5 Mistakes You Should Avoid When Moving
Moving is often tedious and stressful and can take a toll on anyone. You have to worry about your new neighborhood, valuable items, transportation, and tax liabilities. With all this burden, you might think you’re bound to make mistakes. That’s not the case anymore.
Look at five common mistakes you should avoid.
1. Not Researching Your Moving CompanyPerhaps you think you’ve landed a great deal with your local moving company, and you’re willing to commit to a contract with them. But have you done your research? Always do so! Check to see if they are trustworthy, reliable, licensed, and safe.
Many things could go wrong in transit from your old home to your new house, so always be up-to-date with your moving company. To ascertain credibility, check if they have a BBB accreditation or a USDOT service number. The USDOT number is a legal license number issued to interstate moving companies by the Department of Transportation.
2. Choosing DIY Moving Rather Than Professional ServicesYou might want to save on money by choosing to DIY your move rather than ask for help from professional movers. While you can do that, this is not always cost-effective.
Moving yourself may attract many hidden expenses such as incurring road expenses like road tolls, renting a moving vehicle and moving equipment, purchasing packing materials, and paying for transport fuel. Also, you may have to cover additional expenses like property damage or personal injury because of inexperience.
Therefore, moving by yourself will often cost you more and require more labor from you, so don’t shy away from asking for help.
3. Not Requesting and Comparing Moving EstimatesMoving companies will have different estimates, so pick the one that suits your budget. Ideally, a moving company will conduct a site survey to measure the weight and size of your items to give you more accurate quotes, so do this for at least three companies before you settle on your final company.
Not requesting or comparing your in-house estimates could cost you extra money to pay for additional packaging costs, so be adamant about in-house estimates.
4. Moving Without a ChecklistA checklist is essential to keep you on track with time, responsibilities, and your budget. The inventory offers you an organizational plan for a successful house move.
A checklist could be an eight-week train of thought where you highlight all the tasks you must accomplish at each stage. For example, eight weeks before moving, research moving companies and school options for your children, issue a notice to the landlord if necessary, and visit your new neighborhood. Seven weeks prior, get moving estimates and reserve storage.
By the third and fourth week, begin packing, transferring utilities and medical records, and updating addresses for the bank or credit cards. By the last week, deal with minor tasks like cleaning your old home, packing kitchenware and other essentials, and bidding your neighbors goodbye.
A moving checklist will keep you focused on your tasks and motivated and ensure a stress-free move.
5. Not Shopping for Insurance for Your Valuable ItemsMoving insurance is a safety net in case of property damage during move day. While this is not a must, you might consider discussing available insurance options with your movers and choose a liability coverage that works best for you.
Perhaps purchase adequate insurance for your valuable items. This means complete value protection for your valuables, so the company will be liable to pay the total cost as long as the item was in their possession at the time of damage.
Moving has many responsibilities, from searching for the right service company, planning for your new neighborhood, packing, updating your contact information, giving notices, and preparing the family to move.
Luckily, you don’t have to do all that alone; contact us today. Let’s help you with your moving needs.