtor.
- Start gathering moving supplies. Consider low cost moving kits online that offer free shipping.
5 Weeks Before Your Move
- Change your address with the USPS.
- Ask current doctor and vet for check-ups and get medical records to be transferred to new doctors’ offices.
4 Weeks Before Your Move
- Request auto shipping estimates, if required.
- Order electricity service.
- Order natural gas service.
- Order home phone service.
- Order Internet service.
- Order television service.
- Put in your 30-day notice, if required.
- Complete home repairs.
- Begin organizing items into keep, donate, sell and throw away categories.
- Take donation items to designated organizations
- Schedule charities to pick up donated items
- Have a garage sale and/or post on ebay.com or letitgo.com
3 Weeks Before Your Move
- Do you need to rent furniture or appliances? If yes, get quotes.
- Notify subscription & prescription suppliers of address change
- Get your car serviced, especially if driving a long distance
- Organize closet & attic items for moving
- Pack knickknacks and other non-essential items
- Book a moving truck rental or hire movers.
- Schedule professional cleaners for your move out and move in clean
- Book flights or hotels if your move requires it
2 Weeks Before Your Move
- Make sure all home services and utilities have been ordered or transferred
- Schedule babysitter and pet sitter for moving day
- Update your driver’s license & car registration, if moving to another state
- Schedule final walk-through with landlord, if required
- Pack all but essentials
- Get storage quotes if there is a moving delay or if not all your items are traveling with you
- Book friends or get moving helpers for your move
1 Week Before Your Move
- Last minute errands
- Withdraw emergency moving money
Moving Day
- Pack essentials
- Keep kids and pets safe and occupied. Have babysitter on-hand or send to friends or family.
- Load your moving truck, if you have one. Otherwise wait for your professional moving company.
- Conduct final walk-though
- Ensure move-in property is clean
- Take possession of keys and begin unpacking!
1 Week After Your Move
- Send out change of address cards to friends & family
- Hire contractors for fix or address new home issues, if needed
- Exterminate unwelcome pests in your new home, if needed
- Sign up for a landscaper & lawn care services, if needed
2 Weeks After Your Move
- Order a security system
- Recycle, donate or return your moving boxes
Call a Professional: Housecleaning Help when You Move Out or In
Moving is an exciting time and most are thinking more about the new place they will live. But before you say “Home Sweet Home,” it is important to leave out the welcome mat for the new owners with a proper house cleaning. You also will smile a lot wider if you hire a maid cleaning service before you turn the key to your own front door.
You may have a house that is sparkling clean in every season, but we can assure you that during a move dust and places that were impossible for you to reach will be unearthed. Even if you are a fantastic house keeper there are many reasons you will want to consider opening your pocketbook to choose a maid to do a professional job. Moving is a very busy time and the thought of adding a deep, intense cleaning job of both your old home and then your new home in a very time sensitive manner is often too much for most homeowners to think about.
Move out cleaning is important, not simply to make the new homeowners welcome but often this is part of your home’s sale contract. You are required to turn it over to the new homeowner in a clean and ready to move in condition. Don’t laugh – there are plenty of new homeowners who have arrived with their moving truck to discover rooms in homes that still have toys children didn’t want to take with them, broken appliances or a dirty, dingy condition that they first have to hire a cleaning service to take care of.
Remember to let any cleaning service know about any specifics regarding your house cleaning needs. If you are moving in to your new place and prefer that they only use green cleaning products, then be certain they know this in advance. If you are moving out of your old home and you know that certain cleaning products work the best, consider leaving behind yours (as it is doubtful you will move with them already opened) or ask if they clean with these products so the new homeowners walk in to a beautiful home.
Here are some questions to ask before you hire any house cleaning company, whether for move in clean or move out cleaning:
“Do you have experience with cleaning for homeowners who are moving in or out?” This is an important question to ask a cleaning service because it will let you know if they’ve done this work before.
“Can you give me references that I can contact?” Any maid or house cleaning company you are considering should be able to supply you with at least several references to check.
“We are moving on June 1st and need someone to clean within 24 hours of this date. Can you guarantee that this will be done?” If you’ve already confirmed your maid or service has experience with homeowners who have moved, you need to know if they can accommodate your schedule.
If you are uncertain about how to find a move out cleaning service or a maid, consider contacting family and friends as they may have a recommendation. You could also ask your real estate agent as they have likely helped others find this service.
