 Preparation is key, and that doesn’t exclude preparing your new home before you finally move in. Although you might feel like there isn’t much to do because it’s a “new” home and all the work went into setting up the move, there are plenty of things you can actually get a jump-start on.
Do a Walkthrough First and foremost, do a thorough walk-through of the home while it is empty. This will give you an opportunity to start a mental plan for where items and furniture will go, measure the spaces, check on any agreed-upon repairs or appliances that were supposed to be left in the home or taken out, check outlets and other electrical components, check that doors and windows work properly, or look for any new issues that might have come up. It’s best to bring up any issues sooner than later to avoid hassle. If you’re unable to do a walk-through, see if you can schedule a virtual tour with your realtor to cover these important tasks. You might even be able to get a 3D scan of the living space and a blueprint with dimensions so that you don’t have to physically be there to measure Perform a Deep Clean It wouldn’t make sense to do a deep clean after all of your belongings and furniture are moved in because then you’ll have to clean around a bunch of clutter. So instead, try and get into the new home before the moving day and clean the place from top to bottom. If you aren’t able to physically get into the home yourself to do a deep clean, hiring a cleaning company to do it for you is another option. Since there won’t be additional furniture and items collecting dust and causing messes, there’s a good chance the cleaning service will be cheaper than a standard service for a home that has all its furniture and belongings. Create an Unpacking Plan Just like a packing plan is helpful, so is an unpacking one. Labeling your boxes during the packing process is key, but so is prioritizing what boxes need to be moved in and unpacked first when you arrive. For example, you might want to prioritize unpacking the kitchen items before the living room items so you can care for your basic needs when you first move in and worry about the “luxuries” later. An unpacking plan can be done without physically being inside your new home, so this one shouldn’t be hard to plan if it's an out-of-state or long-distance. move. Set Up Utilities, Internet, Etc. I’m sure you don’t want to spend the first night in a cold, dark house or bored without cable or internet so make sure to set up your utilities beforehand and schedule them to turn on on your moving day. This includes electricity, heat, gas, water, internet, phone and cable. For some companies you can simply transfer services but for others you’ll have to cancel and restart, depending on the company or where you’re relocating. Change Locks Something that not many people think about is changing your locks. Even if you might not be concerned about the previous owner, you don’t know who else might have a copy of the key. Schedule a locksmith to come by beforehand to change your locks, including locks on the windows. The expense will be rewarded with peace of mind. Childproof / Petproof the Home If moving with children or pets, take extra steps to ensure their safety. Have an emergency first aid kit and extra supplies easily available, childproof the house by protecting outlets, sharp corners, or open doors/windows, keep dangerous tools out of reach (scissors, box cutters, glass), keep dangerous cleaning chemicals out of reach, setup playpens, install security cameras or baby cameras, etc. The safety of your pets and children always come first. If this isn’t something you can do before your move-in day, just make it a priority and get it done as soon as you get to the new house and before you unpack everything. Do a quick walk-through and protect where you can, or have your kid’s playpen or dog’s crate in an easy to access location for a quick setup. Explore the Community Whether you physically drive around the neighborhood and town or do some google searching, it’s always a good idea to get an idea of the neighborhood before you move in. Make sure to have addresses and phone numbers for the nearest grocery store, pharmacy/drugstore, doctors office, emergency vet and regular vet, and police station. Having a plan is the best way to reduce anxiety, make sure nothing on your to-do list gets missed, and make for a smooth and easy moving experience. Make a checklist to keep yourself on track and prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. You can also ask your moving company what kinds of additional services they offer to help reduce the load on your plate!
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 Back in the day when people were about to move or simply just looking to get rid of items, their first thought would be to host a garage sale and sell their items for dirt cheap just to get them out of the house. But now with today’s technology, there are so many apps and websites you can sell your belongings on instead AND make a decent chunk of change back too depending on what you are selling.
