Moving is an overwhelming task for many people. Often, stress and anxiety are undetachable aspects of the moving process. Perhaps you are moving to your dream home or leaving the house where you spent many good years. Whatever the case, there will be mixed emotions.
When you decide to move residences, you will quickly realize how many belongings you actually have. Packing an entire household, loading it, transporting it, and unpacking it is exhausting, even during local moves. Any small mistake can lead to damage or complications.
However, with a thought-out plan in place, you can make the entire process smooth and hassle-free. In this article, we have curated the most important residential moving tips you should implement when moving to a house.
For your ease, we’ve categorized the tips according to the multiple stages of the moving process so that you don’t miss anything.
Stage 1: Preparation
Moving your entire home calls for a lot of planning and preparation. The entire moving process should begin with making a personal moving plan and getting an idea of the amount of items that need to be moved to the new location. During this stage, you will also need to decide if you will require professional moving services to assist you. Here are some tips to help you start off on the right foot.
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Set Your Budget
Start with setting your budget. A move can be expensive so it’s important to be prepared to spend some money but not go beyond what you can afford. When you know the limit on how much you can spend, it gives you better clarity on the professional services – such as moving, packing, and storage – you can afford. If you’ll need to do more on your own to save money, then you need to factor extra time into your moving timeline.
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Plan the Logistics
Just thinking about the effort required to move your house might cause you to feel stressed and overwhelmed. There are a lot of logistics to account for, including where to get packing supplies, how to acquire a moving truck, what day is best for local moving, when you can schedule the move, who will help you carry things, and so on.
Having the right residential moving company by your side can ease the anxiety of moving because they will handle many of the logistics.
If you still need to hire a moving company, first get quotes from a few household movers with vast moving experience. After creating your personal moving plan, you’ll be able to tell the professionals about your requirements and make sure they’ll be able to help you move to your new home.
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Start Early and Create a Moving Checklist
Whether you are moving your house for the first time or you are a pro at it, you might experience unforeseen circumstances. The best way to avoid any hurdles is to prepare for the move in the early stages.
As soon as you know you are going to be moving, make a moving checklist of tasks that need to be completed. Once you have an idea of what your move will entail, you can find a residential moving company that offers the service options you require. You might need professional packing and unpacking services or storage options, but not every company is full service.
Your moving checklist should also include all the items that will need to be moved, especially the larger pieces of furniture, valuables, and fragile items. This will give you and the movers an idea of how long packing will take, what kind of moving truck you’ll need, and other important details.
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Plan Out the Packing Supplies
If you haven’t opted for professional packing services, you need to arrange for packing supplies as well. Talk to the moving company and learn what supplies you need for packing your household items. The movers will also explain to you the maximum size for moving boxes that can fit inside the vehicles.
Do you need help with the packing process? You can choose professional packing services with Dose Moving & Storage. When you hire us, we can take care of everything from arranging for the supplies to actually packing your valuable belongings.
Call us at {$phone} (AZ) or to get the best residential moving services for your next local move.
Stage 2: Getting Rid of Unwanted Items
Moving your house gets easier when you don’t have to move everything. Filtering out the items you no longer use/want/need and donating them can ease the burden on everyone. Here are some essential tips you should follow when organizing your possessions during a household move.
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Go Room by Room
Identify which items you don’t use anymore and ask yourself if you really need these in your new home. This way, you will get an idea of how much you have to take to the new location, and you can communicate it to professional household movers so they are prepared. It is best to go through one room at a time so you can stay organized and remember which rooms you have already completed.
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Consider Short-Term Storage
After you have decided which items you do not want to bring during the move, you will need to figure out if you want to donate them or keep them. You might consider storing any extra belongings for some time if you don’t want to sell them or move them into your new home yet.
At Dose, we provide storage solutions at our best-in-class storage facilities. We offer short-term and long-term storage options for your overflow belongings. Our climate-controlled storage units are spacious and secure enough to store anything from furniture to electronics. Contact us now for further details.
Stage 3: Packing for the Move
Packing is one of the most important stages of the entire moving process. If you have decided to do it on your own, the following tips will help.
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Step Up a Packing Station
Whether you have hired professional packers or not, creating a packing station is a must. Dedicate a room or other area to the purpose of packing. Gather all your packing supplies in this space and only pack your items there. The entire process can be stress-free if you keep everything together. We suggest setting up a surface such as an extra table as your packing station.
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Pack All Items Room By Room
Don’t just throw things haphazardly into boxes in a chaotic manner. Instead, go through each room and pack things together. For example, if you are packing your living room, make an inventory of the items, and then start packing them in the same boxes so it’ll be easier to unpack.
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Label All Boxes After You Pack Them
Your household items may be fragile or consist of items that can leak during the move, so label all boxes after you pack them. That way, the movers will know to handle some boxes with extra care. In addition, including the type of items and the destination room in the label will make unpacking easier.
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Tape Every Box Properly
One of the worst things that could happen during a residential move is the bottom of a box coming open and all the items inside falling out. According to expert house movers, you should tape all moving boxes properly along each seam so that they do not open during loading/unloading or transportation.
Stage 4: The Moving-Day
Moving day is the most stressful yet exciting time of the whole moving process. Things can easily go haywire if proper planning isn’t in place. Follow these moving day tips to ensure a good moving experience.
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Be Packed Up the Day Before the Big Day
It’s completely normal to pack up a few things at the last minute after the movers arrive. However, it can slow down the entire process. Make it your goal to finish packing your belongings a day before the designated moving day. On the other hand, you can engage in packing and unpacking services and let the professionals do it for you on the day of the move.
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Have a Plan for Your Little Ones and Pets
If your kids are too young to help you with the moving process, you should plan to leave them elsewhere. Drop off your kids and pets at a family member or friend’s place to ensure they are safe and out of the way while you move your house.
