What to Do Before the Moving Truck Arrives
Moving can be stressful, but planning can reduce most of that stress and ensure everything goes smoothly. With nearly 30 years of moving experience, you can trust the professional movers at Leaders have plenty of experience planning residential moves. We want to share everything we have learned over the past three decades to teach you the best way to approach planning a residential move.
Get Started Early
There are a million things to consider when planning a residential move. The best approach to move planning is to start early, so you don’t find yourself scrambling to get everything in order at the last minute. Starting early doesn’t mean packing everything the day you decide to move, but you should start thinking about the following questions and draft a general plan surrounding your estimated moving date.
Hire Movers or Do it Yourself?
One of the first things to consider is the nature of your move. Are you moving out of state or to the other side of town? Will you be able to get off work, or will you have to be at the office? These things will directly influence whether you hire a moving company or perform the move on your own.
Hiring a moving company is undoubtedly easier, but it costs money, and you have to trust the well-being of your things in the hands of a stranger. If you do plan on hiring a moving company, you should start looking for one like Leaders. Our residential moving services are fairly priced, and we have nearly many great reviews to back up the quality of our services.
Moving on your own is the most affordable approach, especially if you have access to a truck, trailer, and some extra people to lend a hand. Regardless of what works best for you, the method of moving should be one of the first things you consider when planning a move.
Gather Packing Supplies
You can’t move without packing, and you can’t pack without packing supplies. Boxes, tape, and bubble wrap are essential packing supplies that every mover needs. The sooner you get the supplies, the sooner you can start packing and reduce stressful last-minute packing.
There are one of two ways you can go about gathering packing supplies. You can purchase everything from a moving store or company like Leaders, or get the items for free elsewhere. Purchasing everything is the easiest way to go about it, but if you’re trying to save money, it’s not always the best way. However, Leaders offers a box refund program, where we will buy back your small, medium, large, and dish boxes for 80% of the original cost. The boxes must be in good condition after the move, with tape removed and the box broken down. You will also want to label boxes on the tape, so that writing is removed with the tape upon return.
If you want to save money, you can collect scrap paper to replace bubble wrap. The most common replacement packing paper is old newspapers and magazine pages. If you work at a place that produces boxes, you can take them from work in the weeks leading up to your move to avoid purchasing them. If your job doesn’t use boxes, you can ask a local convenience store or retailer if they have any boxes you can take. Most places are more than happy to offload boxes on someone who needs them.
Take Inventory
You know that attic and closet you have been talking about cleaning for the past couple of years? Well, now is your chance. Taking inventory not only helps in move planning but it gives you an opportunity to get rid of all the old stuff you no longer need. This gives you a chance to donate or sell old things, making the packing and unpacking process much easier down the road. It will also reduce the cost of hiring a moving company if you choose to do so.
Create a Packing Schedule
You don’t want to pack everything early only to find out you need something at the bottom of a mountain of fully-loaded boxes. Determine what can and cannot be packed early, so you don’t find yourself wasting time looking for that specific dish, book, or t-shirt. If all this packing sounds like too much stress, you can always hire a professional packing company to take care of it for you.
How to Plan Your Residential Move the Leaders Way
When it comes to planning a residential move, nobody does it better than Leaders. We have been planning and executing moves for nearly 30 years, and we know the ins and outs of every step of the process. Coming up with an effective plan will make your move less stressful, more affordable, and more enjoyable than you ever imagined. Contact Leaders today for more information on move planning and professional moving services.
About the author
LEADERS Moving & Storage was founded in 1994 in Ohio with a pickup truck and a handshake. Since then, we’ve become one of the largest moving companies in the Midwest and have set the standard for others to follow.
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