Moving doesn’t just happen. It’s a process.
Since All Around Moving & Storage employs a time-proven pattern for transporting your belongings, we feel qualified to recommend steps you can take toward a smooth move. We call the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area home (Detroit isn’t too far away, either), but wherever you are now (and whatever your destination), following our moving timeline can ease moving stress.
We’ve been relocating families for more than 30 years, so we’ve witnessed a lot during those three-plus decades. Having a plan in place is lots more efficient than simply winging it. By utilizing a 12-week countdown (12, eight, four, two, one, go!), we believe you’ll achieve.
Overview to a Better Move
Twelve weeks and counting down. Here’s where it all begins. We’re not even thinking about boxes or wrapping paper yet. Begin by selecting the best way you and your family will travel to your new home. Are you driving your own vehicle or renting one? Perhaps flying makes more sense. Now’s the time to buy tickets and/or make lodging reservations as well as map your travel route. Are you directly shipping items? If so, you’ll want to ask about procedures, rates and restrictions at your post office or other direct-shipper service.
Vital documents (e.g., birth certificates, car titles, driver’s licenses, financial forms, insurance cards, marriage license, medical records, Social Security cards and passports) should be collected and organized. Consider obtaining small file folders, a lockbox or portable safe for protecting these important items. You might even want to personally hold these rather than packing them away.
Prepare to pack
Nope, we’re still not packing, but we’re getting there. At the eight-week mark, it’s time to prepare a valuables list for your insurer. Think about obtaining appraisals for your high-value possessions. We at All Around Moving & Storage would be glad to discuss specialty moving services and valuation plans that also offer you protection. Speaking of precious cargo, have you thought about how best to move Fido and Tabby? See our 3 Top Tips to Safely Moving Your Furry Friends blog for specialized pet-friendly moving info. OK, now we’re getting closer to the nitty-gritty. This is the time to buy your moving supplies (boxes, box cutters, bubble wrap, labels, packing peanuts, tape).
Devil’s in the details
Four weeks to countdown? Already? While you’ve been unpacking the packing materials and preparing to pack up the possessions, hopefully, you’ve ID’d items you don’t need. It’s sell-it time. Get a garage sale going or sell items via the Internet. You’ll make a few bucks and the resultant decreased weight might drop your moving costs. We’re officially in the final month before the big day at this point, so there’s no better time to get services ready to be up and running in your new home.
Contact phone/Internet companies, banks, utility companies and the post office to schedule disconnect/transfer dates. Don’t forget to complete a change-of-address form and start forwarding your mail.
Double time
Can you believe it’s two weeks ’til D-Day? Right now, “D” stands for “double-check.” Ensure boxes are labeled and securely packed. Are movers unloading items into specific rooms? Check that the room name is listed on the box label. Special-handling instructions also should be listed where applicable. Extra food in your home? Donate it or have friends over for a feast. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if your new home were spick and span? You could do the same for your current home’s new tenants by giving it a top-to-bottom cleaning.
First in …
One week to go and it’s time to think about your first night in your new home. A great help is a first-in-last-out box filled with all the items you’ll need during your last night before the big move and during night No. 1 in your new residence. These might include: toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries; clothing; snacks; batteries; portable entertainment devices; a dog-eared novel; perhaps, even, a coffee-maker.
The day’s arrived
You made it. Moving day is here. When your All Around Moving & Storage crew arrives, give them direction for loading your possessions. Sign your bill of lading (this is one of many moving terms you’ll want to know). It’s OK to ask last-minute questions, too. Check for unlocked doors and windows. Finally, conduct a house walk-through once all boxes have been removed.
You made it. Congrats.