Let’s take a look at some of the apps you can start using now to sell all the items you need before your move. OfferUp Considered the best overall app, Offerup lets you sell your items nationwide and sends you a prepaid label when you sell your items. There is the option to sell locally as well, and you get paid directly through the app into your bank account to make it easy. It has a large user base, is very versatile, and allows you to message potential buyers. OfferUp also has a number of designated “Community Meetup Spots” which are brightly lit areas with video cameras around, making your selling experience safe and offering some peace of mind. LetGo Letgo is an app that will help you sell items locally as well, and offers many different categories to list your items in so you can be very specific about what you are selling. It’s free, which is a huge bonus, and has verified user profiles so you know the buyer isn’t a bot. This app has been featured by the New York Times and published by The Balance Everyday as the #1 app of their 7 best local selling apps. The nice thing about this app is you can tag your items and make it easy for buyers to find what you’re selling. Decluttr The Decluttr app is known for being a great place to sell electronics, gadgets, games, books and other like-items. This app is a little different from the others because you sell to the app itself instead of potential butters. All you have to do is login, get a quote, and if you like the offer, and then you ship off your item. It’s free, fast and easy, and allows for free shipping on all orders. Another great perk is you can even sell your broken electronics! They accept gaming consoles, tablets, computers, smartwatches, cell phones, textbooks, CD’s, DVD’s and more. Poshmark More than 80 million members around the world use Poshmark, and it is one of the greatest places for selling second-hand clothes that are still in good condition, as well as home decor, makeup and more. Its as simple as taking a picture and uploading them with a description and price! Poshmark even provides a prepaid label addressed to the buyer when you make a sale. All you’ll have to do is package it up, drop it off at the post office or have USPS pick it up from your home for free! Facebook Marketplace We know that Facebook Marketplace can be a bit of a hassle sometimes but believe it or not, this is considered one of the best places for quick sales and it’s easy to find someone local through it who is willing to pick up the item. It never hurts to have your item listed on facebook marketplace in addition to other places. 5Miles If you’re looking to sell furniture or other big-ticket items, 5Miles is a good place to sell. You can share your listings with buyers in your area and the app offers a meet-up location finger to ensure the buyer and seller can agree on a safe and neutral place to exchange their items. A cool thing about this app is there is an in-app translation tool for non-English speakers to improve the experience for everyone. This app currently has more than 14 million users, so expect a wide reach on this app! eBay If you’re looking to make some bigger sales and get top dollar for your items, eBay might be your place to go to sell. However, expect to ship your items because it isn’t as good for selling locally. The good thing about eBay is it is well-known by a lot of people so you have a wide reach, and you can access it from a laptop, computer or tablet as well as your smartphone. When it comes to getting rid of items nowadays there are so many options available. Whether you list multiple items across many platforms or pick and choose platforms based on the items you want to sell, you are almost guaranteed to sell your items without much effort. Just always make sure to stay safe and be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times if you are meeting someone up for a sale, or even buying an item from someone. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up now and get selling! Your next buyer is waiting!  Before we make any wrong impressions, let’s first emphasize that any good moving company will make sure to take most of the load off your back and put it on theirs instead. What good would we be if we made you do most of the work still?
Although we cut down a lot of your to-dos though, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do anything on your moving day. There are plenty of things you should still do before and during moving day to help your movers, especially considering they can’t do it all. Let’s talk about how you can help. Before Moving Day Moving companies are usually responsible for handling all the furniture, artwork, mirrors and electronics so unless part of your contract with the moving company includes packing your other belongings into boxes too, this is something you have to do yourself. Don’t forget, the longer the movers are there, the higher the cost, so have this done well before the moving day. Be sure to label and color-code all your boxes as well so when you arrive at the new home, the moving company knows right where to take the boxes. In addition, keep in mind that by law, moving companies are prohibited from putting flammable, perishable, or dangerous items into their truck. Therefore, you are responsible for those. Set aside a “no pack zone” with items that are traveling with you in your personal car so that the movers don’t include those items. Some other items you want to pack yourself include plants, any valuables and important documents and records. In addition to packing up your items, be sure to make arrangements for kids and pets so that on the day of the move, that is taken care of and you aren’t scrambling around for a babysitter or petsitter. The last thing you want to do is juggle kids or a dog while you’re trying to pack a truck. On Moving Day On the day of the move, be thoughtful and kind to the people helping. To be a great host, consider showing the moving company around the home, offer bottled water and snacks, show them where the restroom is, and be open/honest with them about anything they need to know. Another good idea is to keep some cash on hand to tip them. Although not required, it is courteous! Some other ways to help during the day of the move include stripping the beds of all linens, unplugging all electronics, and removing any unnecessary items that will get in the way such as trash or your “to be donated” boxes. Lastly, prepare the environment to be efficient! Measure furniture and doorways to see if anything will need to be disassembled, and prep the floors by clearing pathways and laying down drop-clothes or large blankets to protect the floors. Another thing you can do during the move is clean! Whether you go to the new home and clean before the movers arrive to prepare the space, or clean the old home room by room as they are emptied, this task will keep you busy for hours! Just keep in mind that you always want at least one person on-site with the movers to handle any tricky situations or answer questions. Although hiring a moving company will help with a lot of your moving “to-do’s”, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to lift any fingers. There are several things you can do while the movers are doing their job to make the whole process go by more quickly and smoothly. In addition, since they are responsible for moving your items, that makes you responsible for supervising the job and double checking that everything is going as expected. When in doubt, talk to your moving company to discuss any details about the moving day so that you are both fully prepared for what to expect. The more you have planned and thought-out, the better everything will go!  Moving homes can be quite the undertaking and oftentimes takes more time and planning than most people think. Add that on top of your normal day-to-day duties and suddenly it feels like you lost all hope of sleeping! Of course, hiring a moving company can make the process go more smoothly and quickly, but making a moving timeline from the very beginning is really one of the best strategies to tackle all your to-dos and make sure you have your home ready in time. Let’s take a look at a standard moving timeline and then get into how to build your own timeline for the move!
