You have finally decided to relocate your home to another place and the SOLD sign is already pegged into the ground, and now you need to prepare for the relocation. This process is not as simple as hiring local movers who will take care of everything for you. They can take a big portion of it, but there is something that is needed by your side. That is why we are here to help you prepare for your local move like a professional. And when your local movers arrive, your move will be a stress-free process that will be just one step that will bring you home. The following moving tips will help you stay focused, organized, and have a worry-free move!
- Write everything down
Use a notebook where you will add all the details related to your moving plan. This will help you organize your relocation properly. To keep it simple, use a separate notebook for a move only. What you should write there? To-do moving lists, budget breakdowns, receipts, information about local movers, and similar. To make the notebook even more organized, use post-it notes or page dividers. If you are using a binder, it would be advantageous to have leaflet holders or pockets to slip in important documents for quick removal and use. Forget about making any mental notes and relying on your memory, you will be surprised how many clients are there that have no idea what local movers they hired and the moving day is there. Don’t be one of those people! Moving is stressful and you should be eager to keep it stress-free. If this is your first time moving, your local movers might help you with some parts of these lists, and you should know that there are moving checklists online, that will help you out.
- Calculate the cost for a move
Setting the moving budget is tricky. The only expenses you can be certain about are the cost of local movers, packing boxes, and some things that are bought ahead of time. However, moving does involve many expenses. Depending on the professional movers you are hiring, you will have less or more expenses. This is why you should try to plan the budget in detail. Try to remember every little thing that will require you to spend your money, and maybe even more important, try to stick to that budget the better you can. We talked with some local movers, and they all told us they had situations where people didn’t have enough money to pay for the move. That leads to many complex situations and potentially additional expenses. So make sure to come up with every detail and make sure you have it in writing.
Some of the expenses you will have:
- Local movers or renting a moving truck
- Packing supplies: boxes, tape, padding, etc.
- Cleaning service
- Travel costs
- Utility transfer
- ‘Rainy day money’
- Storage unit if needed
- Change the address
Before having your local movers help you, make sure to change the address, essential utilities, and inform people who need to know that you won’t be at that address anymore. Don’t forget to forward your mail and update your online shopping accounts as well. Let your friends and family know what your new address is. Oh, and don’t forget to update the Department of Motor Vehicles. Your doctors, dentists, schools, and daycare should also know about this change. All of this should be done before the arrival of your local movers if you want to have a stress-free moving day.
- Get the packing supplies
Unless your plan is to hire packers and movers and to purchase the packing supplies from them, you will have to think of this before your local movers arrive. A good thing to know is that you don’t have to spend a fortune on moving supplies. Some of them can be even got for free, and this will cut the cost of your move a lot. You might even invest this money into hiring local movers and packers. Some of the ways to get free packing supplies are going to the local supermarkets or stores that might have spare boxes to give to you. Besides that, you can use packing bags, suitcases, storage bins, and some other things that you already have at home. Local movers do advise to pack the less-fragile items into these. If you don’t plan to hire professional movers to help you with packing, you should know that in that case, you cannot purchase the packing supplies from them. In that case, make sure to purchase them ahead of time. You should always get boxes in various sizes.
- Hire local movers
Hiring local movers will save you a ton of stress and labor, and trust us – it is worth the money. There are many movers San Diego and therefore there are many local movers for everyone’s budget. So you can always find professional movers that will fit your needs and budget. This way you will move your items safely to another location. Local movers are trained, experienced, and skilled to help you with labor, but they are also going to help you plan and organize your upcoming relocation. At the end of the day, hiring local movers might be even cheaper than moving on your own. When it comes to hiring professional movers, make sure to read all the reviews, and get referrals in order to make a good decision. Make sure to hire one of the licensed movers San Diego, not just any affordable company that you see on the list. You should call local movers ahead of time in order to ensure you will have the desired moving day, and also professional movers.
- Ask your friends and family for help
Even when hiring local movers to help you with the heavy lifting, you will still need some help with packing and decluttering. Having your friends and family over will be way more helpful and efficient than doing all of that on your own. You can organize a garage sale or online sale, where your friends and family will be helping. You will all have fun, we can guarantee that! Don’t forget to offer them to take anything that you want to get rid of and they might need it. Make sure to let them know in time, not a day before. And one more thing, don’t forget to order some pizza and beers for everyone.
