Moving home is a major life event. It’s expensive, time-consuming and emotionally draining.
But it can also be a life-affirming experience. The right moves can give you a fresh start and new experiences.
Packing
Packing for a move can be an overwhelming task, but there are many steps you can take to make it go more smoothly. The first thing you can do is plan ahead and organize items by room and function. This will help you find everything when it comes time to unpack in your new home.
Start by getting rid of things you don’t use anymore or aren’t able to fit in your new home. This will help you reduce the number of boxes you have to pack and it will also free up more space for you to fill.
Once you have cleared out the unwanted, it’s time to start packing! Start by packing the most important things first — that includes items like medications, chargers, a few changes of clothes and toiletries.
Label all boxes by room and fill each with a layer of padding to protect them from being broken. This can be newspapers, bubble wrap or even household goods, such as towels or blankets.
For fragile items, such as glassware and dishes, place them in their own box that is labeled with a special phrase. This will ensure they’re not accidentally bumped into or dropped during the moving process.
Another helpful tip is to use old sheets and towels to pad the inside of the boxes. This can save you money and it’s more environmentally friendly too!
You can buy packing materials for a cheap price online, but you can also get them for free if you know where to look. Check Gumtree and Facebook marketplace to see if people are giving away cardboard boxes or packing materials for free, or ask friends and family for their extras.
Cleaning
Moving home is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful. This is because the process of packing, booking transportation, and changing address often overlaps with other life events.
One of the most important aspects of this process is cleaning your new home. Whether you’re the owner or the renter, this task is crucial in order to make sure your new home is clean and tidy.
The floor is the first area that needs to be cleaned, but there are a lot of other surfaces that need attention as well. This includes walls, furniture, baseboards, doors, and more.
You should also check all appliances in the kitchen, especially the oven and fridge, as these can have grease stains or spills that were left behind by the previous tenants. It’s also a good idea to check the rubber gasket and filter for dirt or other grime that could be hiding.
In addition, it’s a good idea to wipe down the cabinet shelves as well, since they may have accumulated food crumbs. This will help you avoid any cross-contamination and ensure that the kitchen is fresh and clean for you to start living in.
Depending on the size of your home, it’s a good idea to break the cleaning up into stages so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. You can do this by dusting higher surfaces before sweeping lower ones.
This will save you a lot of time as well as energy, and you’ll be happy that you did! Besides, you’ll be able to enjoy your new space much more after the cleaning is done! Lastly, a clean home will also be healthier to live in.
Repairs
Regardless of whether you’re moving into your dream home or just out of the rental game, you will inevitably find some things that need a little bit of TLC. These can range from the large to the small, but if you are careful, you should be able to make them look like they were meant to be.
The best way to identify what needs fixing is to go on a walk through of the home before you move in. This will give you an idea of any problems that need fixing and make it easier for you to budget accordingly.
It can also help you identify the smallest and most significant improvements to the home so that you can get them done sooner rather than later. For example, replacing light bulbs may not seem important until you start moving furniture into your new home, but it’s the quickest and most cost effective way to make the place a more functional living space.
There are several other things that can be fixed as you’re moving in, including repairing broken windows, fixing leaky faucets and installing the proper covers on light sockets. These are all relatively easy to do and will save you a lot of time and headaches in the long run.
A good quality home inspection is also a good idea, especially if you are moving in to your dream home. It may cost a few hundred dollars, but it can be worth the price when you consider the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home is in tip-top shape. As a result, you will be able to relax and enjoy your new home more.
Insurance
Moving is a stressful process, and even with the best packing, cleaning and repair work, things can go wrong. This is why it’s important to protect your belongings and ensure they get to their new home in one piece.
The first step to protecting your stuff is to read your homeowners insurance policy carefully. The policy will list “covered perils” that are defined as a stated type of loss that would be covered under your policy. These include fire, theft and breakage of your personal property during transit or storage.
Another way to protect your items is with a movers liability insurance plan that can be purchased from most moving companies. The coverage, which is required by federal law, provides for either the current market value of your items or a cash settlement based on their replacement value.
In addition to covering the cost of your belongings, movers liability insurance can also cover you if the company is sued or found responsible for causing damage or injury while transporting your items. There are two main types of liability insurance a moving company can offer you: released value and full value protection (also called full replacement value protection).
Released value is the most common form of liability coverage offered by moving companies. It insures your property based on its weight instead of its actual value, insuring it for up to 60 cents per pound, which is not enough to replace an item that weighs a heavy 15 pounds but much more than you’d pay to get the same thing replaced at the new location.
Full value protection is a more robust program that reimburses you for the full replacement value of damaged or lost items, replacing them with a similar product or providing you with a cash settlement. The cost of full value liability varies by mover, and different deductibles can reduce or increase the amount you’re covered for.
Moving day
Moving home is a hectic, stressful and emotional process that requires a lot of preparation and planning. From packing to cleaning to repair, there are so many tasks that need to be done before you can start your new life in your new home.
Creating a moving checklist is one of the best things you can do to ensure that everything goes smoothly on your moving day. Having a list can also help to make sure that you don’t leave any important items behind and that all of your items are labeled properly.
If you have kids or pets, a moving checklist is even more essential because you want to make sure that they stay safe. For example, make sure that they don’t run around and damage furniture or other household items.
It’s also a good idea to create a safety kit for them that contains all of their favorite toys, as well as food, water, medicines and any other essentials they might need on the move. This will help them to feel more comfortable and relaxed during the moving process, which can be especially important if they are children or have special needs.
Before the movers arrive, do one final walk-through of your home and check for any items you may have forgotten. This will give you peace of mind and will save you from the stress of finding out something is missing on your moving day.
If possible, try to schedule your movers to come on a Saturday so that you will be able to get a lot of work done ahead of time. That way you will have more time to relax and enjoy the experience of moving.