How to Plan a Move to a New Home
It’s time to plan the move to your new home. While it’s an exciting time, moving can be both stressful and overwhelming Planning a move will help to make it easier. Following are some tips to help you plan your move to your new condo or home.
Date You Plan to Move
Depending on what state you live in, you should have a closing date. Some states close on exactly the date written on the contract, while in other states a closing may be extended. It’s important to know this before you make definite plans for moving. If you’re moving from a rental, you know when your lease ends and what date you will be moving. If you’re selling a house and moving to a new one, it’s good to do the research, but it would be wise to wait until you have a firm contract on your house.
You don’t want to hire a mover for a specific date only to find out that date, ultimately, will not work. You also do not want a POD sitting in your driveway if you’re still showing your home. So knowing the date you plan to move is important.
Do Your Research in Planning Your Move
Do you plan to use a moving company or a POD? There are definite differences between the two. If you hire a moving company, they will likely provide you with moving supplies, including boxes for packing and wardrobes for your clothes. They will even fully pack you – dishes, glassware, paintings, lighting fixtures, furniture and more. I’ve even seen them pack trash! Of course, they charge for this service but for some people it’s worth it. They don’t want to deal with the headache of packing or perhaps they’re not physically able to do it themselves. The movers will do the packing and the heavy lifting. Whatever the reason, this is one option of moving.
You can do all the packing yourself and just have a moving company move the boxes and your furniture. They won’t be liable for any items you packed, but this is an option to save money.
If you’re planning to hire a mover, get recommendations from friends, family and your real estate agent. Read reviews of moving companies and please check with the Better Business Bureau or Department of Consumer Affairs. Any company can have a claim, but if you find a company with 19 claims, run, don’t walk! You know what I mean. And make sure you get a definite estimate, a firm price, not a range. You don’t want to arrive at your final destination only to find out your estimate has increased significantly..
For some people, it’s wise to consider renting a PODS moving container.
If you go the route of using a PODS, you’ll save on moving costs. They will deliver the POD right to your driveway. You pack the POD yourself. With a POD, you have more flexibility as to time. A mover will come on a pre-selected day. With a POD, you can take your time packing it; then call them to pick it up and deliver it to your new home. You will be doing the packing and moving here, so it’s definitely more physical, but it will save you money. Don’t forget to find out the rules and regulations regarding PODS if you are moving to a gated community.
Time to Clean Out
Next step in getting ready to move is to clean out and declutter. We all collect stuff over the years. Oh, yes, lots of stuff. Are you going to move all that stuff with you? I don’t think so. While cleaning out in preparation to move, it’s also a good time to declutter.
Decide what items you are going to keep. These things will be going with you to your new home, whether it’s furniture, clothing, electronics or household stuff. If you can, set them aside and mark them with colored stickers. For example, all items marked blue will be going to the new house. All items marked yellow will be donated, and so on. This way you know what items are going where. A good tip in planning your move is to number any boxes you pack with a black marker, along with what is in them. In a small notebook, record the numbers and the contents of each box. This way, when you arrive at your final destination and you’re looking for a particular item, you can easily look it up rather than going through all the boxes. It’s also a good idea to mark which rooms the boxes are to go to.
It’s always a nice idea to donate. You may have gently used clothing, dishes, glassware, linens, toys, bikes, all sorts of stuff that you aren’t planning to take. If they’re in decent condition for someone to use, donate it. Someone will use the item and enjoy it. There are lots of places to donate, and many of these places will even pick up. Just to name a few: AmVets, Breast Cancer, Good Will, Hospice and more. They’re more than happy to get your donations.
If you have the time, you may want to sell some stuff. You can sell items on Ebay, Facebook, OfferUp, NextDoor and more today. You may want to have a garage sale or a tag sale. As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Decide what items you’re going to throw away – items that are really ready for the trash. And throw them away! No procrastinating here. You don’t want to move junk to your new house.
Get Recommendations for Medical Care
Speak to your doctors and ask if they can recommend doctors in the area you’re moving to. You may be pleasantly surprised they have contacts in other cities. .Same thing if you have children and pets. Don’t forget to get copies of your medical records, dental records, legal records, school records and veterinary records. You are going to need these.
You will also need insurance – home, health, car. While some of it can wait, having your home and heath insurance in place prior to your arrival is important.
Planning Your Move with Pets
If you have pets, you also need a plan in place for their move. How to move with pets
includes talking with your veterinarian for a recommendation of a vet in your new city. You may get lucky and they know someone. Get copies of all your pet’s medical records and vaccinations to take with you. These can easily be emailed or put onto a thumb drive. Fill their prescriptions (and your own) so you have enough medication until you get set up.
When packing, pack a separate bag for your pets. You should have enough food, treats and medicine for several days or more in case the moving truck or your POD is delayed. And crates because you will need them.. Don’t forget to take some familiar things with you, such as dog or cat bedding, a few favorite toys, and perhaps an old tee shirt you’ve worn. Animals get stressed and moving is a big deal for them, too.
You should pack another bag for yourself and your family with enough clothes and medicine to last a week, in case the truck or POD is late. Take your important documents with you, as well.
Setting up Utilities
Make sure you remember to set up utilities in your new home as of the date you will be taking ownership. Also remember to turn off utilities at the house you currently live in. It’s a good idea to leave utilities on in your current home for a day after closing, just in case.
File Change of Address
Change of address needs to be filed to reflect your new address as of a certain date. Change of address with the post office, insurance companies, any automatic recurring bill payments, subscriptions, etc.
Plan for Moving Day
If you hired a moving company to help you move, make sure you have water on hand for yourself and the movers. Snacks are also good to have around. If it’s going to take all day, you can order pizza for yourself and the moving men. Just an idea.
Have a plan in place to see to it that pets and children are kept away from the movers so no one gets hurt.
Traveling to Your New Home
How will you travel to your new home? Will you be driving or flying there? Many people drive because it’s another chance to fill your car with stuff. All that stuff! Another option is to have your car shipped to your new city.
Plan for Temporary Housing
The ideal situation would be if you could go directly from your old house into your new house. However, that doesn’t always work out. There is often a lapse of a few days. Have a plan in place for temporary housing for a few days or a week. Get an idea of how much time it will be from closing on your present home until you close on your new home. Some options for temporary housing include Airbnb, hotels or motels, pet friendly, if needed, possibly a friend or relative’s house.
If you cannot close on your new home immediately, you will also need temporary storage for your things. Some moving companies offer local storage at their facilities. Others will keep it on the truck.
Final Thoughts on How to Plan a Move
Moving is stressful – no two ways about it. Planning a move helps to ease the stress. Having a plan in place will make it easier for you to get things in order and get settled. Decisions need to be made. A lot of gathering of documents and stuff. It will all get done. Just remember to keep a sense of humor, make a plan and get rid of the stuff!
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How to Plan a Move to a New Home