Here is a 2-month sample timeline you can use to guide yourself when you make yours! Weeks 1-4 ● Clean & organize ● Gather boxes ● Hold a garage sale ● Book your moving company ● Pack lesser-used items ● Sign lease/close home sale Weeks 5-6 ● Get keys for new home ● Final repairs ● Pack everything except essentials ● Make plans for items that can’t go in truck ● Make travel plans for family ● Cancel local accounts and subscriptions ● Make arrangements for pets Week 7 ● Pack everything but travel bags ● Disassemble furniture ● Wrap up all final affairs ● Forward mail to new home Week 8: ● Load your truck ● Clean the old home one final time ● Transfer utilities ● Fix any last-minute issues ● Hand over old keys ● Travel safe! Now that you’ve seen a sample guide and have an idea of what your two-month timeframe should look like, here are some things to keep in mind as you build your timeline: Make a Master Moving Information Sheet Getting organized will be the key to making sure you are keeping track of everything during your move. Grab a binder or notebook and get organized by writing down every single vital detail. Whether it be important dates to remember, receipts, your moving budget, what items you plan to donate, what items you plan to sell… keeping everything about your move written down in one place will keep you and your brain organized. Plan Your Moving Timeline Length Although 2 months might seem like a long time to prepare for a move, this is the timeline recommended by almost all moving companies to make sure you get everything done without making you feel burnt-out. Moving can take a lot of time, especially if you have a lot of belongings. 2 months will give you plenty of time to organize your things as you go and donate things you don’t need, that way your unpacking job becomes a lot easier. Depending on how your schedule is for the 2 months leading up to your move, you can break those months down into weeks like we did above to create your own timeline. Make a Moving To-Do List Before categorizing all your to-do’s into a calendar to determine the timeline, you will need a to-do list first! Write down all of the things you need to do first so you can see what kind of time you need to get it all done. Don’t forget to factor in the time you will need for cleaning! Once you have your list and deadlines (see next section), you can begin to add those to-dos to wherever they make the most sense in the timeline. Set Deadlines Setting deadlines can help to keep you on task and motivated. For packing/organizing, breaking the task up into chunks can help make things seem less overwhelming, whether you break it up room by room or category by category, depending on what works best for you. Make sure to also write down the deadlines for the old and new house. For example, when do the old keys need to be handed over? When do you close on your lease or home purchases? When do you get the new keys? When do you have to transfer utilities? Once you have your deadlines you can figure out where the to-dos will fit into your timeline. Get It Done Early Making sure you have mostly everything done a week before your actual moving date is important. There will always be a delay somewhere, so having that last week to plan for any delays is really helpful in decreasing the stress experienced in the days before the big move. Discussing schedule flexibility with your scheduled moving company might also be a good idea so you are prepared in case of a situation. Every moving company has their own set of policies so make sure you know what to expect. The last thing you need is a surprise that could ruin the big day.  Moving is stressful enough when you just have to take care of yourself, but when you factor in your other family members, it becomes utterly overwhelming. Kids and pets only add chaos to the experience. When it’s time to head to your new place, these tips for moving with pets can help take a little bit of the pressure off of the move.
