A process is defined as a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
Not surprisingly, moving from one home to another is just that – an entire process that begins as soon as the move becomes inevitable and ends shortly after the destination place is reached.
If you’re about to move house, then you should definitely make an effort to understand the process of moving from one place to another. Why?
A better understanding of the house-moving process will give you a clear advantage throughout the residential move by helping you stay out of trouble, eliminating the possibility of you making any serious mistakes, and enabling you to control the moving costs so that you don’t spend more money than absolutely necessary.
In reality, how successful your own house move will be in the end depends primarily on how well you understand the moving process, including some important details that will help you make the right decisions when it matters the most.
The entire process of moving from one place to another can be divided into 5 separate yet closely interconnected stages. Find out what it takes to manage each relocation step and you will be rewarded with a highly successful residential move.
Stage 1. Decision time: movers or DIY
One of the most important decisions you will have to make when moving from one place to another is to determine whether you will hire a professional moving company to help you protect and transport your belongings to the new home OR whether you will hire a moving truck and do it all by yourself.
Sometimes it’s not an easy decision at all and you may feel unsure which option is the better one for you. All in all, the right call will depend on the overall complexity of your move.
Here are several questions you should ask yourself to figure out which relocation method will make more sense in your particular case:
- How far away is the destination home? When you’re moving locally (within 50 miles in the same state), then moving by yourself could work out great. However, when you’re moving to another state, then hiring interstate movers is the sensible option.
- How many days are there until Moving day? If you have roughly 2 weeks or less to get ready to move out, chances are that you won’t have enough time to prepare adequately. There are so many things to do before moving out that you just need the time to tackle all those essential tasks. Consider hiring movers if time is against you.
- Are your friends willing to give you a hand? If you just know that you can rely on your best friends to help you out with the packing and heavy lifting, then organizing a DIY will make sense in a way. If not, then you’d be better off paying for professional moving labor.
- Are you moving any special items? If you’re moving with a piano, a pool table, a grandfather clock, or a bunch of antique furniture pieces, then you should do yourself a favor and hire trained professionals for the job.
If it makes much more sense to use professional moving services, then get free moving quotes from top-rated movers near you to learn the price of your move.
See also: Should you hire movers or do it yourself?
Stage 2. Time management
The next critical stage of the process of moving from one place to another is TIME MANAGEMENT. Now, why is managing your time properly so important for the outcome of your residential move?
When you’re getting ready to move out, you are also dealing with a time limit – the day when you’re scheduled to move out of the current home. In other words, the time you have to prepare well for the relocation is limited – from a few days in the case of an emergency move to a few months in the best-case scenario.
The reason why time management plays such a major role during the preparation period is that there are simply too many things you have to do before you move out. In most cases, you’ll be dealing with hundreds of move-related tasks of varying degrees of urgency and you only have until Moving day to finish them all.
One fairly common scenario when preparing to move out is to run out of time. Regrettably, it happens more often than you think. You may think you have things under control but a few days before the move-out date you suddenly realize that there’s no way you can make it on time. And once you hit the PANIC button, then things are likely to really get out of hand.
Remember that the only way to manage your time effectively is to follow a detailed MOVING CHECKLIST from the very start. A moving checklist and timeline will guide you throughout the entire preparation phase and won’t let you lose any precious hours wondering what you should do next.
Stage 3. Packing for moving
The next stage of your residential move is crucial because it involves the most time-consuming task you’ll have to face when getting ready to move out – namely, PACKING.
In reality, packing for a move should begin as early as the very first day of the preparation period and end the day before Moving day, at the latest. What this means is that you’ll be packing up your stuff (almost) every day until all your possessions are boxed up or wrapped up safely for transport.
Note that you have three options when it comes to the house-packing process:
- Pack by yourself. This can work out great when you have ample time until Moving day and you’re not taking with you any specialty items. Any packing assistance from your pals is always appreciated.
- Hire packers. Pay for the extra service of professional packing and the pros will protect your things, including any specialty items, in the best possible way.
- Hybrid packing. This option can work out perfectly for you – you pack whatever you can by yourself (clothes, shoes, books, etc.) and leave the more challenging household items to professionals.
All in all, there are several super-important rules you’re strongly recommended to adhere to when packing for moving:
- Initiate packing as soon as you can, ideally on the day your move is confirmed.
- Declutter your home before packing so that you move only the useful stuff to the new home.
- Prepare the packing supplies beforehand to avoid losing precious time later.
- Begin the packing process from the rooms that are the most difficult to pack, usually the storage rooms.
- Ask for packing assistance if you notice you’re falling behind on your packing schedule.
Read also: Packing timeline for moving
Stage 4. Moving Day checklist
When the move-out day comes around, your house move will automatically enter the most unpredictable and dangerous period so you should do your best to keep your concentration high in order to prevent any types of moving-day accidents.
Remember that safety must be your top priority on the Big day, especially if you’ve decided to move without hiring professional movers. One wrong step while you’re carrying heavy boxes and pieces of furniture could easily turn the entire relocation affair into a disaster.
The day of the move is the final test and it’s critical that you pass it with flying colors. Here’s a concise moving day checklist that will help you keep things organized and safe:
- Give yourself more time by waking up early on the day of the move – there’s always something to do at the last possible moment.
- Dress with safety in mind. Moving day is not the right moment to dress up to the latest fashion trends. Instead, you need to make sure the clothes and the shoes you pick will provide sufficient comfort and safety.
- Finish up any quick tasks you have left for the move-out day – for instance, packing up the essential toiletries.
- Keep young children and pets away from the packing and moving action, ideally in a room that’s safe enough for everybody.
- Prepare essentials boxes where you will also keep any small valuable items such as jewelry and electronic devices (gadgets). Never entrust valuables to movers regardless of how trustworthy the pros may seem.
- Say Hi to the movers when they arrive at your home and let them do their job while being there in case they have any questions for you.
Must-read: What to do on Moving day: Moving day checklist
Stage 5. Arrival at the new home
The fifth and final stage of moving from one place to another is when you arrive in the new home. Don’t underestimate that moment – while you may feel like you deserve huge congratulations for having survived Moving day without any major accidents, it’s still too early to open that bottle of champagne due to a bunch of urgent post-relocation tasks ahead of you.
- Inspect the boxes. As soon as your movers have delivered your boxes, check them against the inventory sheet to make sure all of them are there. If there are any boxes missing or visibly damaged, inform the movers immediately.
- Check the utilities. Make sure all the major utilities in the new place – electricity and water – operate as they should. If not, contact the landlord or the corresponding utility company.
- Unpack your essentials boxes. Open up your essentials boxes first, then prepare both the bathroom and bedroom for usage since you’ll need to take a shower and go to bed after an exhausting Moving day. Any tasks that are not super-urgent can wait until the next day.
- Think of an unpacking strategy. Living among huge piles of unopened boxes is no fun at all. And this is exactly why you should come up with a good plan that will enable you to keep unpacking your things as often as you can.
Read also: How to unpack quickly after moving
