At Way Basics, we are all about helping you personalize and organize your home. But what do you do if you are moving from one home to the next? Guest blogger, Grace has some tips about how to make the move as smooth as possible!
When you have a move ahead, you might think its an easy task that may easily be done in a weekend or two. Well you should stop for a minute and think ahead before you allow things to progress that far. There are plenty of tasks that need to be completed long before the arrival of the moving vehicle. Planning ahead ensures you won't suffer from last minute changes and trouble. Check out the following tips so you can be prepared well ahead of time:
You will most likely need professional movers to handle heavy lifting and the sheer volume of possessions you need to move when the time arrives. If you put off hiring them for a long time however, you risk not being able to do proper research of the moving companies available in your area. Make sure you begin checking out and calling companies at least a month ahead of time so you'll be able to figure out the best deals, prices and chances to work with them. Calling up and checking as many of them as you can will allow you to even let companies know of better deals offered by their rivals, allowing you to maybe get a better deal yourself.
Once you have done this, you need to ensure you understand the agreement you are signing before the contract is finalized. Ask a number of questions that give the best information all around. Know whether the company will charge you by the hour or by weight of the items, whether they will do the packing for you, what type of insurance they offer and so on. Ensure there are no surprise fees or hidden charges and make sure everything you are promised is promised on paper as part of the contract.
Before you begin the packing process you will of course need boxes. You can buy them off a retail store, office supply store or even the moving company itself if they offer such services. The main thing is that you will need a lot of boxes to get the job done. Make sure you pick a wide range of boxes from varying sizes so you'll have no trouble fitting everything you need safely. They have to be strong and possibly reusable. In some cases you can even find boxes for free from a number of sources, such as retail stores, liquor stores and more.
You should focus on rarely used items first, packing them at least a month or two in advance. Most of us keep a staggering amount of personal possessions that accumulate around our homes as the years go by. Begin packing those who are out of season at the moment, starting with clothes, blankets and more, slowly working your way toward the final day. Ensuring that is done early will allow you to deal with the stress of last minute moving troubles.
Moving is the perfect moment to downsize your belongings to a more manageable size. Any items you don't consider vital or that you have not used for a long time should simply go, opening the way for something new or more useful. Although this may seem a bit drastic at first, you should consider the prices involved in moving everything you own. The more you move, the more expensive the final result will be, so making sure you are only moving what you care about is vital to keeping your expenses low and at the same time ensuring a stress-free move.
Doing so will either help someone else obtain what they want or you could lessen your moving expenses further by using unwanted items as fuel, so to speak. Put up fliers or even a listing on a classifieds website such as Craigslist to spread the word. Donate your unwanted books to your local library to enrich the community and so on. There is much you can benefit from, both financially and as a philanthropist.
Grace is an expert in the field of real estates and relocation, working on a behalf of SM6 moving firm.
