Do you know that, on average, Americans move at least 11 times in their lifetime? That’s a whole lot of changing addresses, so it’s not surprising that it can get overwhelming.
You can decrease the stress and challenges by avoiding these five relocation mistakes:
1. Failure to Hire a Mover
Relocating is one of the most stressful events of your family’s life. Although you can always move on your own, you might want to hire residential moving services to save yourself the hassle.
Residential movers can do more than transport your belongings to your new home. They can give you valuable tips on how to better organize your stuff for the move. They can also help you determine if an item is too fragile or heavy to be moved, and whether it makes more sense to donate them instead.
A day or two before you relocate, they can already pack your items. Some may even have storage facilities in case you aren’t sure what to do with, say, your furniture.
Once you arrive in your new home, these movers will be the ones to unload your items. They will also put these in the rooms you prefer to have them.
2. Not Getting Rid of Things You Don’t Need Anymore Before the Move
Moving is taxing enough as it is, especially for those who just moved into a larger house or apartment that need a lot more work done on it before they can move in. So why add to all your woes by hauling with you things that you don’t need anymore but have not had the time or motivation to give away?
By moving these unnecessary items, you are just adding weight on top of what’s already heavy enough. Not only will it be a hassle for your movers but also for you once you finally unpack. So do yourself a favor and give them away to friends, family, or donation centers before you relocate.
If you’re having a hard time deciding, you can think about different decluttering methods. One of these is the Konmari. Inspired by the teachings of professional organizer Marie Kondo, this strategy involves sorting items according to the ones that spark joy.
3. Not Communicating with the Utility Companies
Sometimes, when you get too busy planning for the relocation, you forget to reach out to utility companies and inform them that you’re changing addresses or might not even need their services anymore.
To avoid having your electricity or Internet shut off, contact them at least a month before the move.
You will need to let them know that you won’t be using their services for the time being, so they can change your name in their system and forward any bills to your new address. For security purposes, it’s best to have all your utilities and services shut off at your last address.
4. Ignoring the Kids’ Needs
Moving can be especially stressful for children, who are already used to their home environment and routine. Before you get started with your move, fine-tune how it will affect them. For instance, do they have friends in the new location? Make sure you take them to meet their prospective playmates.
Are they enrolled in a new school? Let them explore the area before classes resume, so they will already know where to go and how to get there.
Will you be visiting your old home regularly? If so, talk to your children about how this will affect their routine. Explain that even though you won’t be living there anymore, it’s still a part of who they are and where they come from.
5. Poor Planning for the Day of the Move
You’re finally done with all your pre-move tasks, and now it’s time to move! But wait a minute – have you planned for this?
Moving can be a bit chaotic, what with hauling boxes and furniture from one place to another. It can also take days or even weeks depending on how large your home is and how many items you have.
To avoid wasting time, try to be as orderly as possible. Organize your boxes based on where they might end up in your new house – living room, kitchen, bedrooms. If you plan to change rooms after the move, again, know which boxes go where ahead of time.
Make sure that the movers know which items should be moved to where as well, so they can give you an accurate quote. It will also help if you label the rooms or draw floor plans. Having this information ready will allow them to finish their jobs more quickly and leave you to your other errands.
Moving can be a very stressful experience, but you can ensure that the process is as painless as possible for everyone involved if you follow these simple steps.
