Tag: moving day tips

Tips for shortlisting a moving company in 9 steps

Tips for shortlisting a moving company in 9 steps

Many circumstances can force people to leave their homes and move to another location – unaffordable rent, job-related migration or wanting to be closer to a loved one. That’s why moving is one of the most stress-inducing events in a person’s life. However, you can overcome much of the stress of moving by hiring professional movers.

Reliable movers will transport your belongings to your new home in another city, state or country and make relocation a stress-free experience. But finding the right movers can be difficult. In America, the moving services industry has grown by 0.4% in the last five years, so people have many options from which to choose. This post will help you shortlist a moving company in nine easy, simple stages, right here:

  1. Watch out for common moving scams

Moving scams aren’t that common, and only a handful of Americans fall victim to this type of fraud. However, it’s still smart to know how to recognise these cons and keep your belongings safe from fraudulent moving companies. Here’s how you can steer clear of being swindled:

  • Don’t work with movers who ask for a large deposit up front
  • Ensure your moving professional has a valid, physical address
  • Ask for their U.S. DOT number and then confirm it with the FMCSA
  • It’s better if they’re a part of organisations such as the Moving & Storage Conference
  • If the moving company offers an extremely low estimate, it’s likely they’ll scam you later
  1. Get recommendations from different sources

Most homeowners think it’s enough to search online for local movers. In reality, Google may not give you the best names in the moving services industry with just one click. Search engines will mostly show some of the best SEO-friendly sites on the first page, which is not a bad thing per se. But you should ask your family and friends for recommendations.

Many Americans will suggest Coleman Movers as your ideal moving partner. Serving customers since 1914, the company is known to handle residential, commercial and international relocations. Their skilled workers will pack, load and safely transport your belongings to your destination.

  1. Check for reviews, testimonials and work history

Check online reviews for all moving companies you are considering. These reviews will help you find the most trusted moving partners in your area. However, there are tricks to evaluate a mover’s trustworthiness from its online ratings. For instance, 4.9/5 isn’t a very impressive rating when it’s only based on a few dozen reviews. However, when it is based on 800+ reviews, you know the company’s worth considering.

Similarly, you should check external sites such as Quora, Reddit and Facebook to find testimonials, as a moving company can very easily post fake testimonials on their websites. Check their track record, work history and overall experience.

  1. Make sure they serve the area to which you’re moving

Not all movers facilitate commercial or long-distance moves. Similarly, not all moving companies provide their services nationwide. You should ensure the service provider you’re considering covers the state/s you live in and are to which you’re moving.

Professional movers cover more than twenty states and different cities to give customers a seamless relocation experience without any stress-inducing events.

  1. Interview different movers and get free quotes

After collecting the names of different local movers, it’s time to narrow down the list. Contact these movers, get free estimates from each, and compare their quotes to determine which company seems ideal for your situation.

Many companies will give you a number to call or ask you to fill out a form. Their agents will reach out to you and give you an estimate. Don’t sign up for the first name you find on the internet. Do sufficient research.

  1. Investigate hidden and additional charges

Some dishonest movers love to slip some hidden charges without your consent. Watch out for the following ‘fees’ when finding the ideal moving company:

  • Complexity fees: Movers may charge you more based on the complexity of your movers, such as your new home not having an elevator
  • Administrative fees: Getting you a Certificate of Insurance (COI) to cover liability issues
  • Additional mileage fees: When your relocation plans accommodate more distance
  1. Only work with licensed moving professionals

Working with a random moving company might not be safe. You must ensure a moving company is fully licensed, listed on BBB and employs professionals. Never hire movers who aren’t licensed to work in the moving services industry, or don’t have sufficient accreditations. Just work with well-known names in the local relocation industry.

  1. Carefully read the fine print of the moving contract

After finalising your deal with the moving company, don’t forget to read the fine print of your contract. It may contain some hidden, additional details you might not like. Even though trusted movers aren’t guilty of hitting customers with extra fuel expenses or insurance charges, it’s better to read the contract before signing it. Make sure the fine print of the finalised version of your moving contract is exactly what you’ve agreed on with the moving company. If you spot something that’s unclear or wasn’t discussed before, have them edit the contract.

  1. Rent storage units and carry all essentials in person

Here are some additional tips to make your mover-hunting journey easier. You can reduce your burden by renting a self-storage unit. These temperature-controlled storage facilities can hold your clutter for months or even years. You can dump all the junk, bulky and useless objects in these storage units and transport fewer items to your new home. This trick will make movers charge you less for fewer objects, and then you can transport your excess at your convenience in the future.

