By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Trying to do too much yourself.
Save your sanity! Unless you are Superman or Wonder Woman, you cannot do everything by yourself. Ask friends and relatives for help. Let the kids pack their stuff in their bedrooms. Divvy up the inventorying and packing of various rooms between yourself and your significant other, if possible. And hire a professional moving company to do the loading, shipping, and unloading – or whatever else you have not the time, the know-how, or the inclination to take on 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 professional movers arrive, everything that has 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 staying with grandma until the move is completed? What about their school? Can you take Fido with you or is he better off being boarded until you are in your new home? You know these details must be finalized ahead of time. Do not wait to figure out the specifics!
Not communicating changes in your schedule to your moving company.
Has the closing date on your new home in your new city changed in a way that might affect your move date? Can’t make the time originally scheduled for the in-home survey that determines your move estimate? Need to have the moving company come a little later than planned on Move Day? Everyone knows that sometimes changes are unavoidable. They need not be a problem if you alert your moving company to them well enough in advance!
Not reading the paperwork from your mover carefully.
What? You did not 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 does not cover the full valuation of your belongings? Of course, maybe none of those things were in the contract, but they should have been. If you did not 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 might get a bill you were not expecting!
Follow the advice above, begin planning early, and you may find that your household move has all the adventure you hoped for – and none of the trauma you feared.
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