Moving is Never Simple!

There is no such thing as a ‘simple move’.  Planning and organizing beforehand is key to a smooth move no matter how big or small it is.

Today I’m going to talk about how I am switching families and a few rooms next month and the 6 important steps to take to make it all happen.

We are in the process of switching families and a few rooms.  My eldest daughter and grandson have been living with me and she is getting married next month.  My youngest daughter and granddaughter will be moving here as she will be starting nursing school in the Fall.

They agreed to switch homes since the Pandemic has kept many of us without work and they didn’t want to change their plans.  So the only furniture being moved are the bedrooms.  Sounds simple right?  NOT!!

There are 6 Steps that I feel need to happen:

• Hire a professional mover. First thing the kids said is “we can do it mom, no problem”.  I recommend you don’t do it yourself as the last time I bought a new couch and the old couch needed to be moved to the basement.  We had 2 guys plus my husband and it ended up flying down the stairs and into my wall leaving a nice big hole.  The coach broke in the back as well.  I promised myself then, thankfully no one was hurt, that I would never do that again without a professional mover.

The real benefit of having a prof mover is they take apart and put back the furniture a lot faster than we ever could – definitely worth the money!

Deciding on a date to move sometimes depends on the movers availability – especially in the summer.  Schedule this first!  I always get 3 quotes when deciding who to use and that takes time.

• Request time off work: it’s important that you remember to do this or I’ve been hired to coordinate the move without the owners there.
• Measure the items and outline the rooms. Walls with windows and closets can leave you with no wall space to put furniture. I measured the furniture we are moving and then took painters tape and measured the rooms they will be placed in to make sure everything will fit.
• Sorting takes the most time:  you need to go thru clothes, books, toys, from the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, basement, garage and put items into 3 categories:
  1. Use
  2. Store
  3. Donate

It is a perfect time to purge unwanted stuff.  This process should start at least one month before you move so a little bit gets done every week unless you are able to hire someone like me.  My clients like that I organize and label all items for packing and I bring all of the sorted items together wherever they are throughout the house and label them for packing.

• Purchase boxes, tape/dispensers and sharpies:
  1. I found a good mix of boxes on Amazon but none were extra strength for books.  I bought 5 small heavy duty boxes for easy lifting of heavy items such as books at Home Depot.
  2. I also found a box of packing paper on Amazon to protect anything from breaking
  3. If you are storing items in a basement, garage or attic it is best to store those items in a clear and/or labeled bin.
• Last – you might want to think about Painting, Clean and/or replace carpet after the furniture is moved. My daughter that is moving back has already found new furniture and picked out colors for the move.

So moving is not simple but it can be fun and exciting for change always seems to bring new challenges.  I like to help those who fear those challenges by making sure their move goes smoothly and with less stress.  If you have moved yourself,  you know what I’m talking about.