Before the Move Part of making sure moving day goes smoothly is preparing before the moving company even shows up to your house. This is especially true when it comes to pets. Since they don’t adjust to change quite as well as (most) people, getting them ready beforehand is important. If you haven’t yet picked out your home or apartment, you may want to consider checking to make sure the homes you’re looking at are pet-friendly. Make sure they allow pets, obviously, but also check to make sure the neighborhood is a good place to walk dogs. Next, make sure your pets are used to the packing supplies you will be using so they’re not nervous when they see them all moving around them that day. Start packing your less used items in boxes a couple weeks before the big move, and then just leave them in rooms throughout the house. This will help reduce their anxiety—along with the number of box attacks you might face (yes, that’s a thing!). If your pet is exceptionally anxious about change, you may want to visit your vet and ask what options they have Lastly, since pets are creatures of habit, keeping your pet’s routine normal will help them feel less frantic the day you move and in the days after you get into the new home. This means keeping their feeding times the same as normal, walking them or letting them out as close to the normal time as possible, and even lights-out (and on) at times close to their normal times. If you can keep this up the weeks before and after the move, the adjustment to the new home won’t be quite as hard on your pet. Moving with Pets: Moving Day Traveling and Transportation On moving day, many considerations need to be made aside from just helping to keep your pet calm. One such consideration is figuring out how you will get your pet to your new home. If you’re just moving a few cities or hours away, you can probably plan to load them into the car and let the movers take everything else. However, if you will be traveling by plane or on a further journey, you will need to make accommodations to ensure you have the proper transportation setup. Pets get nervous easily, so even if yours is typically great in a car, make sure you keep her leashed or in a crate at all times. This is for their safety in case of accident but also to avoid them slipping out of the door or window. If they were to get loose in an unfamiliar area, it could be impossible you will ever get them back. Don’t take the risk. Keep them secured the whole time. Make sure to plan for potty breaks during the trip as well to avoid accidents and help get out those travel willies. It helps if you take some car rides with their setup a few weeks prior to the move so they know what to expect and will be less unsure when the real trip happens. If you and your pet are traveling by air, make sure you’ve made the proper accommodations and have checked your specific airline’s requirements for an animal. Safe Place to Stay Keep in mind that doors will be open almost the entire day on moving day while people come and go, so regardless of what kind of pet you have, you’ll need to make sure they have a good place to stay. Best case scenario would be to leave them in a comfortable boarding facility (if moving nearby) or with friends or family to keep them safe. If that isn’t possible, consider enclosing them in a crate or a quiet room away from all the noise where they can be closed in safely with their familiar blankets, beds, and toys. Make sure you pop in regularly to check on them and to take them out regularly. Again, try to make sure you keep them on their schedule as closely as you possibly can. This way, even though they’ll be anxious about the change in home, they won’t have to be anxious about change in routine (or being hungry). Final Points About Moving with Pets If you are moving across state lines, make sure you know the laws about bringing new pets into the states. Some states require a full health record showing a clean bill of health and up-to-date vaccines, while others might not allow your particular pet in the state at all. Some reptiles and tropical fish are not allowed in certain states, and sometimes even the insects they eat are against the law or banned. Knowing these laws ahead of time can help you plan accordingly and make sure you’re prepared. You’ll also want to make sure your new home is pet-proofed so your pet doesn’t get into anything they shouldn’t or encounter anything unsafe. Make sure doors are secure, the floor is vacuumed so they can’t pick anything up, and the yard is safe from poisonous plants before you let them out. Give them time to settle in. While you know exactly what’s happening (and are still probably stressed), they have no idea why they’re no longer home. It will take them a while to get used to it. Some pets might adjust right away or within a few days, while some might take a few months to get used to things, especially if they didn’t travel or visit new homes very often prior to moving. Be patient, and give them plenty of attention, stick to their routine, and ensure you’re keeping them properly secured while they get used to their new surroundings. Give them their own space for as long as you can so they can get used to their crate space, food location, litter box, what door they go out, or anything else they may need to remember. Me and My Truck Can Help with a Smooth Move While pets can’t be transported via a moving truck, hiring a moving company can help you create space in your car to transport them yourself. It can also help take many of the big tasks off your plate so you can tend to your furry pal and help them feel more comfortable. We can help move big crates or aquariums as well. Me and My Truck is your go-to Ohio moving company. We’ll take all the big things off your plate so you can focus on helping your four-legged family members settle in.  While a floor plan is beneficial for those moving, what many people don’t consider is how beneficial a floor plan can be for the ones helping you move.
The last thing you want is to pay more money and experience more chaos because the professional movers you hired to help you pack and unload do not know where they will be getting boxes from and where they will be placing the boxes once you arrive at your new home. A moving plan will save you time and money by making sure everyone involved in the process is informed of what the plan is. The best thing you can do is print out a floor plan of your new home. From there, you should be able to label what rooms are where. This is especially beneficial if you label each box with what room it is going in. It is also beneficial in a sense that it lets you draw in where your furniture will be going, not only making it easier for the movers to know where they are taking said furniture, but for you to know ahead of time if your furniture will even fit in the room you plan on inserting it in. Because you will be able to visualize where your furniture is going, you will also know what furniture you might not want to take with you. Once you know what you won’t be keeping, you can donate it or sell it online. Having a floor plan printed out also means you can plan the smaller things. Items such as plants, rugs, and smaller décor. Knowing where you want these smaller items will allow you to get your belongings unpacked and put in place much quicker. Items like an air fryer or silverware have an obvious home in your kitchen, but not every item is so obvious. If you have everyone rearranging boxes as you are trying to get moved in and unpacked, not only will your stress rise, but you could easily lose very important belongings. Overall, a floor plan can only be beneficial. It will save you time and money while making the movers jobs much easier as well.  Moving is not a cheap endeavor. Obviously to be moving means you are getting a new home, which is expensive in its own right, but many people don’t consider the cost of moving itself. If you decide to use a moving company, which it is recommended you do, that mixed with a moving truck will already cost you a decent amount. What many people don’t consider are all of the little costs that add up when you are moving. Here are 7 costs of moving.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2023
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