As all your goods are delivered to your new home, it's easy to get overwhelmed. That's why it's important to do everything you can to maintain control of the situation and make the move as efficient as possible. The following tips will help you plan and keep everything in control when moving into your new home.
Whether moving in or moving out, it's important that you keep a cool head from the start of your moving day. By properly overseeing the activities of your professional movers or amateur helpers, you can ensure the move gets off to a good start.
Overseeing the moving crew on moving day
If you hired movers to handle your relocation, it will be very important that you arrive at your new home before they do.
- You'll be more prepared for when they arrive and can start planning on where you want them to put everything
- You can tell the movers where to park the truck and determine the best way to go in and out of your home
- Should the movers arrive at the destination before you do, they could charge extra for time spent waiting
Create a floor plan for all furniture before moving day. The movers are likely to charge extra if you keep making them rearrange furniture. Some moving companies have policies stating that they can only arrange furniture once. If you're not sure where you want everything to go, you might get stuck having to arrange the furniture yourself.
TIP: Remember, you shouldn't sign any the bill of lading until after the goods are delivered to your new home.
Overseeing a do-it-yourself move
Since you and any friends or family members helping are most likely not professional movers, it's important that you make sure everyone is extra cautious during the move. This way, you can decrease the chances of your goods being damaged and your loved ones getting hurt.
As stated above, it's a good idea to plan out where you want your furniture to go before anything gets brought into the home as it will save you a lot of time, energy and in some cases, money. Once the furniture is brought in, focus on unloading all your boxes. You can create an assembly line and give everyone a specific task:
- The first person will stay in the truck, unloading the boxes and handing them to the second person
- The second person will take the boxes from the truck to the third person who will wait inside the door
- The third person (or as many helpers as you have on hand) will take the boxes and put them in the appropriate rooms
- Allow kids to carry the lighter boxes, and once their belongings are delivered to their new bedrooms, have them start unpacking
TIP: Whether you hired professional movers or carried out a self-move, it's a good idea to have plenty of beverages and snacks to keep everyone happy. After a hard day of moving, you'll need these refreshments!
Overseeing the loading process
If you hired professional movers, then you won't need to worry too much about the loading process.
If you and your friends or family members are helping you move, the truck needs to be loaded properly:
- Everyone should be lifting with their knees instead of the back
- The heaviest items should be loaded in first
- The truck should be balanced, with objects of similar weights placed on opposite sides
After everything is loaded, you should give the home a final walkthrough. While this can certainly be done for sentimental reasons, it will also help you to make sure you haven't left anything behind.
Creating a schedule to manage your time
The best way to manage the activities at your old home is to create a schedule. This schedule should include deadlines for everything that needs to get done, such as:
- Cleaning the home
- Having all of the boxes near the door and ready to be picked up
- Loading the moving truck
- Double-checking every room in your house
No matter how far in advance you packed your boxes, you should check them to make sure they are packed properly with enough padding. You'll also want to make sure that the boxes are properly labeled with your last name, address and the room in your new home where each box should go.
Once you have a general idea of how the day's events will be scheduled, you'll want to make sure that any young children and pets are properly cared for during the moving process. Ask a family member or neighbor to babysit children that are too young to help or figure out a way to keep kids occupied on moving day. Arrange for a pet sitter to keep your dog or cat away from the activities involved with the move-out.