We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Moving Day is packed with excitement, stress, happiness, and sadness. That’s a lot of emotion, but moving on to bigger and better things – or downsizing – can be an emotional time.
As always, consider hiring Smooth Move People to take care of the heavy lifting. We’ll pack your belongings, load them on the truck, take them to your new place, and unload. This will remove a lot of pressure from your shoulders. No worrying about if friends will show up to help, renting a truck, or scrambling for packing supplies.
There’s Still Work To Do
Unfortunately, you won’t get to sit around and enjoy a beverage as a flurry of action happens all around you. You’ll need to fill out a variety of change of address forms, alert schools of the move if you have children, and let service providers know when to start (and end) services.
On the plus side, you can take care of those jobs in the weeks or even months before Moving Day. But you’re not off the hook yet. For all intents and purposes, this will be the last time you ever set foot in this place. So you want to make sure all the little things are taken care of.
Before We Arrive
Set aside the personal belongings you’ll be moving or that you may need access to during the day. Depending on the length of the move, you may want to pack a bag for snacks or drinks or anything else you’ll need for the trip. If you have kids, make sure they pack for the drive, too.
Speaking of kids, the Smooth Move People love kids! In fact, we even used to be kids! But we know that moving an entire household and little ones running around don’t always mix. Consider clearing out a room they can play in while the packing and moving and the in and out is underway.
This goes for the fur babies in the home as well. Moving is just as stressful for them as it is for you. By putting them in their crate, or even boarding them for the day, there will be no chances of them running off or getting underfoot.
Finally, make sure there’s room for the moving truck near the house or in the driveway. The closer we can park, the more efficient the move. If you’re moving from an apartment complex, talk to the apartment manager about reserving a spot or two for the truck.
We Pack, You Clean
As we move from room to room, taking larger furniture out to the truck, you will probably notice two things: the original color of the flooring underneath and several dust bunny colonies. Whether you’re renting an apartment or selling your house, you don’t want to leave a mess behind.
We don’t suggest replacing the carpet or repainting the interior. But a quick vacuuming or picking everything up that fell behind the dresser is just common courtesy. You may even get some of your deposit back. As a homeowner, it’s one less thing the realtor has to do before finding a buyer.
As you finish each room, shut and lock the windows. Once everything has been removed, do one final sweep of closets, kitchen drawers, and laundry room cabinets. Check the refrigerator and freezer, too. Not everyone wants their fridge pre-stocked with half-empty condiment bottles or jars.
Final Steps
Once a tenant has moved out, the property manager will usually go in and change thermostats, furnaces, hot water heaters, and other appliances to energy-saving levels. However, as a homeowner, you don’t want to heat or cool an empty house for weeks or months on end.
Still, you want to make sure to protect the home until it’s sold. Consider the weather: If it’s expecting to drop below freezing, making sure to keep the house warm enough to prevent pipes from freezing is a good idea. Or at least make sure the realtor will make these adjustments for you.
As you leave your home for the last time, make sure to gather up all keys and garage remotes and leave them behind for the next renter, tenant, or owner. Don’t forget about the keys you’ve given family members and friends. After all, they won’t be needing them any longer, either.
Now it’s time to gather the kids, pets, and drive off and meet the movers at your new residence, wherever that may be. Make sure to have contact information for the movers so you can remain in communication while in transit. Don’t dawdle! You don’t want to pay for movers to sit around waiting for you to arrive.
Once the truck has been unloaded, furniture placed, and boxes placed in their respective rooms, you can relax a little bit. Even though you didn’t pack anything yourself, you still had a full day. And the following days won’t be that relaxing either as you unpack everything. So take a load off – you deserve it!
Work With Professionals
Want to remove as much stress as possible during the moving day? Schedule a move with Smooth Move People. We have decades of experience moving people across town or several states away. We’re fast, efficient, friendly, and experienced and it doesn’t hurt that we have the lowest prices in Oregon, too. So shop around and compare – then let us know how we can help.
