If you are moving to a new place this year, you are not alone. The average American moves 12 times in their life and a third of renters move every year. Moving can be exciting and a great opportunity but it also takes a lot of work and preparation, even if you are enlisting the help of a residential moving service. To make the process a little bit easier for you, here are three things you should make sure you do prior to your move:
1. Submit a change of address.
It’s recommended that you submit an official change of address to your local post office or online at least 14 days before moving day. This will allow any mail sent to your old address to be forwarded to your new address. Also, remember to change your address wherever it may currently be listed: magazine subscriptions, bank accounts, delivery services, storage rental, etc.
2. Hire reputable furniture movers.
One of the biggest parts of relocating is making sure all of your furniture makes it there with you, and in one piece! To find a moving service that will transport your furniture safely and at a fair price, ask friends for recommendations or look at websites like Angie’s List that screen and rate residential moving services. To be safe, you should hire your moving service about a month before the day of your move and check in with them again a week prior to confirm all of the details.
3. Create a packing strategy.
Don’t just throw all of your stuff into boxes and call it a day. Instead come up with a game plan. Before anything else, sort through everything and get rid of what you don’t want to take to your new place (donate it or throw it away). Now that you’ve scaled down, create labels for packing. Separate them by room first (kitchen, dining, living room, bedroom, etc.) and then drill down into more specific labels (appliances, silverware, pots and pans). Now you’re all set up to pack. It’s more work upfront but when you get to your new house or apartment and are unpacking, you’ll be grateful for it!
Everyone knows there is a huge amount of planning and labor that goes into pulling off a successful move. However, in the end, when you’re comfortably settled in your new place, embarking on a new chapter in your life, it’s all worth it. If you would like more help navigating the moving process, consider using this checklist from Real Simple to keep you organized and sane through it all!
