Spring and the beginning of the Summer are widely regarded as The Best Times to Buy a House and we did write an article on How to buy a house quickly so people could benefit from that exciting race for the prize. But, if for real estate agents the championship is over after the closing of the house for sale; for you, the new homeowner, it’s just the beginning. Next race is a very different one; an endurance test more than an agility competition: moving.
House relocation (a.k.a. moving) is one of the main causes of stress for adult humans. It’s a perfect recipe for anxiety, as it traps us between two worlds: the past and the future. We are forced to sort what we’ll take to the new home from what we’ll leave behind, and that’s not only a psychical thing; it’s emotional too! After getting our packing supplies ready, it becomes a trip down memory lane and you start to reminisce and then notice that the clock is ticking and your truck (if you’ve hired moving help) is coming and you haven’t done much yet and, if you have kids, they start picking up on your angst and, all of a sudden… this house relocation thing has become too much to deal with.
Calm down! We don’t want you to start second-guessing your house relocation. On the contrary: we’re here to give you some moving tips to get you excited about it!
The first of our moving tips is a precious one. It won’t cost you a thing, and it can be of the utmost importance.
Involve your kids
Better to unify your preoccupations, right? You can just send them somewhere, like your parent’s, on vacations. But you’ll end up worrying about if everything is right with them, so what about instead of excluding; inviting them to the ordeals of house relocation?
The trick here is involving them early on. Once it’s set that you are moving, break the news in an exciting way. Make some mystery; how about a treasure hunt where the final prize is the unveiling of the secret? But be prepared; you can’t just break the news and that’s it. Kids are curious; have the photos of the house and, if possible, drive them by the new house. Show them how awesome your new life will be there. The idea behind enrolling kids as moving help is not done *only* so we have them close by helping; it’s all about making it a good experience for them. Instead of being traumatic, leaving a house they’ve known as theirs for a long time will be perceived as something cool and exciting. It will devise their attention and fear of the unknown that is the new home.
Once they get excited for what’s to come, you explain that, in order for the house relocation and all its benefits to happen, you guys need to pack everything in time to move! You set responsibilities for everyone: grownups and kids. Even if through small chores –because you can’t have them dealing with heavy or fragile things for their own (and the thing’s) safety - make them feel responsible for the success of moving.
Two extra - but related - moving tips: first, don’t forget to pack an easy-to-reach bag of essentials for your kids. You will have a lot of boxes to go through to find a coat or an extra pair of socks or whatever. Better to have a bag with 2 to 3 days worth of essentials, right? Second; the house relocation only ends when the very last box is empty, so plan accordingly. Your kid should only get off the hook when he/she unpacks and stores everything regarding his/her room.
Move mid-month
This is one of the best-kept secrets as far as moving tips go: If you’re going to hire trucks, plan to move in the middle of the month. Supply and demand kicks in when pricing, and moving trucks busiest times are the beginning and end of the month, so if you do your house relocation around day 15, you might try to fish for a discount. And, not only that: if you end up having trouble with packing everything and end up only being able to move at the end of the month, the professional movers might not have an opening on their schedule and maybe you won’t be able to stay at the old house and then stress stress stress! So just put on your mind beforehand that the ideal time for you to move is in the middle of the month.
Save money on moving boxes
With all of our moving tips, time is of the essence. If you do have some time to prepare yourself, you’ll be able to save lots of money and avoid stress. One of the things you could do to save money once you define your move is getting boxes from your local supermarkets and big-box retail stores. They have thousands of boxes arriving daily with several products. Every morning they unpack it, put the products on their shelves and, on the next day, give back the boxes to the truck or dispose of them some other way. They won’t mind a bit if you ask for 3 or 4 boxes. They won’t be perfect for what you need, but if you get some packing supplies like strong duct tape and customize the boxes they can be of great moving help. That’s actually a great help kids can provide. Teach them how to, and let them duct tape your custom and free moving boxes, label them and the whole nine yards.
If you do have to get some additional moving boxes and you end up paying for them, try selling them back afterward. Some moving companies do buy used boxes, either for recycling or even re-selling, so that’s a great moving tip to try and recover some of the money you spend during your house relocation.
Get moving insurance
The best way for you not to stress over anything is just getting moving insurance. What? Are you surprised moving insurance exists? There’s insurance for almost anything! However, before you rush into getting your moving insurance, check if your Homeowner’s Insurance policy doesn’t already cover moving damages; sometimes it does and you can discard this moving tip.
On this part its important that you research your professional moving help. See if they are really professional. It’s easy to just get a truck, slap a nice graphic on it and call yourself a professional mover. Check moving.org to see if the company is a certified pro-mover and ask around if people have had a good experience with them.
Yes, house relocation is stressful. But hopefully, with these moving tips you’ve just learned, you’ll be stronger and ready to endure it all and things will be easier next time you move!
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