Top of the List? Not Properly Planning! 
Ah, yes: planning. No household move is smooth without it! If we seem to be beating that drum loudly in our blogs and web pages, you’re right! We are! After all, when you engage us to handle your move, we’ve got a vested interest in seeing that it’s pulled off successfully. And if you’ve
hired a mover other than us? In that case, planning becomes even more important! The more prepared you are up front for not only everything that should happen but also a few things that shouldn’t happen but could, the better your move will go. So, by all means, plan!
Blunders That Planning Can Help You Avoid - Trying to do too much yourself. Save your sanity! Unless you’re Superman or Wonder Woman you can’t do everything. Ask friends and relatives for help. Let the kids pack the personal stuff in their bedrooms. Divvy up the inventorying and packing of various rooms between yourself and your spouse. And hire a professional moving company to do the loading, shipping, and unloading – or whatever else you haven’t the time, the know-how, or the inclination to tackle personally.
- Waiting until the last minute to take care of everything. Moving is done in stages. For example, there are timelines for terminating services (gas, electric, phone, and so forth) at your current address and turning them on at your new address before you arrive. Special arrangements must be made and time must be taken to pack and ship large or very valuable items. When the movers come, everything that’s got to go had better be ready to go if the move is to stay on schedule. Delays can cost you – and not only money. Rushing around at the last minute is a good way to ensure that things get lost or left behind. Or damaged.
- Failing to have a Moving Day plan for the kids and pets. Are the kids going with you or your spouse or staying with grandma until the move’s completed? Have plans been made regarding their school situation? Can you take Fido with you or is he better off being boarded until you’re in your new home? You know these things must be considered. Don’t wait to consider them!
- Not communicating changes in your schedule to your moving company. Has the start date of your new job in your new city changed in a way that might affect your move date? Can’t make the time originally scheduled for the home survey that determines your move estimate? Need to have the movers come a little later than planned on Move Day? Okay, sometimes changes are unavoidable. They needn’t be a problem, though … if you alert your moving company to them well enough in advance!
- Not reading the paperwork from your mover carefully. What? You didn’t see that extra charge for the moving company’s packing services on page two of the contract? Or the cost of packing and shipping that huge grand piano of yours? Or that your moving insurance doesn’t actually cover the full valuation of your belongings? Of course, maybe none of those things were actually in the contract – and should have been. If you didn’t read it, how would you know? Surely you’ve heard the old adage that you should never sign a contract you haven’t read. Heed it! Or you’ll surely get a bill you weren’t expecting!
Follow the guidelines above, start planning early, and you may find that your household move has all the adventure you hoped for – and none of the trauma you feared!
