There are countless amount of moving tips across the web. We decided to provide you with the most useful ones. This article created solely to educate you as a customer and offer comprehensive information and tips for your upcoming move.
60 moving tips for your move
It is easier to look for specific tips via a few different categories. Therefore, find your category and check out all the ideas and recommendations. Have questions? Contact us today.
- 20 Preparation tips
- Moving within the state (on your own)
- Moving out-of-state (on your own)
- How to find local and long-distance movers
- Moving tips for the move with a local moving company
- Moving tips for the move with a long distance moving company
Moving tips, moving on your own
20 Preparation tips
- Plan ahead, not a day or a week before, but a month before.
- Moving to or from an apartment? Call the management and set-up your move-in and move-out dates and time.
- Organize your belongings. Donate or trash all the items that you don’t need in your new home.
- Reserve a moving truck, the most popular options are Penske, Uhaul, and Budget.
- When reserving a truck, make sure it is the right size. Check out this Penske guide for more information.
- Buy the supplies from HomeDepot or Uhaul, they are offering affordable and quality packing materials.
- Don’t forget to buy the straps and a few pads. These will help you to secure your load and prevent possible damages in transit.
- Pack your dishes and fragile items in the small and medium boxes. Be sure to fill all the empty space inside the box.
- Cloth and other miscellaneous can be packed in the large and extra-large boxes.
- Have books? Use only small boxes. It will be easier for you to handle small boxes full of books rather than the large boxes.
- How to pack cloth on hangers? Pack it with a garbage bag and place it in your car or a wardrobe box if you have one.
- Don’t pack liquids, flammables, and food. Take these items with you in the car, avoid long drives and extreme heat.
- Better move plants in your vehicle. It is not a good idea to load your plants with the furniture in the truck.
- Pre-pack your furniture, disassemble it and pack glass inserts with the bubble wrap. This will save you time and hassle on the day of your move.
- Get help. Friends and family can help you with the preparation, however, we suggest hiring movers when it comes to the loading of the truck.
In addition
- Set-up utilities and internet at the new location. Provide the termination date to your providers at the old location.
- Change the address on your credit cards and bank accounts.
- Change the billing address on all online portals that you use to avoid the interruption of service.
- Check with your DMV office to update the address on your license.
- Have water and snacks available on the day of the move. It is important to stay hydrated while moving.
Moving within the state (addition to the 20 moving tips for preparation)
- Planning your local move? Here is one of the best moving tips for you: use moving planner for local moves.
- If you are moving within 50 miles return your rental truck to the same location. However, if you are moving farther than 100 miles than it will be a better idea to select a one-way option.
- Not moving far? Rent equipment to handle your goods. It will save you money, time and make your move easier. Home Depot, Penske, Budget and few other places offer such an option.
- Moving in-state? Use plastic bins to pack oddly shaped items. This allows certain unusually shaped items to be handled without the box.
- Don’t break your back. Hire Top Notch Movers to do the loading and unloading of your truck.
Moving out-of-state (addition to the 20 moving tips for preparation)
- Pay attention to how you pack the boxes, fill them to the top. Also, buy heavy-duty corrugated boxes for additional protection.
- Use ratchet straps and ropes to secure your goods inside the truck. We suggest having at least three straps for the 16 ft truck, and at least four for the 26ft truck.
- Get wardrobe boxes, use them for miscellaneous items and oddly shaped pieces that won’t fit in the regular box. Watch the weight of the wardrobe! You or movers must be able to lift it.
- Allow yourself a week or more to move out-of-state. It is a complicated process and surely takes more than a weekend to complete.
- When driving on the road, take brakes. Not everyone can drive eight or ten hours without the rest. Keep yourself and other people safe by allowing stops to recharge.
Moving tips, moving with the local or long distance movers.
Relocating with the help of the moving company can be beneficial. However, it is not for everyone. Looking for a mover? Let us share our best moving tips on how to work with the local movers near you or long distance movers.
How to find local and long-distance movers. Tips for your search.
- Find a moving company near you. We suggest using Google Maps, Google Search, Yelp, and HomeAdvisor. Look up companies in your zip code, or within a 50-mile radius.
- Avoid brokers like a plague. If you can’t find clear information about the licenses or the location of the business, don’t bother contacting the company. Brokers sell the jobs to other moving companies, usually unreputable and sometimes unlicensed.
- Check out the reviews while looking thru Yelp, HomeAdvisor or Google Search. Read the negative ones first, see what people are complaining about.
- We suggest requesting a quote directly through the site of the moving company. Quotes are always free. This way you can avoid lead-grabbing sites, thousands of calls and spam.
- Always get at least five movers to provide you with the estimate. Therefore, when choosing you can have more than a few options available.