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Make a Moving Day To-Do List
Make a to-do list on your phone or a notepad, and check the tasks off as they are finished. This will help you stay organized and ensure everything gets done.
Add important things like clearing each room, walking through the house at the end to see if something has been missed, turning off all lights and appliances, and handing the keys to your landlord before leaving.
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Make Way for the Movers
After the movers arrive, they’ll jump into action and start loading the truck. Make a path for them to enter the property and move all of your belongings to the sides. Clear all wires, extension cords, empty boxes, and any other hazards from the floor as they can trip someone and lead to injuries. If the property has uneven stairs or other quirks, make sure to warn the movers about it.
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Stock Up on Refreshments
Moving day is a long and tiring process. It is best to have water readily available so you and the movers don’t get dehydrated throughout the day. If you want, you can also provide meals and snacks to make sure everyone keeps their energy up.
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Keep a First-Aid Kid With Important Medicines
Most household moves involve moving heavy or bulky furniture, which means there is a greater risk of accidents. Keep a first-aid kit with bandages, gauze, antibiotic cream, iodine, and other medicinal essentials handy for any small moving injuries.
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Take Pictures of the Empty Apartment (If Renting)
Before leaving, take pictures of the empty apartment covering all floors, walls, and ceilings. Some landlords try to claim damages or cleaning costs and cut an amount from the security deposit. The pictures will help you prove that you left the property in good condition.
Stage 5: Unpacking Your Belongings
Finally, you are at your new house, and things went as planned! However, the job isn’t over yet, as you need to unpack your possessions and organize the new place. These tips can help you unpack your belongings and arrange everything properly.
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Decide If You Need Unpacking Services
Professional movers such as Dose Moving & Storage, offer several moving services, including unpacking services. Decide if you want your movers to help put your belongings away or if you want to handle it yourself. The more people helping, the quicker it will go, but some people like to organize their belongings themselves.
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Unpack the Essentials First
If you are unpacking everything yourself, start with unpacking the essentials first. This should include the kitchen utensils, toiletries, and clothes you’ll need for your first night in the new house.
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Give Yourself an Unpacking Deadline
Unpacking is one task that takes a lot of time. Giving yourself a deadline will help you get the job done in a timely manner. Schedule a casual get-together or a housewarming party, as it will give you a push to finish putting everything away.
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Get Rid of the Packing Supplies
If you hire professional packers with Dose Moving & Storage, you don’t need to worry about packing supplies. Our staff gathers all the supplies and gets them back to us. However, if you packed yourself, you will need to get rid of the packing supplies.
Use a checklist to keep track of any packing or moving supplies you rented prior to the move. Gather all the items in one place, and then return them back to the supplier. For the items you didn’t rent, offer them to other people who might be moving soon or dispose of them responsibly.
Top Mistakes to Avoid When Making a Residential Move
All the aforementioned residential moving tips are certainly going to ease some stress. However, in the excitement of moving to a new house, people tend to make several mistakes that can cause financial and emotional loss.
Here are some mistakes you should avoid when moving your house:
Not Communicating With the Moving Company
Communication is the key, especially when moving your household. Make sure to communicate with the moving company at every stage.
Any delays due to unforeseen circumstances should be relayed to the moving company beforehand so that they can plan things accordingly.
Not Getting Professional Help
There’s a reason why homeowners hire expert moving companies when relocating to a new property. The professionals can meet all your unique moving needs, such as wrapping your delicate items, loading heavy appliances on the vehicle, and assembling complicated furniture.
Not Researching the Background of the Moving Company
Moving company scams are at an all-time high, especially for cross-country and long-distance moving, but often for local moving as well. When looking for a professional residential moving company, make sure to do thorough research. You can ask the company if they have a license for moving and if they have trained and insured movers.
At Dose Moving, we are a fully licensed and insured residential moving and storage company. Here’s what our customers have to say about our household moving services.
Not Getting a Quote
Getting a service quote from the household moving company you are considering is essential to understanding the overall cost of the moving process. Reliable residential moving companies usually provide a no-obligation, free quote to all potential customers.
Not Understanding the Insurance Policy
Unfortunately, breakages and damages can happen during the move, especially when fragile items are involved. It is important to check the insurance policy of the moving company to know if you’ll be able to claim the damaged goods and be reimbursed.
At Dose Moving & Storage, all our moving jobs are covered for damage, loss, and negligence. Learn more about this by checking out our page on moving insurance.
Not Telling the Movers About the Furniture Size
It’s important to tell the movers about the furniture you want to move. Give them measurements to ensure your large items will fit in the moving truck.
Not Creating a Checklist
Not creating a checklist when moving can make things difficult when you arrive at the new home. When you don’t have a checklist, you don’t know how many boxes or pieces of furniture to account for, and it can create unnecessary confusion. If you have a written checklist, make sure to have a digital copy so you don’t lose it.
Not Checking the Weather Forecast
Bad weather can affect the moving process, so you should pay attention to the weather forecast. Also, select the day of the move after checking the forecast to avoid any hassles or damages due to damp weather.
Let Dose Moving Handle Your Next Move With Ease!
Planning your residential move will go a long way toward curtailing the chaos. You can break the project into small and manageable pieces. With all these tips under your belt, you won’t be caught off guard with the next move.
With many years of experience and more than 20,000 happy customers, Dose Moving & Storage offers top-notch commercial and residential moving services to meet all your moving needs.
Whether you need help with packing, loading, transporting, unpacking, or storage, Dose Moving & Storage has a team of expert moving consultants who are ready to assist you with anything related to your household move.
All set to move to your dream home? Call us at {$phone} (AZ) or to learn more about our home moving services or to get a moving quote.