Sailing Through a Summer Move

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For many families, summer is the most convenient time to move or help a loved one with a move. Since the warm weather is attractive to most people planning moves it can make the summer move season a bit hectic when finding resources to help facilitate your move. One way to ease the stress of the move is creating a plan. Use our tips to make your summer move smooth sailing.

 


Don’t pack a single item, until you remove clutter BEFORE moving into your new home.

Clutter can often make the upkeep and maintenance of any home a challenge. Add the stress of moving into a new environment to an explosion of excess belongings, the stress of packing and unpacking, and the worst part of moving will be intensified. Start the process of decluttering before you pack. Decide which items are most meaningful to you and those you need for your daily routine then identify family heirlooms and keepsakes you are certain you want to bring to your next home. Remember to get a firm understanding of the layout of your new home, including any limitations, and organization wishes you have for your new space. Lastly, create a plan for what you believe should comfortably be in each room. 

Follow these steps to sort through what you own:

  • Itemize your possessions room-by-room
  • Decide what can be sold or donated to a charitable organization
  • Donate or discard what haven't you used within the last year
  • Decide which items you need to schedule estimates or appraisals for
  • Decide if you should host an in-person estate sale or online estate sale auction to sell items with a company like Caring Transitions.
  • Finally purge the identified unwanted items according to what you planned from the previous steps
  • Create an inventory list from the remaining items for each room of your new space 

Plan for utilities, services, insurance and other related tasks weeks in advance.

You can save money on any move related services and have a firm expectation on costs by planning ahead. According to experts, close to 70% of moves occur between mid-May to early September. This drives demand and pricing up on items like moving boxes, moving trucks or vans, and other move related items. Before the move, take care of some the smaller tasks below to enjoy a smoother move experience:

  • Schedule utility service connections and disconnections
  • Collect moving supplies like boxes, tape, packing materials, markers and other essentials
  • Make insurance arrangements and notify your auto insurance company of your new address
  • Set up mail forwarding
  • Make travel arrangements 

Create and execute a plan for packing over time.

Packing can be both a physical and psychological process. From furniture pieces and photos that hold memories, to deciding what to purge, to the labor it takes to move each item, a plan can help simplify the packing process for anyone. Without a plan packing can seem like a daunting task that many people put off until closer to the move. To make it less difficult create a packing plan to efficiently save time, energy, and effort. You can make packing simple by following these steps:

  • Pack over time if you can to make the move less stressful
  • Prepare an essentials box, weekender, or suitcase with everything you need for the first few days in your new home. This would include toiletries, a change of clothes, basic first aid items, bedding, cups and plates, drinks, and snacks.
  • Use boxes that are the perfect size for the items you plan to pack within it.
  • Pack room-by-room and use your inventory list as a guide for what should be packed.
  • Properly label boxes with its destination and a description.
  • Put heavier items on the bottom of the box and fill empty spaces with light items like packing paper, clothes, towels, etc.
  • Create a handle on your boxes by cutting a hand sized triangle shaped hole on opposite sides of the box.
  • Transport important papers, legal documents, small heirlooms and valuables personally. 

Keep a positive outlook and patiently work through the process.

Remember that any move is a process that works best with a plan and lots of patience. When moving in the summer be sure to drink plenty of water and try to schedule the heaviest lifting earlier or later in the day to beat the heat. 

Few if any moves occur without changing the volume of personal possessions, or personal assets. Moving to a larger house typically triggers an increase in furniture or belongings, while moving to a smaller one typically generates a decrease. Whatever move you make, visualizing what you want helps you make a conscious decision to live comfortably in the next place you plan to call home. No matter what, take the time to evaluate the kind of experience you want to have when preparing for your next move.

 

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