Do You Know the Best Best Tips for Finding Moving Companies? Here they are…
Local versus Cross-Country Moving
Packing up your belongings and moving them to a house a few miles away or even to another town in the county isn’t a big deal for most moving companies. In fact, you could probably move with the help of friends who have a couple of large vehicles. However, if you’re moving several states away, this plan won’t work.
Cross-country moves require strategic planning. Hiring a moving company that doesn’t specialize in this kind of move is a sure way to lose track of your belongings. Cross-country movers are adept at helping homeowners develop a moving schedule that won’t leave you without your pots, pans, and living furniture for weeks on end.
Read the Fine Print
Did you see a moving special online that caught your eye? Perhaps you saw a moving truck driving around town advertising a too-good-to-be-true $99 moving special. Before you sign any contracts make sure you know exactly what services your money is getting you.
Moving companies that offer unbelievable rates typically may not include things such as boxes, packing and unpacking, or insurance protection. All of these perks can be yours, but you’ll have to pay more. For homeowners on a budget, it’s important to ask for a detailed list of what is included in the price.
Get It in Writing
One of the biggest mistakes people make when hiring movers is forgetting to get everything in writing. Verbal agreements are not enough. If there is a dispute concerning the time and date of your move or something happens to your great aunt’s piano during the move, resolutions will come easier when there is a contract that states how these situations will be handled.
Another detail you want to have in writing is the cost of the service. Even if you’re just renting a small moving truck to move you out of an apartment and into a starter home two streets away, it’s imperative that you have a written agreement that specifically states how much the service will cost.
Consider Choosing Local Movers
All moving companies in your area are local, right? Wrong. There are plenty of franchised moving companies that seem to operate as local independent companies but they are not. Working with a franchised, national chain may be a good idea if you’re making a cross-country move or even moving several hundred miles to another part of the state. However, local moves within a 50-100 miles radius are better served by smaller, hometown companies. Local movers often offer a personalized approach. In some cases, local movers may also offer deep discounts.
Move during the Week
Moving is stressful and often expensive. Saving money any way you can is always ideal. One of the best ways to save on a moving service is to schedule your move during a weekday. Weekend moves yield premium prices because the demand is greater. Moving companies tend to be slower during the week and offer reduced rates to earn business. So, if you can, try to plan a Tuesday – Thursday move.
With so many Rapid City, SD, movers advertising service, make sure you take your time and do a little research before you make a decision. Taking this time will save you time, money, and, ultimately, your sanity.
References: Best Tips for Finding Movers By North Western Warehouse available under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.
Do You Know How to Choose the Right Packing and Moving Company?
Are you planning to move? Now a days shifting from one place to another has become very common. The destination of your move might be some other city, state or even country for many of yours. As soon as the situation of shifting arises in front of you, lots of stress and worries start hovering over you. We fear that how everything will be managed and how we will pack and move our goods on time and without any hassles. It is too much difficult especially for those people where husband and wife both are working. They need to hamper their work to concentrate over the shifting. Shifting is the task which demands your time, attention and energy. Being layman, it is not your cup of tea to handle such big task all alone. If you try to do this, you will end up by messing everything and damages to your valuable belongings.
You can get rid of all these worries just by hiring the services of packers and movers who are professional as well as experienced. As the name depicts, they are professionals of the packing and moving industry and are expert to execute moves with perfection and safety. There are numbers of moving companies prevailing in the industry that it becomes quite difficult to find out which one is the reliable one and which one will prove to be best for your move. Here, you need to act smart, be attentive and research enough to land upon the right moving company.
Here are few of the points that you should keep in mind while searching for the moving company for your move:
– Avoid choosing upon a company that is a startup because such company doesn’t possess enough experience and expert to handle your move. Also the staff working here is not much experienced and therefore, can lead to damages to your goods while handling. That is why, you should choose an experienced moving company.
– In your search for the right movers and packers for your moves, feedback of the customers will prove much helpful. Now a days, almost every company is present online and there are lots of review websites also available online where customers put their reviews about a company of whom they have availed services. You should choose upon a company that have positive feedback from the clients and avoid the company that has lots of negative feedback.
– Make sure you choose upon a company that is providing you insurance service too along with packing and moving services. This will assure you that in case any damages occur to your goods, they will be liable to pay you the compensation.
Keep the above discussed points in your mind while searching for a moving company and you will find the best and right one for your move.
References: How to Choose the Mover & Packers for your Move? By Agarwal Packers and Movers available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.