Though a move is often associated with a lot of excitement and new beginnings, the physical process can be overwhelming. It’s often a sun up to sun down endeavor which leaves you swearing that you’ll never move again. Hiring a reputable moving company is a sure way to ease the burden on yourself. Even with the service of some trustworthy movers, something is bound to go wrong. In many situations, the problems are self inflicted and can be avoided by thinking ahead.
Tips to Overcome Moving Pitfalls
So how do we solve or circumvent the problems to begin with? To answer that, we need to consider some of the most common mistakes that people make when moving. This can start well before the move by not planning far enough ahead and then facing many “day of” issues. Lack of research into your moving company can leave you with some surprises which could easily be avoided with a quick Google search. Space related issues can pop up if you forget to measure your belongings and the place you’re moving into. And personnel complications may arise if you attempt to micromanage the employees during the process of the actual move. Now let’s take a look at some tips to overcome these moving pitfalls.
Procrastinating and Not Planning Ahead
This mistake is common in all facets of life, not just when it comes to moving. There are so many people who love waiting until the last minute to prepare for nearly anything. Plan in advance, making sure that you keep precise notes throughout the process. Dates & times, contact information for the movers, log of boxes and similar details will be very helpful to have on hand when moving day rolls around. Just don’t accidentally pack up your notes otherwise they won’t be very helpful.
Not Enough Research on Moving Companies
The moving company that you hire will be handling your personal belongings, so you’ll want to do a lot of research. Take advantage of well known review platforms such as Yelp to compare the competition. Read both the positive and negative feedback from as many companies that you can locate in your region. Look for business responses to reviews as well. It’s always good to see how they handle adversity in the public eye. And once you’ve pinpointed three that you’re confident in, give them each a call directly and gauge the interactions so you can pick your favorite. Price is important of course, but you’ll also want a company that you personally feel like you can work with.
Forgetting to Measure the New Space
Along with organizing the items that you’ll be moving, it’s important to plan for that new space that everything will be going into. Take measurements of furniture and plot out where items will be placed upon arrival to avoid having to move things to “final spot” at a later time. This method also prevents any unwanted surprises, such as your favorite couch not fitting in your new living room. So write down all of the measurements that you take for reference when planning your layout. Isn’t measuring items before a move just common sense? You’d be surprised how many people forget and making this one of the top moving mistakes.
Bossing Around the Movers
Obviously you’ll have to direct the movers around so they understand the full scope and include everything that needs to be transported. That doesn’t mean be rude or try to micromanage throughout the move. If you hire a professional moving company, you shouldn’t have any concerns about the quality of their work. After the initial run through, let the movers do their thing and just check in periodically. It’s polite to offer some form of refreshment, this is pretty laborious work after all.
Bonus Tip: Don’t forget the kids! Or do 😉