Moving can be one of the most stressful events of your life. Perhaps, it will pressurize you to an extent, forcing you to file for a divorce. If you combine all this stress with innumerable other details of a move, you are bound to make mistakes. No one is willing to take more stress or cause issues that will cost both time and money during a move.
Of course, moving mishaps can happen, but you can always avoid them when it comes to moving house. Though the moving process and its essentials are well documented on the internet, customers continue to make some silly mistakes.
Common mistakes made by the customers
Choosing the wrong moving company
You will find several moving companies in the market, making it challenging for you to choose the right option. You may not want to hire a moving company that doesn't understand your needs and requirements or offers sub-standard services. Here are a few steps that can help you avoid such mistakes:
- Take sufficient time to do your research on the various moving companies.
- Check the certifications, and testimonials and accordingly verify their professionalism.
Forget taking quotes and estimates
Don’t just randomly hire a moving company as this might cost you something that will be beyond your budget. Here are a few tricks for you to apply:
- Shortlist a few reputable moving companies from the huge list.
- Compare their moving estimates and quotes.
So, if you want to make a cost-effective move, choose a company that will charge you according to your budget. Falling short of money at the last moment can cause serious problems.
Asking irrelevant questions
If you don’t ask the right questions, you will not find the right solution. You should always do your homework before connecting with a moving company. Here is what you need to do:
- You should only ask those questions that will help you understand more about the moving company you have connected with.
- The questions you ask should help you understand the company’s service with more clarity.
Not being ready for the move
If you don’t prepare well for the move, you are most likely to fail. You should collect all the required items before the moving day. To have a smooth moving day, keep the following in mind:
- Categorize your items into sections that would be easier for you to manage.
Delay the tasks
If you are moving for the first time, the process can be daunting for you. Also, you will not be able to move smoothly because you don’t know how to go about it. Here are some pointers for your assistance:
- Focus on the various tasks involved in the moving process and set deadlines to accomplish them.
- Prepare a moving checklist and ensure to complete your tasks on time.
Taking too long to pack
Packing will take more time than you expected, specifically if you want to first sort out your belongings. Ideally, you should set five days for packing a three-bedroom apartment. You may add another day to it if you have fragile or other valuable items to pack. Alternatively, you may hire professional movers who have the expertise to carefully pack the most valuable items.
Miss labeling the boxes
Completing packing would be a big accomplishment until you realize you don’t know what’s inside these boxes. If you don’t label clearly, you will not know where these boxes would go and where you may find a specific item. We recommend you label each of the moving boxes with the room to which it belongs and the items it contains. You can use different colored packing tapes for each room, probably this can make your work easier.
Packing heavy items in large boxes
Avoid placing heavy items like books in large moving boxes, as you can face difficulties in lifting as well as transporting them. Small boxes for heavy items seem a great idea as it would be easier for you to manage them during the move.
Not packing an essential bag
If you don’t maintain an essential bag, you can create a big mess juggling among all the boxes you have. It would be a good idea to pack a bag only with essential items, which may contain your toothpaste, toothbrush, a few clothes, toilet paper, paper plates, and cutlery. In a nutshell, keep those items that you may need in the first few days until you finish unpacking your belongings.
Check the new house for furniture
Don't forget to measure your new house, before you move your furniture into it. You shouldn’t wait for the last moment and invite frustration if your favorite couch doesn’t fit in your new home.
Forget buying insurance
If you don’t buy moving insurance, possibly you will make a deep hole in your pocket. You would be moving valuable items to your new home, so don’t take it lightly. We recommend you check with the moving companies to see whether they will offer you full value protection, basic liability coverage, or separate liability insurance.
Not informing anyone about the move
You shouldn’t hide your move from close friends, family members, organizations, or service providers. This will be a part of your moving checklist; you shouldn’t miss this step. If you don’t inform the utility service providers, you will be spending the night in a house without electricity, heat, or AC. Here are some suggestions for you to avoid this situation:
- Set a turn-off day for your utility bills before leaving your old house.
- Schedule a turn-on day, a few weeks before the moving day.
- Pay any due utility bills before leaving your old location.
Giving preference to cost over value
Not all low-budget movers will offer you fair value. We suggest you choose a moving company that will offer you high value for your money. You need to look for the following:
- Comprehensive and reliable services.
- Professionalism
- Responsive attitude
Trying to do it all by yourself
A DIY move seems like an ideal option if you want to save money. However, trying to do everything on your own can give you unnecessary stress. You can take the following steps to avoid such stress:
- Hire professional movers who can assist you with any essential aspect of your move.
- You can seek assistance just for packing your belongings and managing to move heavy items.
- You may hire a rental truck to relocate your belongings but do the loading and unloading by yourself.
Apart from the possible mistakes that we have discussed above, here are a few moving mishaps that can occur at any part of your move. We will suggest to you the right ways to handle such accidents and make your move easier.
Moving mishaps that you must avoid
Damaged furniture
Damaging furniture is one of the most common moving mishaps that can happen, even if you hire professional movers. Most likely, heavy furnishings like a desk, sofa, or chairs can get scratched or banged during the move. You can mistakenly drop a piece of furniture while lifting, moving, or transporting it to your new home.
How can you prevent furniture damage?
- Consider dissembling the furniture as much as possible before lifting or moving it.
- Ensure preparing and packing the furniture properly.
- Make use of moving blankets and stretch wraps to secure individual items and protect the furniture corners.
- You can use moving tools like furniture dollies, tie-downs, and loading ramps to move heavy furniture securely to your new home.
Scratched floors
While moving heavy furniture or moving boxes, you can mistakenly scratch the floors of your house. Since the floors are mostly built of softwood, they can get scratched easily, if you move heavy items on them. Alternatively, if you have tiles on the floor or if it is made of stone, it can't be easily scratched but still, chances exist.
How do you prevent scratches on the floor?
- You should make use of towels, cardboard, or moving blankets while you slide heavy items across the floor.
- If you are moving by yourself, consider using furniture sliders under the heavy items to glide them easily across the floor.
Moving Scam
Don’t let the rogue movers scam you, as this could be the worst moving mishap that can happen to you. If you hire unlicensed movers to transport your belongings, most likely you are into a moving scam. Unfortunately, the unlicensed movers can steal your belongings, keep your items hostage or even break your items.
How can you avoid moving scams?
- If you are moving for the first time, make sure to check if the moving company has a proper license and is insured.
- You should read the reviews and complaint history of a few shortlisted moving companies. We recommend you check with the Better Business Bureau for any bad reviews or complaints about the company you have chosen.
- Apply a little bit of your common sense to evaluate the professionalism of the moving company chosen by you.
Not hiring a babysitter
Moving with small children and pets can create a huge mess if you don’t take the right steps. You may end up spending most of your time taking care of them, instead of relocating to your new house. We suggest you can either appoint a reliable friend or a family member to take care of your children or your pets if you have one.
Forgetting about your new neighbors
On moving day, a professional mover might park a large truck in your new neighborhood. This will consume a lot of space and block the driveway to which your new neighbors might object.
How do we avoid such chaos?
- Obviously, you can't change the size of the moving truck. However, you can let your neighbors know about the situation beforehand.
- Make sure you inform your neighbors about the arrival of the movers at the location.
- Talk to the movers before the moving day and help them decide where to park their moving truck.
- Finally, you need to get the approval of the HOA, at least a week before the moving day.
You can connect with professional movers like movers.com and make your relocation journey easier. However, if you are making a DIY move, we suggest you go through the above-discussed points and take your first step towards making a smooth move.