- Start packing in time
The last thing that you want is to greet your local movers with a home that is not even close to being packed. Again, if you are hiring packers and movers, you can skip this part. But if you are packing on your own, make sure to start on time. Packing is the most complex task of your move, and it requires time and energy, so don’t expect you can do it in a few days. Take your time, and make sure you are packed at least one day before your local movers arrive.
- Prepare your home for moving in
Before your local movers bring in furniture and place it where it should be, you need to make some adjustments that are needed inside of your new home. It will be way easier to do it before your professional movers bring the furniture, especially if you need to paint, clean, or fix something. If you have the available time, inspect your new home when it is empty, and assess the upgrades and improvements that are needed to be done. Be sure to allow a day or two to complete them before the move.
- Make a layout
Since your local movers will be there to help you with placing big furniture where it should be, you should make a layout of your new home as you want it to look. This will save you a lot of time when your local movers arrive, and that will save you money as well. This can help you come up with a plan for which items should be packed first, last, or discarded. Having a clear idea of what will go where will help you have a smoother transition while unpacking.
- Label moving boxes for easy unpacking
Save time and stay organized by thoroughly labeling your boxes. This will be helpful for your local movers as well because they will know how to handle each box. If something fragile is inside the box, you should add the note that it is fragile or which side should go up or down. This way, local movers won’t damage anything while carrying around, even if they don’t know that something is inside. Attempt to label all the boxes and large items per room to help you stay organized as well as for your friends and local movers who will be loading and unloading. Having to open each box after you move because you have no idea where you packed the dishes, bathroom supplies, or whatever you need is awful. There is always a lot more junk and stuff to move than you anticipate, so make sure you know exactly where everything is at all times during your relocation. Having to switch outboxes and other things and replacing them in the proper room is aggravating and a waste of your time and energy. Instead, labeling “bathroom” and “spare bedroom” will allow you to immediately place that box or piece of furniture while unloading which will allow you to prioritize which rooms to unpack first. If you really want to save yourself some time during the unpacking phase, itemize all your boxes’ contents on the outside as well so you know exactly where your spare car key or whatever else you need is located. You can contribute a lot to having a stress-free move, and when hiring local movers on top of this, there is no doubt in this.
- Empty your fridge and freezer
Local movers will always want to avoid moving any food together with the rest of the items, so make sure your fridge empty and the freezer is defrosted. Try not to throw away food, but get creative and come up with some receipts that will make you eat up everything. You should stop buying food at least a week before your professional movers are arriving.
Transporting food is a very difficult task and can get messy and that is the reason why local movers don’t like to move it.
Canned and boxed foods are much easier to pack and are generally non-perishable so if you happen to forget to unload the kitchen box on the first day, you won’t end up with spoiled goods. This is something that local movers will be able to move.
- Pack the essential box
Your local movers will arrive and load all of your belongings onto the moving truck. This means that you will be left with nothing of yours until they unload everything. That is why you should make sure you have your essentials near you. Also, depending on the size of your move, your professional movers might end up your relocation late, and the last thing that you want to do is to go through a bunch of boxes in order to find some basics.
- Valuables should be moved by you
No matter how reputable and trusted your local movers are, you should move irreplaceable and valuable items on your own. Items such as documents, paperwork, or jewelry should be packed separately and moved on your own. This way you will feel safer and make sure no one is responsible for moving irreplaceable belongings.
- Babysitter / Pet-sitter
Moving can be complicated and require you to juggle many tasks at the same time. Having a baby, young child, or pet consuming a lot of your time and potentially getting in the way of local movers is not the ideal situation. Plan out in advance to have the pet or child away for a few hours until you can settle in all the items and free up more time to watch them without worry. The last thing you want to worry about is local movers carrying heavy furniture while your loved ones are around their legs.
- Walkthrough
Before letting your local movers leave, you should inspect the moving truck to see if they unloaded everything. Also, before you leave your old home you should see if your professional movers loaded everything. This way, you will avoid losing any items during the relocation.
Do you need some help with moving? Looking for movers San Diego that will help you have a smooth and seamless relocation? You are in the right place! National City Movers gathered the best local movers who can help you with any moving project you have in mind. Reach out and get your free moving quote today!