Moving to a new city or foreign country can be a huge undertaking. Not only are you moving some boxes, but it’s almost the same as moving your whole life to an entirely new place. Furthermore, even if you’ve experienced moving from various apartments or local houses several times in the past, a long-distance move still presents unique challenges which you’ll need to prepare for to ensure your moving day runs smoothly.
Unfortunately, with your mind preoccupied with the packing, a few details could easily slip your mind, leading to stressful, time-consuming, and costly mistakes. To avoid such things and get the things done smoothly, seek help from Man and Van Ealing.
Keep in mind that the moving process is already tedious in itself, so you shouldn’t make any more room for possible errors and mishaps. Knowing some people’s common moving mistakes may help you come prepared and avoid them from happening to you too.
So, take note of these eight mistakes you should avoid during your upcoming long-distance move.
- Procrastinating Until The Last Minute
Perhaps the most prevalent moving mistake people make during a long-distance move is waiting until the moving day is a few days away. Even if you think you’re only moving a few items or you’re moving alone with no hassle, that’s not enough excuse to leave your plans and preparations until the last minute. The moment you’ve decided that you’re moving across the country or to a far-away city, you need to begin your search for long-distance movers and ask for their quotes.
For example, if you’re moving in East Idaho, you’ll need to take your time contacting reputable moving companies that can assist you in moving to that specific area. Remember that you’ll also need to do a background check about their services, performances, and reviews to ensure you hire the right one. Furthermore, the earlier you contact professional movers, the easier it’ll be for you to choose and reserve your desired moving date. Who knows, you can even enjoy a lower price if you avail and book for their service at an earlier date.
- Setting Unrealistic Moving Timeline For Yourself
Another moving mistake to avoid is creating an unrealistic moving timeline for yourself. While it’s true that you can pack all your things into separate boxes in a week or two (or less when you have help), it’s unlikely that you can pack all day, every day. Remember that besides packing, you still have other responsibilities to take care of, especially if you’re a full-time worker with a family. Not to mention that you also need to prepare other things prior to your moving day, such as taking inventory, contacting your utility companies, insurance providers, and a lot more.
To be on the safe side, avoid pressuring yourself into packing and finishing everything within a week. The most realistic timeline you can give yourself is at least a month or two, especially if you’re moving with a big family and have to pack lots of items and bulky furniture. Giving yourself enough time to settle everything will save you from unnecessary stress.
- Packing Too Many Items
When moving to your new residence, you may want to take everything with you, especially if you’re feeling sentimental. Even if you think you can manage to bring everything, packing too many items can cause hassles down the road. For example, the more things you have, the costlier it’ll be for your moving company. Besides, the more items you pack with you, the more tedious it’ll be to monitor each of them before, during, and after the move. This will only risk your odds of losing some of your boxes or accidentally leaving some of them behind.
So, avoid packing too many items and save yourself from the hassle of monitoring too many things than you can handle. Take this move as a chance to declutter your things, give them away for donation, and save money in the process.
- Forgetting The Mover’s Insurance
Many homeowners tend to rely on the protection and insurance of their items via the standard value protection, which only covers a few items based on their weight. Unfortunately, this type of protection may not be applicable or enough for your fragile items like antiques or expensive artworks. Remember that the odds of your items being damaged during the move are very high, especially during a cross-country move.
For more secure insurance, don’t forget to inquire about your moving company’s insurance and find out which items they cover. The last thing you’d want is to find out too late that they don’t cover anything at all or only cover a few packages. So, always remember to inquire about the mover’s insurance before hiring them.
- Underestimating Your Moving Budget
It might be easier to create a moving budget based on the moving company’s estimated quote. However, doing this might only leave you financially unprepared once you find out that there are still additional hidden fees and other unforeseen charges you’ll need to pay for. So, other than the moving company’s quote, make sure you also create an extra budget for any unprecedented cost you might sustain during the moving process. When you’re financially prepared, the less likely you’ll be stressed out on your moving day.
- Trying To Do Everything By Yourself (DIY Route)
Perhaps while creating your moving budget, you found out you don’t have enough money to cover the expenses. And so, you’ve decided to take on the DIY route to save some money. However, trying to DIY a long-distance move could only put you at risk for some mishaps along the way. Remember that lifting, loading, and unloading items are not easy, especially when you don’t have the proper tools for the job.
Instead of taking the DIY route, consider hiring a reputable moving company that allows you to customize their service that will fit your budget. You can also ask for aid from your relatives or friends when opting to pack or lift heavy items on your own to prevent yourself from getting injured or damaging your items.
- Not Taking Inventory
There are so many things you’ll need to monitor during your move, from small items like books, jewelry, clothes to bulky items like appliances and furniture. Failing to take inventory of your items and boxes during the packing stage will make it harder for you to monitor them during the moving process. As a result, when some of your packages have been misplaced or damaged, it’ll be impossible for you to track them down, or worst, you might not even notice that you’ve lost a few boxes until it’s too late.
Thus, don’t forget to take inventory when packing your items. You can create a separate inventory for each room to make it easier. You can either do this traditionally (pen and paper) or use an inventory app on your phone or tablet. Once you’re in your new home, unpacking them and organizing them in their respective rooms will be a lot easier and quicker.
- Failing To Acquire Additional Storage
You might be surprised how many people often forget to acquire additional storage until they realize it when they’re at their new address. You might find yourself drowning in boxes during the first day into your new home, especially if you’re not yet planning to unpack during the first week. To avoid such a scenario, don’t forget to look for extra storage space to store your unopened boxes. This way, you can take your utmost time unpacking your boxes one at a time without being overcrowded by the boxes around you.
Key Takeaway
A long-distance move can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, proper planning and knowing which moving mistakes to avoid will help you prepare and ensure your moving day happens smoothly and stress-free. If you’re still feeling anxious about committing mistakes to your upcoming long-distance move, don’t hesitate to consult reputable movers and packers and let them help you get everything done professionally.