- Check their licenses, USDOT safety check. Ask the moving company to provide you with the certificate of insurance. Find out if the company offers enough insurance for your move.
- Ask as many questions as you can. Customer service is an important part of the process. Make sure you are comfortable with the company over the phone.
- Family and friends can be a good source. Check with your family and friends about the movers that they used before. Always check who they recommend.
- Avoid click-baits. There are no long-distance moves for $399+ or $49/hr moves. Avoid such advertising, they will get your information and sell it on the internet.
- Consumer Affairs, Angie’s List, Better Business Bureau, and few other resources have a decent list of the movers. Check carefully.
Moving tips for your move with the local movers.
In this category, we will provide you with the moving tips to keep in mind while hiring and working with a local moving company. To find out more, read our article about Local Movers.
- Moving two bedrooms or less? Go with an hourly estimate. Three bedrooms or more? Talk to your mover about getting an in-home estimate done. It is important to get a moving expert to walk-thru your house and provide you with a binding estimate.
- When talking to the moving expert over the phone, be sure to mention all the details and questions you have. Specify the items you are moving, don’t forget the fragile pieces. This way, you won’t be surprised by the additional charges on the day of the move.
- Avoid estimates based on space, weight or an item count. Hourly rate or flat rate are the only options you should consider. Space, weight or item count used mostly to estimate long distance moves.
- Ask your mover to provide you with the licenses to move locally. Check with the chamber of commerce for your state to find out if a moving company is licensed.
- Booking a job is easy. However, we suggest reading through the terms and conditions of the estimate before signing. Also, do not put a deposit greater than 20% of your total estimate.
Make sure that the movers have your date and time available. When signing the estimate, check if the date and time are correct. Retain the copy of the estimate until the end of your move.
- Best time to book the local movers will be in the morning. No major delays or tired workers. Try to avoid late afternoons, weekends or evenings.
- Speed up the process by disassembling your furniture. Keep in mind, movers won’t assemble furniture previously disassembled by you. You can save a lot, depending on the amount of work.
- Ask moving company to provide the wardrobe boxes for a faster and more efficient move. (Some moving companies, like Top Notch Movers, offer free rentals of the wardrobe boxes for your local move)
- Mark up boxes and stack them up on top of each other. Heavy on the bottom, lighter on top. Another way of saving some time.
- Clean out your fridge a few days before the move. This way you won’t have to spend half a day unloading your fridge. It takes time, especially when you move.
Moving tips for your move with the long distance mover
- We suggest getting a visual estimate prior to the booking. Long-distance moves require special attention from the moving company. Price in such moves often based on the weight or space of the shipment. Walk-thru will be your best option.
- Get an over the phone estimate if you are moving one bedroom of goods or less. Ask for the minimum load size that moving company offers. Usually 200 cft – 400 cft or 1400 lb – 2800 lb. Depending on the destination where you are moving to.
- Check with the movers on how your goods will be shipped before booking the job. More information about the ways of shipping you can find out from reading our article about the long-distance movers. We suggest delivery by a straight truck (26 ft – 28ft).
- Estimates based on space are better! You can always take a measuring tape and measure the truck. Book your move with the company that offers estimates based on space. Have your measuring tape ready on the day of the move (just in case).
- Movers cannot move plants, liquids or flammables. Sell your items weeks before you move. Therefore no plants or items left behind on the day of the move.
Don’t forget to mention all the bulky items that you have. It is very important for the movers to know what they are working with. No-one likes surprises, especially when movers arrive.
- Get a plastic bin, pack all of your important documents, prescriptions, and other valuable paperwork. Also, we suggest to pack-up all of the jewelry, small antiques, and other valuable items. If possible, take them with you on your trip.
- Movers must do the inventory list of all the items. Talk to the crew leader on the day of the move, make sure that your belongings will be inventoried. Check the inventory with the crew leader when the job is done.
- It is best to move during the Autumn or Spring. We highly suggest avoiding summertime. Busy season, high prices on the relocation services, and extreme heat in some states.
- Do not move your car with the moving company. Hire a separate auto-transportation company to do the work for you. Moving companies won’t offer enough insurance and coverage for your vehicle.
- Delivery of your goods can take a lot of time. Be prepared by having an air mattress and all the necessary cloth with you. If you have relatives or friends, ask them for the temporary accommodations
That is all for now. If you find this article useful, please share and re-post it. Anything that you would like to add? E-mail us at info@topnotchmoversinc.com, best moving tips will be added to this article with time. Need more moving tips? Contact Top Notch Movers in Fort Lauderdale today, our moving experts can help you with any of your concerns or requests. We believe that the quality of service is important. This post created solely for the purposes of educating our customers.