Also, carry your essentials on your person when travelling to your new home. Don’t trust movers with items such as jewellery and important documents.

Conclusion

If you’re planning to relocate but don’t know how to hire local, reliable movers, this blog explains how to find the right moving company. Follow the above-mentioned guidelines, and you’ll find the best people for the job. Ask for recommendations, check online reviews and work with licensed movers. That’s how you can ensure a smooth move to a new location.

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Tips to make the moving process easier for you and your family

Tips to make the moving process easier for you and your family

If you’re planning to move, it can be a stressful experience. However, there are ways to ease the process for you and your family. Here are some tips to simplify and reduce the challenges associated with moving, whether it’s within your current country or to a new one.

Early packing is essential

To pack efficiently, avoid waiting until the deadline. Instead, begin packing as soon as possible and allocate enough time to pack properly. Then, with adequate time, you can sort through your possessions and decide which ones to pack, donate or sell.

Label your boxes

Please label each box with its contents and the desired destination. And don’t forget to mark fragile and heavy boxes appropriately. This will help ensure that unpacking is safe, organised and efficient.

Don’t overpack boxes

When packing boxes, don’t overfill them because they can become too heavy to move safely. Please make sure each box is light enough that you or someone else can carry it easily.

Make an inventory of your possessions

To avoid losing anything while moving, create a list of your belongings before you leave. This should include furniture, electronics, jewellery and artwork. Also, take pictures of all the rooms before you start packing so you’ll know where everything should go in your new home.

Get professional help

If the moving process is too difficult for you, hire professionals who are experienced in handling the job. A moving company can assist with physical work involved in packing, loading and unloading your belongings; and they possess equipment like dollies, ramps and hoists that can greatly simplify the whole process.

Stay organised during the move

When you’re moving, it’s imperative to bring along essential documents and items. These may include a change of address form, citizenship papers, birth certificates, social security cards, prescription medications, medical records and other important documents. Also, remember to pack an overnight bag for each family member with toiletries and any other necessary items that you’ll need in your new home before you’ve unpacked everything else.

Hire a skip bin for easier clean up

To make the clean-up process easier after the move, consider hiring a skip bin. This will give you a simple and efficient way to dispose of any unwanted items like furniture, boxes and debris.

Take time to relax

After completing all the packing and unpacking, make sure to take a break and enjoy your new home. For instance, you could have a family dinner or go for a stroll around the neighbourhood, which will allow everyone to get acquainted with the new surroundings. This will also aid in the quick adjustment to your new home.

Moving can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be if you’re prepared. Make sure you plan ahead and allocate enough time to pack properly while staying organised throughout the process. And don’t forget to hire professionals if needed, as well as get rid of any unwanted items with skip bins for easier clean up when finished. With these tips in mind, your move should go smoothly and hopefully make this transition easier for you and your family.

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Preparing to move? Top tips to make moving day as stress-free as possible

Preparing to move? Top tips to make moving day as stress-free as possible

Moving home marks a fresh start. Leaving one home closes a chapter in a person’s, couple’s or family’s life and signifies the beginning of their next one in a new house.

As home movers reach record high figures, many people will understandably be looking at ways to help minimise the stresses of moving house. Whether this is your first or fourth move, the moving process will only slightly get easier.

If you’re preparing to move, here are some of our top tips to help make moving day as stress-free as possible.

Create a plan for moving

If you have a date set for when you are moving house, start to put a plan together for moving house. Included in this plan can be a timeline between the day a moving date was confirmed to the evening of the moving day. These could consist of when items should be packed if a removals company is needed, how many trips between properties will need to be made and who will clean the old property.

Of course, moving day is unlikely to run exactly as planned. The plan you have created is to help you organise some of the biggest tasks of moving home, for example, packing all of your belongings and organising a removal company. If you have a plan in place, it can help to keep you on track and avoid not completing essential tasks.

Begin packing early

After devising a plan for moving, starting packing early should be one of the first tasks to start. Depending on when you are planning to move will influence what items you choose to pack. The best way to pack is by starting with the items or rooms you use the least. These could be household items you will unlikely need between now and when you move. It could be seasonal decorations or sporting equipment you have not used for some time.

Putting away these items early helps reduce the amount that needs packing in the days leading up to moving day. As the day gets closer, you can gradually pack away all your other household belongings. The last remaining items to be dealt with can be the belongings you’ll most likely need the day before or on the day of moving.

Another thing to help ease the stress of moving is clearly labelling each box. Write what items are inside the box and the room in which they should be placed. This approach allows the removal team or those helping you move to know where to put each box. For you, labelling what each box contains can help to save you time searching through multiple boxes for the items you need.

