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Millions of Americans move every year. You’d think we would have learned by now how to make moving easier for ourselves. Instead, many people moving to Seattle end up making the same painful mistakes as their friends, neighbors, and relatives, simply because they think that there are some things you ‘have to learn the hard way.’
Here at On The Go, we prefer to give moving families, individuals, and businesses the resources they need to plan for a smooth and simple move. Here are nine moving lessons that you don’t have to learn the hard way:
1. Don’t Wing It
In the world of moving, procrastination is your worst enemy. Schedule your travel arrangements, moving days, and packing agendas months in advance. You have no idea about the types of hiccups you will run into with changing your address, collecting medical records, scheduling with a moving company, and dealing with all your financial and logistical affairs. Give yourself time to move and you’ll thank yourself later.
2. Moving Costs More than Expected
While there are frugal options when it comes to a lot of moving expenses, the project as a whole will demand more of your wallet than you might initially expect. This includes moving supplies such as boxes, bubble wrap, paper towels, furniture sliders, cleaning supplies, and more. Moving also requires errands outside of the home, which will demand car time and gas money. Give yourself a reasonable moving budget and you won’t risk overspending on necessities.
3. Packing is Time Consuming
Essentially, you have way more things than you think you do, so leave yourself margin to get it all sorted and packed. Start by packing seasonal items and belongings you do not currently need. Don’t try and pack your whole house at once; do it one room at a time.
Sort your belongings as you go. Donate items you don’t want and throw out old items and junk. Packing usually feels the most time consuming when it gets down to the last few items, so make things easy on yourself by storing small items in boxes or bags.
Final note: label your boxes. This will ensure that each box is safely loaded by your movers and appropriately relocated once at your new home.
4. Moving Things Twice or More
Moving families have a tendency to move boxes more times than they need to. Pack one box and it moves from outside a door to the top of the stairs, then into the kitchen, into the garage, sitting in this stack, then into that stack, etc. One box can be moved a dozen times before it ends up in a smart place.
Make things easy for yourself. Set up a staging area in your garage where all packed boxes go. When you pack a box, take it directly to a staging area and leave it there. Do as little rearranging and shuffling as possible.
5. Measure Clearance Space Before the Move
Too many families discover on their moving day that their long sofa or wooden armoire will not fit through the front door of their home. Measure the clearance of your front door before your moving day to avoid making this mistake. If there isn’t enough clearance, you at least have margin to make other arrangements before the big day.
6. Don’t Pack Mystery Boxes
Because of the time crunch that moving families get themselves into, it can be easy to just start throwing belongings into boxes. These boxes then stay packed for months. Why? Because no one wants to try and figure out where all this random stuff goes.
Leave yourself enough time to pack and clean out, and don’t pack any mystery boxes for yourself that you’ll have to deal with later.
7. Keep Tools and Gloves Accessible
You probably won’t need your screwdriver, hammer, wrenches, or tape measure in the early stages of moving, but believe us when we tell you that you will need them later on. Don’t pack your tools and gloves. You are really going to need them.
8. Avoid Renters Remorse
Renters remorse comes at different points for different people. It may be during the packing process, driving away from the old home, or settling into your new abode. Whatever your case may be, don’t stay in renters remorse for too long. Intentionally recognize any unpleasant or dissatisfied thoughts you are having, and refocus your attention on the things that you love about your new place. The sooner you get over renters remorse, the sooner you will be able to love and appreciate your new home
9. Choose a Good Moving Company
Last, but certainly not least, is the task of choosing a good moving company.
Before asking about a Seattle moving company’s speed, efficiency, or rates, look into how reliable they are. Do they offer insurance? Are their previous clients satisfied? Do they have a professional demeanor and high standards for their work? If a moving companies has these qualities in place, then compare their efficiency, care, and moving rates to their competitors.
On The Go Moving and Storage
As a Seattle moving company, we have watched as families and businesses make these mistakes over and over again. With these tips in mind, you are now equipped to make your Seattle move smoothly and efficiently.
