Move like a Pro.
Our team handles hundreds of moves, and I’m finding all the tricks we’ve learned over the years are coming in handy when it comes to my personal move in another two weeks so thought I would share some of them here.
Moving Quotes.
Be sure to have the moving company do an on-site walk through to see the scope of the job and discuss certain details. Does your art need to be crated? Does your piano require a third party mover? What type of coverage do you want? Are there any issues getting in and out of your driveway that they need to be aware of? Does an elevator or parking permit need to be reserved if you are in the city? There are all sorts of things that they will evaluate when visiting your home, apartment or condo and they can only do this by seeing it in person.
Leave yourself enough time.
There are things you can do months ahead of time. Do a floor plan and figure out what you are taking to your new place and what will fit. If you need to get rid of any furniture, be realistic about re-sale value and give yourself enough time to sell. If an item doesn’t sell, be sure to have a plan B with a donation center pick-up or junk haul.
Packing Supplies.
You can purchase packing supplies or many moving companies will offer to drop off supplies ahead of time if you want to get a jump start on some of your packing. Just be aware that moving companies do not cover anything “PBO” so go ahead and pack your books, clothes and paperwork but leave it to the professionals to pack your fragile items so they will be packed correctly and covered for damage.
Last Minute Things.
There are certain things you can do to make the transition easier.
- Hand-carry your essentials: medication, linens to make the bed, critical documents, jewelry and other items that you will need to have access to over the first 3 days or so.
- Pack a box that is labelled “first box to unpack”. This can be whatever you want from a roll of toilet paper to a bottle opener!
- Know where your remote controls and all electronics are and mark the wires before disassembling.
- Label all lamp shades with the corresponding base. Use painters tape to mark so you know what shade goes with what lamp on the other end of the move.
- Consider keeping a vacuum accessible so you can quickly vacuum the rugs before the movers bring in the furniture.
- For local moves, have a cooler that you pack your refrigerator/frozen goods in.
- Consider bringing a collapsible chair or have the movers put one on the truck for you at the very end so you have somewhere to sit when they are unloading rugs and heavy furniture.
- Remember getting some cash for tips.
- Plan your meals for move day.
- Ask the movers if they will take away packing materials or return to pick them up at a later date.
For more moving tips, see our checklist
You can also see the National Association of Specialty and Senior Move Managers guide here.