Moving out of your home is an opportunity to go to a new place, have new experiences and make new friends. If you’re moving from your parents’ house, it can also be like an initiation into adulthood. You get to have a space to call your own.
Regardless of what moving means to you, it takes lots of preparation to make it a success. It’s sometimes stressful but there are steps to take to reduce the chaos. This guide explains 7 important things to do before moving out of your home.
1. Budget for the Move
Moving is expensive, regardless of where you’re moving. Consumer Affairs says the average cost of a local move is $80 to $100 if you hire a team of two movers. An interstate move spanning approximately 1000 miles can cost up to $5000.
Moving costs may vary depending on the distance and the number of your items. Not budgeting for the move can mean underestimating your costs. Costs can quickly add up and cause you financial and emotional stress.
Prioritize a budget even when moving out of your parents’ house. Create a simple budget and include all the potential costs based on your moving-out checklist items.
The moving costs to budget for will vary depending on how you’re moving out. If you’re hiring movers, think about moving fees, insurance, extra services, professional packing and extra charges. For a DIY move, consider gas, insurance, incidentals, track rental, and equipment.
2. Find a Moving Company
Once you’ve figured out the moving costs, you will want to find a reputable moving company. Take your time researching to avoid moving scams. Know the red flags of crooked moving companies when finding how to move out. Here are a few:
- Giving out a quote without asking you for enough information
- Asking for a deposit or any upfront payments
- Constantly changing names or not showing you their physical location.
- Giving ballpark numbers instead of accurate prices
- Not declaring extra charges
- Conducting just a quick review of your items without asking enough questions
- Giving you a duration less quote
- Asking you to sign a partial quote
Before Picking a Moving Company
Read the contract well, including the fine print, to know what you’re getting into. Go through all documents to see if there are any hidden costs. Some movers charge extra for stairways or shuttle service. Also, do the following:
- Visit review sites
- Check the mover’s background on BBB, Facebook and Yelp
- Ask friends and other people about the mover to assure yourself you’re working with a genuine one
Go through the estimates to understand your mover’s charging approach. Local movers will charge hourly. Long-distance movers charge based on the weight of items.
3. Get Rid of Clutter
One of the most critical steps of moving is to declutter your home. Decluttering is a way of detaching from your home before you move it. It involves getting rid of the items that you can do without in your new home.
The best time to declutter is at least two or three weeks before you start packing. That way, you have the time to make up your mind on what to do with the clutter. If you do it right, it saves you packing time and reduces the weight of your moving items.
Declutter one room at a time. Start by removing the bulky items that you don’t want to move. Find a roll off dumpster rental to help you get rid of these items.
If there are items that can make you a few bucks, hold a garage sale or sell on eBay. Another way is to donate the items to charity. Categorize your things into donating, trash, and sell to save time when decluttering.
4. Plan Your Packing Process
Packing for a move is usually hectic, unless you don’t have a lot of stuff. Don’t wait until the last minute to pack or pack in a panic. Packing takes time and there’s always a chance of leaving some things behind.
Create a packing list so that you pack the right things and buy the right essentials. Find some moving or repurpose old ones to save costs. Pack items that need special handling separate and mark the boxes “handle with care” or “fragile”.
It would also be best to pack essentials separately. These are items you need for the first few nights before and after the move like toothbrushes and underclothes.
5. Notify Service Providers and Transfer Utilities
You’ll need to make sure your new home is livable. If no one will be left in the old home, let current providers know of an upcoming move. This is also the time to check your new home’s utilities and providers. Call all utility providers like water and electric to make sure services are switched to the new residence.
6. Inventory Your Belongings
One of the most commonly overlooked things to do before moving out is making an inventory list. Get a color tape code or marker and make sure you note everything that you put in a box. Since you’re inventorying a room at a time, assign each room a code or color. Assign each box a code and note the items it contains on the list.
Also, ensure that when you move to the next room, you’re using a different color or numbers. That way, it becomes easier for movers to move the boxes to the right room. It also saves time when unpacking after the move.
7. Clean and Check Your Old Residence for Damage
The last important thing to do before moving out is to clean and leave your old place in good shape. It’s a step you must take to get your full security deposit back, if you’re renting.
So, get all cleaning supplies and clean a room at a time. Clean all the rooms before your landlord inspects them.
Moving out involves a ton of things that you must do for a smooth move. Have a checklist of things to do before moving out that includes the steps in this guide. Go step by step to ensure that you don’t skip on something that can make or break your move.
Finding Help with Moving Professionals
We hope you found this blog post 7 Important Things to Do Before Moving Out of Your Home useful. Be sure to check out our post The Moving Checklist For Organizing The Entire Move for more great tips!
Have Experience in the Moving Industry? Want an Additional Income Stream? Work With All Around Moving!
All Around Moving’s Work With Us program provides experienced moving consultants with the opportunity to run their own Relocation Consultant business from anywhere in the USA. We provide licensing, dedicated phone lines and email hosting, moving software for lead tracking, invoicing, and complete set up.
We’ll even provide the carriers, or you can use your own. A nominal one-time start up fee gives you initial-customer-leads to get your business up and running. There are no recurring expenses, except purchasing your own leads. We share profits 50-50 with you from all jobs you book with us. Click here to learn more.
