What You Should Know About Moving Your First Time

Are you looking to upsize your home now that you’re starting a family? Maybe you need to relocate for a new job or simply want to upgrade your home. Regardless of your motivations for uprooting your life, moving houses can be a time-consuming and costly process. With careful planning, though, you can make the experience less stressful. Read on to learn some ideas to help you get started.

Moving Expenses

Figure out your finances by preparing an expenses checklist for moving your stuff. Two of the most common options here are renting a moving truck or hiring professional movers. If you have a car, either you take a road trip yourself or scour the internet for the best car shipping companies in your area. It’s advisable to choose the latter if it’s a long-distance trip and you don’t have the time or energy to drive the vehicle yourself.

Other expenses to include in your budget are the cleaning costs so you can leave your rented space in tip-top shape. Do one last sweep of your home before leaving and set aside some amount to buy floor cleaning agents, mops, wipes, and brushes. If you’re short on time and your apartment needs serious attention, you may even have to pay professional house cleaners. Also, don’t forget to include in your budget the cost of packing supplies like bubble wraps, oodles of tape, and markers. While you can save on reusing some boxes, you will still need appropriate ones to safely keep your belongings during the move.

By preparing for moving costs, you avoid the risk of overspending. Nobody wants to overdraw their checking accounts nor drain their emergency funds due to out-of-pocket expenses. If you know what’s in store, you can plan ahead and ensure that your move will be affordable.

Getting Organized

Get a binder or notebook or create a “moving” file on your cellphone or computer. It’s crucial that you have somewhere to keep not just your expenses checklist but your entire moving plan. This is a great way to organize your timeline, which you can break into 12 weeks, eight weeks, four weeks, and so on. You can easily tackle the challenges of moving by breaking the entire process into smaller projects. Furthermore, this is where you will store all of the relevant paperwork like contracts, insurance documents, and receipts.

Here are some other ways to get organized:

• Declutter — Get your current home ready before you start packing your stuff. Any unwanted items should be set aside for selling, donating, or storing. So, ensure that you find time to purge and sort your belongings accordingly. Take inventory of your stuff to account for everything you own. If you have too many belongings to dispose of, host a yard sale a week or two before your actual move. Having less stuff to pack and unpack is one way to make your relocation less expensive and less taxing.
• Pack Like a Pro — Packing generally takes longer than most people think. It’s best to give yourself more time for this than you expect. You must also avoid throwing stuff into boxes then simply call it a day. Take photos, especially of those items with intricate wirings. Equally important is to label your boxes according to the rooms where they belong, such as “kitchen”, “bedroom”, “garage”, etc. All fragile items also need to be marked to ensure that they don’t get damaged while in transit.
• Update Your Address — A few weeks before your move, contact your electric, gas, internet, security system, and other utility service providers. This way, you can inform them of your move, then schedule disconnect and connect dates with their technicians. Lastly, forward your mail to your new address so that you don’t miss out on your bills, subscriptions, letters, and packages.
• Register Your Vehicle — Are you moving to a new state? Expect that you’d need to secure a new driver’s license immediately. You also have to register your car and inform your auto insurance provider regarding your new address. It’s highly recommended to visit your new place’s Department of Motor Vehicles’ website. This way, you can check the rules and deadlines for processing these documents.

Preparing for Your New Home

While it’s important to tie up any loose ends before you leave, it’s also just as integral that you make your new place feel like home from day one. Before your actual move, make sure that you’ve researched thoroughly to find the right home for your needs.

Moving can be exhausting. So, you’d want to be ready if anything goes wrong. Familiarize yourself with the area and get to know your neighborhood. Identify all essential businesses you might need. These include pharmacies, urgent care facilities, reputable contractors, reliable mechanics, and more.

If possible, have your new home cleaned and painted before your move-in day. It’s a lot easier to make these improvements before your place is full. Since moving can also be messy, ensure that you’ve contacted a local trash removal company for your new home. You’d likely need some help to cart away all those moving boxes once you’ve unpacked.

You’d also want everything you’ll ever need to live comfortably in your new home. Unless it’s brand-new, the space you’re moving into may not be as energy-efficient as your old place. Make sure that you conduct an energy inspection. To protect your belongings, especially those large purchase items, it would help to take out a homeowners’ or renters’ insurance and a home warranty for your appliances.

The Takeaway

Moving out for the first time can be intense. While the journey is incredibly exciting, it can be a bit scary too. This is especially true if living on your own, starting a career, or building a family means leaving your comfort zone. Don’t worry, though. So long as you plan ahead, do your due diligence when looking at houses for sale in Cincinnati Ohio, and work within your budget, you can make your relocation smooth and enjoyable.

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