Invest in professional clearance services

One of the most time-consuming tasks of the house moving process is packing away all of your belongings. After you’ve packed away all your belongings and sent them to their new home, the next stage is removing and clearing the house of all items that will not be coming with you to the new property. This process is necessary but can take a significant amount oftime, especially in areas cluttered with unwanted items.

Look at enlisting the services of JS Removals as they can help with house clearance. Their expert team can go to the property you are moving out of and clear it completely, even removing the carpets if you wish.

Investing in this type of service can be ideal if you’re very limited on time. Having a professional clearance service come in and handle clearing and removing items from your home can save you a significant amount of time. Time that can be spent focusing on other aspects of the house moving process.

Book in advance

If you feel a weekend isn’t long enough to move house and get settled, consider taking a little time off work. This may be a couple of days in the week or booking a week off entirely, depending on what availability and flexibility you may have. Organising your time off work in advance could help you avoid disappointment over not getting the dates you need. This could be because too many people are already away or it’s too short notice. Additionally, scheduling a leave of absence ahead of time provides you with peace of mind that you have ample days to unpack and settle into your new home.

Aside from arranging time off work, booking a removals company should also be organised well in advance. Removal companies can sometimes be challenging to secure. Weekends and bank holidays will be busy periods as they’re ideal times for people to move. It means that they don’t have to book time off work. Book them as soon as you know the date to ensure that you get the removals company you want. It can help to give you a better chance of booking the removal companies on the dates for which you need them.

Time to move

When moving day finally arrives, the plans and preparation you’ve put in place will have been worthwhile. You may notice some things run relatively smoothly. Of course, there might be a few unforeseen hiccups, but hopefully, nothing that impacts the day entirely. If there are delays in removal companies arriving or loved ones coming to help, these are issues that are out of your control.

Before you move into your new home, pack a weekend bag. This could include toiletries, medication, sleepwear, clothes and other essentials you will need readily available. Having this on hand can help save you time searching through your packed belongings. You can pack them in a suitcase or a large gym bag, anything that will fit all items to which you want easy access.

Keep some of these tips in mind to help make your moving day as stress-free as possible. You will appreciate the little stress you experience on moving day.

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How to ensure moving home is stress-free and organised

How to ensure moving home is stress-free and organised

Moving house is something that people look forward to and dread all at the same time. There’s the excitement that goes along with a new home, but then reality hits and you realise you have a lot of packing, organising and moving in your future. This can create quite a bit of stress and turn what should be a positive situation into a negative one. To help ensure this isn’t an issue, we’ve got many essential moving house tips that will eliminate the stress.

cardboard boxes, tape and scissors

Start the process as early as possible

One of the best pieces of advice to follow is to start the process early. Ideally, you want to start organising the moment you know you’re going to be moving. Tackling a little bit each day is much more accessible and stress-free than leaving it all until the last minute. Taking your time also ensures you don’t miss anything, you pack things properly and safely, and it’s done logically rather than thrown together at the eleventh hour.

Plastic box with items for donation

Do a declutter before packing

Chances are you’ll have items you don’t want or need in your new place – so why take the time to pack these items, move them and then unpack them at the other end? Experts suggest doing a massive full-house declutter before you even start on the packing. You can put things into three piles – keep, donate/give away and rubbish.

Cardboard box with 'bedroom' label

Label all your boxes – small and large

The next tip is to make sure you’re labelling every box no matter how big or small it is. This will make the process of unloading the moving van and unpacking so much smoother. You may find it helpful to invest in a label maker for this process, as it will be well worth it.

Cardboard box and red tape dispenser

Have all your packing supplies to hand

You’ll also need a selection of packing supplies, so it’s best to get these in advance. These include cardboard boxes/crates of various sizes, bubble wrap, packing tape and marker pen. Stored them all together to save yourself from having to hunt around for them.

Two men in a white moving van

Hire a removals company

There’s the ultimate stress-free tip and that is to leave all of the hard work to someone else – in this case, a professional house removal service. These companies ensure that your move day is organised, on time and without issue. Depending on the company you choose, their services will differ; however, if you want the full-service experience, look for one that can do both the packing and the moving. For example, G W Twilley and Son Removals prides itself on ensuring your move happens seamlessly. You can talk to them about what you need, fill in a survey and then get a quote on the exact services required. They go over all the details of the moving day beforehand so that you aren’t left feeling frazzled and stressed.

The fact is, moving doesn’t have to be a big stressful event. When you take the time to properly organise and plan out the day, it can be filled with positive energy and excitement. It’s the perfect way to usher in this new stage of your life.

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