Part 1 of a 3-Part Series:
Yesterday I called up a long time, dear friend of mine. As we chatted about life, she informed me she was moving again to somewhere like Terrain. She showed me the house she bought and it looked beautiful. I was pretty jealous I must admit!! She had sold her house using some eye catching real estate signs from https://www.supercheapsigns.com and she had bought a new place. In the past year she has moved from the state of California to the state of Texas while travelling in a RV to everywhere in between. She has lived in a condo, an RV and a house.
Naturally with every different situation she has to downsize, rent storage, pack u-hauls and make a ton of arrangements. Now that she is moving back to somewhere with Landmark24 Homes and she’s super excited. We chatted and joked about all of the drama that comes with moving. Hearing her and her challenges inspired me to write down a few tips on the benefits of organized move management systems.
Since my friend has moved so much in the past year and Mission 2 Organize has helped so many clients move, we talked for longer than expected. That’s why this ended up as a 3-part series.
PHASE 1
Planning ahead is your saving grace
Moving is like any other event in life. Your outcome will be vastly improved if only you have prepared yourself by planning out all the steps ahead of time. But that doesn’t mean everything is going to go exactly as you planned. You can plan the perfect outdoor wedding but if it rains you have to be prepared and flexible. Similarly if you plan your move in the best way possible, you can manage the curve balls with ease.
Budgeting
After you determine your expenses for the move, you need to budget them out. At first, divide them to big groups like Rent, Mortgage, Move. Then you can start getting into more details. For example, the category of Move can be broken down to subcategories: Packing, Unpacking, Movers, Materials, Cleaners, Painters and so on. Make sure to leave room for errors or unexpected expenses. Once you know how much each subcategory is going to cost you, update your budgeting spreadsheet.
Start shopping around
As you are in the process of looking for the new place, it is also a good time to look around and search for the moving company. Make note of all your options on a spreadsheet so you can easily compare them. Ask your friends and family for direct referrals or read the company’s reviews online.
Mark the Day
As soon as you find your new abode, mark the date on your calendar and call to book the move date with your moving company. Make sure you give the moving company a good idea of what you have so they can give you an accurate estimate. Also talk to them about other services they offer such as wrapping furniture, providing wardrobe boxes. Discuss any items that might need special handling like a piano. Are you planning to move with a rental truck and the help of your friends? Call and reserve the truck in advance and send your friends a Save the Date note to remind them.
Outsource Services
If you plan to hire other professional services such as cleaner, painter, interior designer or professional organizer, call them as soon as you know the dates. It is best to book them in advance and get on their schedule sooner rather than later.
Planning
If you are thinking about adding any shelves, furniture or embellishments to the new place, it is the best to order them beforehand. Visit your new place to measure the rooms, closets, drawers and cabinets. Make an inventory of what you need to buy, order online and schedule for them to be delivered a day or two after you move in.
Having your moving arrangements done as soon as possible is very important and more urgent if you are moving within a few days of the first or last days of the month.
Read about Phase II and Phase III.
Need more tips on moving? Check out our “O Your Move” blog here.
