Depending on your perspective, moving to a new house can either be incredibly exciting, or unbelievably stressful. In most cases, it’s a little of both. One way you can alleviate at least some of that stress is to make a few preparations before your professional movers arrive, ensuring a process that’s as smooth and efficient as can be. Here are a few suggestions.
6 Ways to Prepare for Your Moving Team
Box Everything Up
Some moving companies will offer to do your packing for you… for an extra expense, of course. Most of the time, though, it’s going to fall to the homeowner to do the boxing. The better job you do, the easier things will be for your movers, and the less likely that any of your stuff will get broken during the move.
Make sure you have strong, sturdy boxes; don’t risk overpacking, which can damage the box; and ensure that all your boxes are sealed properly and clearly labeled.
Prepare Your Home
We’d also recommend making some basic preparations to the home itself, not just to safeguard your property but also to protect your movers from hurting themselves. Some specific recommendations:
- Place a large blanket or tarp in the doorframe, which will prevent mud or debris from getting tracked through the house.
- Put down a tarp over any hardwood floors, especially older, more fragile surfaces.
- If there’s snow and ice outside, make sure you put salt on your driveway and on any stairs.
Dismantle Furniture
Most of the time, your professional moving team will have no trouble getting your furniture out the door. In some situations, though, there may arise some complications, both with smaller doorframes and also with clunkier or oddly shaped items.
Take some measurements, and if you know there’s something that won’t quite fit through the doorway, you may want to go ahead and take it apart… making it a little easier to move, and hopefully saving some time come moving day.
If it’s not something you’re comfortable doing, you may want to call the movers and ask if they can handle it when they arrive.
Make Way for the Truck
Something else you should do before moving day arrives? Think about where the truck should park. Be sure there’s a clear path, and that the movers will be able to arrange the most direct pathway possible between the truck and the entryway to your home.
If your house has its own driveway, and if that driveway is large enough for the moving truck, just be sure everything is free and clear. If the truck will need to park on the street, however, you may need to look into obtaining a permit for it.
Arrange for Childcare
Do you have children who are too small to assist you in the move? If so, then it’s probably best to arrange for them to be elsewhere. The last thing you want during a stressful move is to have kids under foot and in the way. Plus, if the transition is stressful for you, it just might be stressful for your kids, too. Arranging for them to be elsewhere can be for their own good.
Talk to grandma or grandpa if they’re around, and if not, look into possibilities for your child to stay with friends.
Take Care of Your Pets
Our final tip for ensuring a smooth move? Make arrangements for your dog or cat. In much the same way that you don’t want little kids under foot, you also don’t want to have your animals running around, getting in the way, or making noise.
And, just as a move can be surprisingly tough on kids, it may also be a little nerve-racking for your pet. Here again, making the necessary arrangements can be the best thing for everyone involved.
Getting Your House Sold
That does it for our moving tips… but what about house selling tips?
If you’re looking for the best option to get your property listed and sold, allowing you to move on to all the stuff we’ve mentioned here, we’ve got you covered. Get customized house selling tips in your SOLD.com seller’s report, available for free!
