Moving

According to the US Census Bureau, more than 28.2 million Americans moved in 2022, a slight increase from 27.1 million in 2021. The most popular times to move were in the late spring and summer months. While many people look forward to a new home or relocating to a new community, the actual process of making a move can be stressful, time-consuming, and costly.

With careful planning and strategies, individuals can minimize potential problems and ensure a smooth moving experience. While individual situations and needs differ, the most effective way to move is to plan ahead and spread tasks out over a period of at least two months.

Background

Once the moving date is known, the first step is to determine the best method to transport one’s possessions to the new home. Options include using a professional moving company, a freight shipper, or storage container shipper; renting a truck and moving oneself; and hiring laborers with a truck.

Unless an individual is planning a do-it-yourself move, the next step is to research moving companies. An individual should collect quotes from several companies, get referrals, and check the company’s record through the Better Business Bureau and online reviews.

Individuals planning to use a moving company should reserve at least sixty days prior to the move date or earlier if the move date is during the prime move season.

The next step is to reduce one’s possessions prior to the move. Paring down the amount of objects that need to be moved can cut moving expenses and help to make the new home more organized and clutter-free. Useful strategies for reducing possessions include hiring a person to help with the sorting process, holding a garage sale, and examining items room-by-room and sorting them into piles to keep, toss, donate, or sell.

Another step to take at least one month before the move date is to collect packing supplies. While moving companies provide boxes and may even pack them, individuals using other methods to move will need a substantial quantity of boxes as well as tape and bubble wrap. Box options include purchasing them from a professional moving company or office supply store or collecting recycled boxes from a retailer or business. In some parts of the country, individuals may have the option of renting sturdy reusable containers from a moving-box rental company.

Overview

Around thirty days before the move date, individuals should start packing nonessential items, such as off-season clothing and books. Boxes should be marked to identify their contents and color-coded boxes to show what rooms they will go into the new home. Consider using reusable stackable containers rather than cardboard boxes. They are available in many areas from moving box rental companies that provide drop-off and pick-up services.

If moving out of the area, individuals should collect records from medical providers, dentists, veterinarians, and schools and ask for referrals for providers in the new area.

Utilities need to be contacted and arrangements made for the disconnection and connection of services and any necessary set-up visits. Other notifications include closing memberships to health clubs and gyms and canceling services such as lawn care.

Individuals should fill out a change-of-address form with the post office. In addition, they should notify the following companies and service providers of the move and provide the new address directly to them: financial institutions, credit-card companies, medical providers, insurance companies and agents, and their state Department of Motor Vehicles.

As the move date nears, packing will include items used in daily life. Individuals should identify the bare necessities they need in the days before the move and pack everything else. Packing an essential box and items to unpack first can smooth the transition to the new home. An essential box should include important documents, valuables, credit cards, and medications. Items to unpack first include sheets, towels, changes of clothing, and toiletries. A survival kit can minimize hassles on moving day. Items to include packing tape, scissors, water, snacks, a first-aid kit, and the phone numbers of important contacts. These items should be carried in a personal vehicle rather than a moving truck.

If the new home is local and accessible, it should be made move-in ready before the actual move. Repairs, renovations, and cleaning should be done prior to the move. If the home had a previous owner or renter, all locks should be changed.

Creating a floor plan that shows where furniture and large objects go can keep the unloading process orderly and prevent the need to rearrange heavy items after the moving help has departed.

For local moves, individuals can move delicate items such as plants and lamps before the moving day. Setting up the kitchen and a bathroom with basic items can help to make these rooms immediately functional.

With careful preparation, moving day should focus on loading and unloading items, transporting them, and closing the old home. Individuals using professional movers will be spared much of this preparation, but they will need to unplug appliances and remove items that need to be carried by personal vehicle before the moving company arrives.

The refrigerator and trash cans should be emptied. The essential box, survival kit, and other items being personally moved should be placed in a personal vehicle. After all items have been removed, the homeowner or tenant should make a careful inspection of all rooms to ensure nothing has been left behind. Taking photos of the rooms may be useful to show their condition at the time of departure. Photograph the backs of electronic equipment, such as computers and sound systems, and store the images on a phone; use the images to reconnect cables after the move. The last step is to close and lock all doors and windows.

Help make the transition from a familiar place to the new home by collecting images of the new place and referencing them often in the days leading up to the move. Making a collage, photo album, or video—or even just storing on a phone—of images of the new home, a child’s new school, a nearby park, and neighborhood attractions can help to make the unknown become more familiar.

Bibliography

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