House relocation can be stressful, time-consuming and expensive affair especially if you have lots of items that need hauling over long distances. However, you can make the process easy by planning and getting help from the right sources. Here are five tips to help when planning a relocation.
Plan Early
When you start preparations early, you have all the time you need to put everything in its right place for the relocation. Make a checklist of things that need to be accomplished each week and give timelines to each activity. Tick each activity that you complete.
Waiting until the last minute might prove expensive, labor intensive and stressful. Do not underestimate the effort and planning required in house removals. Start early to be ready when time comes.
Get Rid of Items You Do Not Need
Do not waste your energy moving things that you do not really need. Before packing everything into boxes and moving, take inventory of everything and categorize items accordingly. Broken furniture, dead electronics that you do not want to have repaired, old clothing and other small items you do not need can be sold at a frugal market or donated to charity. You can also get rid of old cars for cash. This will help cater for part or all your relocation costs. Hire a dumpster to dispose of items that are too old or damaged for donation or sale.
Hire Reliable Professionals
Rather than hiring local labor and a truck, consider hiring professional movers for the work. Shop around for reliable moving companies in your area. Compare about three before picking one with the best combination of service and price. Do it at least three weeks before relocation so to avoid companies already being booked.
Some of the things you should check include whether the company offers insurance on transit, packing boxes, enough labor to lift the heavy items and well-maintained trucks. Only after checking these areas should you consider the price offered.
Pack everything and Label the Boxes Accordingly
Get sturdy boxes for packing your items. If your relocation company offers to supply boxes, have a look at them before signing the contract. Then, pack items according to the type and label the boxes accordingly. For fragile items, write that they are fragile and show the top side of the box. This prevents mishandling of such items. Where possible, you can write the room where the items are destined for the ease of unpacking and arranging at the correct destination.
If you have hired a professional moving team, you do not need to move furniture in an existing home to make removals fast. After packing to move, you can arrange boxes as per the size, heaviness or how fragile the contents are. This will help the team have an easy time putting everything in the right place.
Send Notices to the Utility Firms
Most utility firms need a fortnight to a month’s notice before ending the supply contract. Consider sending out these notices as soon as you decide to move out. The reason is that you may be overwhelmed when the relocation date draws near. Remember that you should have cleared your utility bills by the time you are ending the supply contract.
As for the postal services, notify the mail company of the relocation and your new address. This is to ensure that any mail that comes with your name after the relocation is sent to your new address. You should also change the mailing addresses you gave to any subscriptions.
With good planning, professional assistance and the tips discussed above, your home relocation should be easy.
