It’s no secret that moving to a new house is a very difficult, problematic, and complicated process. Any mistake you make when planning and executing your relocation will inevitably snowball into greater troubles. While certain small mistakes may not have serious consequences in your moving adventure, other critical blunders may turn your entire moving experience into an absolute nightmare. This is especially true for mistakes concerning the most important aspects of the relocation process, such as making an efficient moving budget, hiring good local movers, and ensuring the safety of your belongings during shipment. Actually, it is exactly the task of finding and hiring trustworthy professional movers that have proven to be the most challenging part of the whole process. No matter how many times you’ve moved, you’re bound to make mistakes here and there. Moving is one of the most stressful and exciting times in someone’s life and it’s easy to overlook essential details or rush to do things last minute. Luckily, people who came before you have made these mistakes so you don’t have to. If you’re one of the countless people who are planning to move into a new home this year, here are some mistakes to avoid at all costs. So, what are the most common mistakes people make when moving?
Waiting until the last minute
Moving is essentially a once in while exercise and consumes a lot of time whenever it is undertaken. More often than not, people tend to wrongly assess as to how much time would it take to get things organized. The longer you wait to schedule your move, the more you will have to pay for last-minute moving services and the fewer choices you will have. All the best movers will be previously booked and all the desirable moving dates will be already taken, so you will have to make do with whatever is still available – inexperienced cheap movers, inconvenient pick-up and delivery times, higher rates, etc. Hiring professional movers at the last moment will cost you dearly and will certainly give you severe headaches. So, start planning your move as early as possible and book the services of trustworthy professional movers well in advance to avoid exorbitant costs and various problems down the road. As moving takes a lot of time, patience, planning, and effort, if you wait until the last minute to get started, you’ll likely lose things, pack items incorrectly, or break valuable items in the process. Beat back procrastination by following a daily packing routine. Instead of doing a bunch of packing at once, intersperse it throughout your day, or follow a routine to ensure each room of the house gets done. On Monday, focus on items adorning your shelves and surfaces. Tuesday, pack up your kitchen appliances. Wednesday, do the guest bedroom. By starting to plan your move in advance, you’ll prevent procrastination. You’ll also feel great ticking off each item on your checklist.
Doing everything alone
Sometimes people think that doing things on their own will save them time and money. Why would I need local movers, a professional organizer, or a moving coordinator when I have two perfectly good hands, myself? Professional movers, organizers, and relocation specialists are trained and experienced. They know how to coordinate a move properly so that your goods will remain safe and arrive undamaged to their destination. They’ve dealt with hundreds of moves and know the best strategies for packing up your home in a manner that makes the most sense. Boxes may be labeled and inventoried so items are unpacked with ease. Experienced local movers will know how to disassemble and reassemble furniture and maneuver around corners and through doorways. Moving coordinators and professional movers understand how to efficiently unpack the contents of your home and settle you in with as little stress as possible. You’ll be delighted when you see how simple and fast your boxes will be emptied and for your belongings placed in your new home in a tidy, logical, and well-organized manner.
Getting one moving quote
In order to find out what a fair rate in the moving industry would be and make an informed decision about your forthcoming relocation, you need to gather several estimates and compare the rates and services offered by different local movers. We highly recommend that you get quotes from at least 4 or 5 professional movers and carefully weigh your options before making your final choice. Otherwise, you may end up paying local movers much more than necessary. Due to the highly non-standardized nature of service, people are unaware of the right price for the move. Due to high competition, many local movers will quote less to clinch the job. Choosing the best movers solely on basis of the price is also not a wise move.
The cheapest ones tend to add charges as and when the move is progressing which may make your move cost more expensive than the highest quote you have received before committing. Get assurance from the professional movers that the quote given is final and no hidden charges will be added later on. Insist on an official invoice from the chosen local movers with the final charges mentioned. Also, make sure that you have taken into consideration all the items that you need to move while requesting a quote. Any addition, later on, will give a chance for the professional movers to haggle over price and may end up being an unpleasant experience.
