6 Moving Yourself Tips and Checklist
Moving across town or across the country can be stressful, whether you move it yourself or you hire a professional moving company. There are many questions to ponder long before moving day. Here are some ideas to help you decide how to proceed.
#1: Relocation Distance
How far are you moving? Moving items from a small apartment a few miles away can be done on a weekend with a little advanced planning. Moving the contents of a four-bedroom home from Maine to California may require months of planning and packing, as well as, a higher level of organization. Maybe you want to hire a moving company and drive your cars cross-country. If you are not up to the long drive, you can ship the cars by flat bed truck or hire a driver, then, fly over to meet them.
#2: Garage Sale
Will you take everything with you or will you have a garage sale to thin out the load? If you’re just starting out, you may not have many possessions to move. However, if you’ve been in one location for a while, things may have collected without you noticing. Having a garage sale is win-win since the buyers get a good deal and you don’t have to pay to haul unwanted stuff. Anything that is left over can be donated to your local thrift store to further lessen your load.
#3: Temporary Moves
Are you planning on moving back soon? If this is a temporary move, then taking just the necessities and storing the remainder of your possessions at a secure storage facility will save you time and money. The Storage Place offers many sizes of storage units in Orange County and Riverside County, California, with surveillance camera and computerized gate access managed by on-site professionals. Your stuff will be safe and dry while you're away.
#4: Friends or Professionals
Will your friends be helpful or will they scratch, drop, and step on your favorite things? You know your friends better than us. If you are moving across town and you can count on them to finish the job without major incidents, congratulations! However, if your friends would rather be elsewhere, then leave the moving to the professionals. Contact your local chamber of commerce for recommendations.
#5: Trucks vs Moving Vans
Do you have a friend with a truck, will you rent a truck, or will you hire a moving company? If you are hiring a moving company, they will take a look at your possessions and decide how many vans are needed. If, however, you will be using a smaller truck, plan on making several trips. Small boxes can fit in the trunk of your car, while mattresses and furniture can be securely tied to the bed of a truck.
#6: Moving Insurance
Do your possessions include heavy furniture, fragile vases, or expensive jewelry? While professional movers are typically trained to handle heavy and fragile items, jewelry is best kept in your possession at all times. Contact your insurance company to see what is covered in-case of a mishap, review these Common Moving Mistakes to Avoid presented by Allstate Insurance, and ask the moving company for their insurance guidelines.
Moving Checklist
If you’ve considered the answers to these questions and have decided to go the do it yourself route, then it is up to you to organize each aspect of the move from buying the supplies, to packing effectively, to having snacks prepared for moving day. The Storage Place in Southern California offers this free, printable moving checklist to help you organize your move and relieve some of the stress from moving day.
We wish you happiness in your new place!