Move Home Under your own Steam

By habits in Procrastinating on February 11th, 2010

You are moving home but you would prefer to do it by yourself. Moving home yourself needs to be painstakingly prepared.

Moving home is Hard Work, so let’s look at that first.

When moving house, stress can be a big factor in everything you do. You could be one of the charmed ones who handle stress with a smile. A normally lively cheerful person can get stressed, so it’s nothing to do with your personality.

Try following these strategies to make the moving go more smoothly:

1. Search around for moving supplies, these will be essential to pack away all your items, buy cheap supplies if you can’t borrow them. As soon as you know you will be moving home, start getting together clean boxes, unprinted newsprints (printed newsprints stain!), hoard up on bubble wrap or buy heavy duty cartons.

2. Start packing straight away, there’s lots of things to do without packing in one fell swoop. Don’t try and squeeze all your packing into the final few days or even the evening before. It’s a good idea to make sure all the packing is done at least 24 hours before you move house, this allows you time to pack all those last minute items. The quicker you start the better, pack things like CDs or DVDs ahead of time since you won’t want to use them till you get to your new house. The quicker you start and the more you pack, means less tension as moving day gets closer.

3. Disposal moving home is a great way to get rid of old unnecessary things you always kept because you thought you may need them later. Out-dated magazines, clothing, kitchen items and ornaments which are stuck in the cupboard can be disposed of so you have a jumble free home. Charities are thankful for donations so you could contemplate giving them away, or even do a jumble sale.

4. A list – make sure you write out a list and stick it somewhere easily seen, lists are very valuable. Have multiple lists that include new items to be bought, things you are giving away, things you are taking with you; even list the items that need delicate handling. The day you move will be less anxious for having these lists.

Things you need to think about for the day you move home.

Friends, family, co-workers can be asked to help you load your vehicle at your old house and unload it when you get to your new house. By having all this help, the job of moving home will be a lot faster and quicker. For those that are pleased to help, laying on food and drinks goes a long way to saying thank you. Keeping supporters relaxed and well fed, means they will be happier and more willing to put in that extra work. Kids are another thing to consider when the big day comes. On moving day, find a caregiver friend or a family member they can visit during the day. Do allow them to watch their personal space being packed and let them keep some of their toys to play with during the moving day. The same goes for your pet, try and pinpoint a neighbour who will take care of it on the moving day. When moving your pet, make sure they are secure in the truck and lay out plenty of blankets just in case they are ill. Also, pack your family pet’s items separately so it can be unpacked right away at your new house. For security make sure someone is with your pet at all times when the car is moving or buy travel cages. Just like kids, pets need to be kept close, so make sure you have a tether handy if you have to stop.

Finding A Reasonable Moving Truck Hire Company

Often, your vehicle will not be spacious enough to transfer all of your belongings to your new home and you’ll probably have to rent a truck. The venture you have with your moving truck rental is to a great extent dependent on you. When renting a truck make sure you take note of the following:

1. The first step when getting a rental truck is determining the size you need. Make sure you give yourself a margin of up to 15% more space than you think you require. This is just to make sure you’re going to have enough area. If you don’t have enough room then your stress levels are going to be great while you scrabble around trying to find extra transport.

2. With many companies out there leasing removal vans you would expect most prices to be about the same. Regardless of the amount of businesses, this is just not the case. Compare prices from different companies; ask friends for recommendations, ring companies and use the internet to search.

3. Leasing a truck or a car is a very parallel experience. Book your truck ahead of time so you don’t get stuck with one that doesn’t suit your needs. The truck will be ready for your house move if you sort it out ahead of time.

4. Look at getting insurance on your rented truck. You may be adept in driving a car, but driving a larger vehicle is very different. If you make a miscalculation and have a mishap then this could be very expensive Some extra minutes looking out for the insurance and few more dollars will assure you a stress-free move.

5. How long do you require it for? – Make sure you lease the truck for a period of time thats lets you finish everything without having to rush. The aim for doing this is that you don’t want to return it after the cut off time. The charges for doing so are very large.

Suggestions for moving your car.

Some individuals have two vehicles, so you need to think about how you are going to transport it, if you do. If you can’t find a friend to drive it for you then think about the choices – shipping, towing or moving it on a trailer. Think about the cost of moving it – if its not worth it then think about giving it to a relative or advertising it. Make sure you know how to tow the second car safely if that is your option, and make sure the vehicle that is doing the towing is able to. Boats, trailers, motorbikes, four wheelers, etc. may need specialized equipment to be towed. If you’re unsure on how to proceed with towing them, look online or contact a dealer who sold it to you.

Written in cooperation with Jay Banks, Vancouver real estate agent and Canada Moving Handbook publisher

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