Hiring local movers without researching them first
Since you want your things to safely make their move from point A to point B, it’s crucial to research local movers before your moving day. Forgetting to research your professional movers can jeopardize your move and cause you more stress than anything. It is the professional movers you hire for your relocation that will define your entire moving experience. You need licensed, insured, and trustworthy professional movers who will take good care of your belongings and will ensure the favorable outcome of your relocation endeavor. The only way to make sure that your chosen local movers are reliable is to carefully investigate the moving company. When researching online, be sure to check out their reviews so that you can learn about their services through previous customers. Another good sign is to check out their website and see if they are accredited with Better Business Bureau. Being accredited provides a trust factor which is key when hiring professional movers. Compare local movers by researching their pricing policies (including flat rates and additional fees), online reviews, mission statements, truck sizing, and the number of local movers. These factors can help you make the right decision on which cheap movers to hire for the move. Any mistakes when hiring professional movers will inevitably result in wasted time and money, ruined plans, damaged possessions, or severe headaches. However, all you need to do to avoid common moving mistakes and organize your perfect move is to stay alert and well-informed every step of the way!
Forgetting those extra services cost money
Some additional moving services, such as packing and crating, appliance servicing, and hoisting services are not included in the base rate. Should you need any of them during your move, you will be charged an extra fee that may add hundreds of dollars to your cost. To avoid unpleasant financial surprises, you need to discuss the matter with your chosen professional movers in advance and specify exactly what services will be required in your particular case. Also, make sure all the necessary extra services, as well as their corresponding charges, are clearly stated in your estimate.
Not getting the right insurance
Don’t forget to make sure all your carefully packed items are covered by moving insurance. Ask if your home insurance covers moving your items to a new home. If not, check to see if your cheap mover offers insurance as part of its package. Also, when hiring reputable professional movers, you will be offered limited liability protection for free. Choosing the Released Value Protection, however, is not a good idea as it only covers 60 cents per pound per damaged or lost article, regardless of its value. If you choose Full Value Protection, on the other hand, the local movers will be liable for either repairing a broken item or compensating you with its full cash value, so they will certainly handle your belongings with greater care. To ensure your peace of mind, you can even buy extra insurance for your most valuable possessions from a third party.
Packing everything
Moving is the perfect time to declutter your home and perform a little “spring” cleaning. That way you will also save some money on the local movers, as you will have less stuff to move. If you catch yourself wondering about the purpose of an item or document, your best bet is to throw it in the trash or feed it through a paper shredder. If you’re struggling to decide whether or not to kick it to the curb, keep this in mind: have you used it in the last two years? If not, don’t hesitate. For items that are still in great shape, however, you can always make an event out of it.
Throwing a yard sale is the perfect way to save time and effort while making a couple of extra bucks for your trip. You’ll be able to streamline your move with fewer items to pack and your new home will benefit from a less-cluttered space. Donating to charity is a great option for items that didn’t sell well. If you can’t use them, someone else can certainly benefit from your donation. Decluttering is the advice all local movers will give you.
Forgetting to pack a survival kit
In the hustle and bustle of packing, it’s all too easy to forget that the first few nights of staying in your new home will require essentials. Don’t arrive at your new property to discover that your toothbrush, pajamas, and phone charger are at the bottom of one of the many boxes. There are some items you will need whilst in the process of moving and, instead of packing it in with the rest of your items, leaving you desperately digging around to find them, pack yourself a moving day survival kit. This kit should also include items such as deodorant, toilet roll, towels, toothpaste, soap, and other sanitary products. It’s also wise to put pack a spare outfit in your survival bag and a phone charger so your mobile doesn’t run out of charge. So, be sure to pack an essentials bag that will see you through the first week of your new home life while you slowly unpack. Be sure to take it with you, don’t send it with professional movers, it’s just easier.
Most people can agree that moving isn’t fun—in fact, some people absolutely dread it, so much so that even the best moving tips and moving checklist from the best movers can’t make it better. But moving doesn’t have to be a horrible experience. Having a good attitude about moving can certainly help make the process better, but so can avoiding common moving pitfalls. Step one in accomplishing a mistake-free move is learning from previous mistakes, but step two is being aware of common moving mistakes and taking steps to avoid them in your own move. Knowledge is power, right? The top advice includes giving yourself time to plan everything out, hiring local movers on time, measuring furniture and doorways (in both the starting and final locations), throwing away or donating unneeded items, learning proper packing techniques, and decluttering before the move. Avoid these common moving mistakes, take the smart moving tips to heart, and keep a cool head, and your big move will be a breeze—hopefully. At the very least, you’ll know you did everything you could to make the process less stressful. The other best thing you can do is hiring National City Movers for your upcoming relocation. Get your free moving quote today and see why our local movers are the best in town!