Moving Tips - House Moving Tips Before A Move

by Nancy

While the prospect of relocating to a new city, town or country can be immensely exciting, uprooting your life and moving all your belongings to a new place can be a daunting task. As a matter of fact, for most homeowners, the mere mention of the term movers and packers brings forth memories of broken valuables and horrendous delays that often leave people without the basic necessities in a new city or country.

However, moving from one city to another does not have to be such a harrowing task; with a little bit of research and careful planning you can take the pain away from the project. Here are some valuable tips on how you can make the moving process simpler and avoid expensive mistakes.

Get your belongings in order

The first step is to get your belongings in order; this involves putting them in groups of items that you intend to take along; throw away and those that you intend to store in a facility for future use. Sort the items room wise; using Postits for larger things and simply putting the smaller items that you intend to discard in a box.

A good place to start is always the closet; then move to the smaller household items, finally going to the larger stuff.

One of the biggest hurdles with decluttering the house is the feeling of being overwhelmed at the sheer volume of things so if you feel like you do not know where to start, take in heart in the fact that everybody goes through this phase.

The trick is to look at each item in the house and ask yourself if you really use it and if yes, how often.

Also, you might want to ask yourself the question if paying for the storage of a specific item is worth the money. While it may sound drastic, you have to be ready to throw out everything that you do not need. Put all these items in boxes that can be moved to the garage.

Now, start dealing with the items that you intend to take along; you will need to decide on who will pack these things. You could do it on your own with supplies bought from the local store or even the moving company. These establishments will often give you a discount on packaging items.

Choosing the right moving company for your moving needs

There is no dearth of moving truck companies that make inflated promises but do not bother to answer your calls when your belongings arrive in pieces. So, choosing a reliable and reputable moving company is crucial.

	Start your search by looking at various Mover and Packers in your area online or in the Yellow pages; you could also get referrals from friends and neighbors or even real estate agents.
	It is imperative to only choose companies that are licensed, insured and bonded. Also, look for information on the establishments that you choose from the Better Business Bureau, Department of Transportation and MovingScam.Com.
	Ensure that you check the online reviews of any company that you pick; it is vital to understand that pricing should not be the only constraint when hiring a moving company. Choosing an unscrupulous establishment will cost you dearly, so you need to be very cautious.
	Get in-home estimates from at least 3-4 companies but do not choose extremely low bids because these are often the sign of desperation; besides, you only get what you pay for.
	Pick a company that offers "binding not to exceed" estimates, so that you are not asked to pay twice of the amount quoted.

Depending on your preferences and budget, you might want to either hire a truck from one of the truck rentals for moving or go with a full moving company that will do the entire move for you. However be aware of the higher costs for the second option due to the added services and personnel involved.

Ensuring the safety of your goods while packing for moving

	Take care of the small items: Packing small parts of larger items such as screws etc can be a real pain as they are easy to misplace. So it's best to put them in small plastic bags and tape them to the underside of the appliance or item that they are removed from.
	Stack from heavy to light: Stack the boxes from the heaviest to the lightest with the later being on top to avoid crushing when packaging them and when they are being loaded into the truck.
	Do not overstuff the boxes: When packing, always follow the 30 lb rule; this means that never exceed the 50lb limit for each box and preferably keep it within 30 lbs. So, use a bathroom scale when packing the items to ensure that you do not go over the weight limit.
	Moving electronics: Ideally, you should use the original packaging when transporting electronic items. When not available, you might want to consider using double boxes with excessive biodegradable packaging to shield the electronic items from jarring shocks.
	Packing cables and chords: Never throw these in boxes without winding them and securing with twist ties or rubber bands.
	Fragile Items: Use at least 2 inches of biodegradable packaging material on each side of fragile items.

What should you be doing when the movers are hauling things out of your house?

When the movers arrive, you will need to be the director. Ensure that all the heavy furniture is loaded into the truck first; followed by other non-breakable items, clothes and finally the fragile things such as glassware etc.

Keep some additional packaging material ready in case of mishaps and get a sitter to take care of the kids because you will inevitably have your hands full.

Preventing ghastly moving mistakes that might prove expensive

Packing different types of items together: While this may sound obvious, you would be surprised at how many people end up making this mistake; you simply cannot put things made of metal and glass together even if they are part of the same household appliance or decor item. For instance, when packing chandeliers or antique artifacts, put the glass items in one box and the metallic or wooden parts in another.

Do not pack things from several rooms in one box:  You will go through hell when unpacking the items if you put them in the boxes haphazardly. Ensure that you write the name of the room on each box along with the item it holds and do not forget to create ‘open me first' boxes.

As you can see, moving does not have to be the cumbersome, nerve racking task that people assume it to be. With a little bit of diligent planning, it is possible to take care of the entire procedure smoothly and without any glitches. So, get ready to move to a new city or town and explore the delights that the place has to offer without spending sleepless nights worrying about the safety of your goods.

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