All of us wouldhave experienced the stress of relocating homes at least once in our lives.
Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that we have also gone through the physical, mental, and emotional strain of the entire process, which only becomes tougher when there are aheap of responsibilities on you.And, of course, going through the financial matters of relocating is a differentkind of stress altogether.
Well, worry not!
Moving becomes much easier tohandle when you get organized, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here!
We’ve presented below, a well-thought out time-table that you can follow, from the day you decide to relocate until the final moving day.You could read in detail or note down the main pointsabout the tasks you should take care of before leaving your old place.
The schedule is organized week-by-week, as below:
- 4 Weeks Prior to Relocation
- 1 Week Before Moving
- On the Day Before
- On Moving Day
Make sure to keep an eye out forthe specialtips that willgiveyou an extra bit of info, which may help you along the way.
4 Weeks Prior to Relocation
It’s best to start planning at least 1 month before moving date so that you have enough time to prepare for the move.
1. Make a moving checklist
Maintaining a checklist of your pre-move tasks is a tried-and-tested method to keep track of the work to be completed, thereby easing the tension.
Note down your responsibilities and also make a list ofyourshifting requirements.
Some of your tasks may include points like:
- Listing out number of fragile items & handling instructions for them,
- Updating your new address in important places (banks, educational institutions, post office, etc.),
- Looking for professional packers and movers (online or offline),
- Determining which items, you want to take & which to leave behind,
- Deciding on the perfect day to schedule your move, etc.
Tip: you can alsoassign tasks for specific dayson your calendaruntil the final day leading up to your move; ticking off the completed tasks will let you knowthe amount of work leftbefore moving day.
2. Start looking for good moving companies
Professional packers and movers have years of experience and know the exact techniques & work strategies to ensure damage-free relocation, thereby guaranteeing quick,easy, and safe relocation of your household items.
However, identifying a trustworthy mover out of numerous available options would be difficult due to the presence of many fake & unprofessional movers.
Therefore, it’s important to carry out proper research of relocation service providers by checking for their Govt. authorized registration documents before getting in touch with them. You can shortlist 5-6 movers and contact them to get their initial price estimations.
Remember: avoid low-cost movers completely as fraud companies attract customers by offering cheapest quotations; rather, choose average-priced movers or those having a good reputation in the market.
Bonus Tip:no matter which city you’re planning to move from/to, you can quickly & easily find pre-verified moving companies in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, and many other cities via AssureShift one of the best packer mover directory websites.
3. Declutter unwanted belongings
The number of goods you pack and move influence your home shifting charges to a great extent.
Sort through your household goods and reduce the load; get rid of items which you may not use in your new home and which you haven’t used in a long time.
Tip: if your unwanted items are in good condition, donate them to a charity or sell them on Quikr, OLX, etc., for a few extra bucks.
4. Take inventory of moving items
Make a final list of the items you’re shifting once you declutter them, so thatyou cankeep track of the goods which will be sent with movers.
You can either note down on paper or take pictures,so you have virtual proof of the original condition of goods before entrusting them to the relocation service providers.
Tip: make sure you separate the decluttered goods from moving items to avoid any confusion while packing.
5. Get accurate shifting costs from movers& Compare
Request your shortlisted moving companies for in-home estimates so that they can visit your home and see the items before finalizing charges.
Also, discuss in detail with them about your specific requirements, packing &handling instructions for fragile items, best-possible route from your old to new home, date and time of move, and other such important details.
Compare price lists obtained along with details such as their services promised, reviews written by previous customers, etc. This way, you can quickly and easily identify the most suited shifting company for your relocation & budget requirements.
Tip: clarify all your doubts during the survey and find outthe charges included in your final cost; check for hidden charges and negotiate the final quoted price to get a good deal.
6. Check for repairs & deep clean your new home
Take time to visit your new home and thoroughly clean every single nook and corner to have a truly fresh and hygienic home to live in. Make sure you cover everything from top to bottom of every room, including ceilings, windows, and doors & their handles.
Also, check the working condition of plumbing & electrical sockets in the house; get necessary repairs done immediately.
Tip: start with the bathroom and kitchen as these are usually the dirtiest rooms as well as one of the first places where diseases easily spread.
7. Choose the right day for your move
Since most people prefer movingduring month-end and weekends, shifting companies will be fully occupied and may charge up to two-fold or moreto take up relocationjobs;they would also be in a hurry to finish up the work and may not pay full attention while handling your goods.
The best option to avoid burning your pocket is schedule your move a few days early, around middle of the month or before the 25th,so that you can easily find good& reliable movers.
Tip: utilize your casual leaves from work and opt for weekdaysso that you canbenefitin terms of cost as well as time spent inrelocating. Also, if you’re moving during the coronavirus pandemic, make sure to get the latest updates about a possible lockdown in your current/ new locality.
1 Week Before Moving
8. Organize important documents
Go through all your documents & papers and segregate them into ‘Important’ and ‘Unwanted’ piles.
Organize the important papers into LABELLED files & folders; SHRED the ‘unwanted’ document pile.
Tip: never send any documents, valuable or otherwise, with packers & movers no matter how much you trust them.
9. Manage utility services at both homes
Imagine arriving at your new location after a long day only to realize there’s no electricity or water! And then you remember that you forgot to inform the concerned departments at your old house too! Not only will this lead to unusedutility bills but also an uncomfortable start to your stay at the new place.
So, make sure you set aside a day to contact the utility departments at both your homes, and inform them about your move and the correct date on which you need them transferred or disconnected & reconnected.
Tip: this is one of the important tasks that people tend to forget amidst the tensions of relocation, so note it down somewhere you won’t forget.
10. Pack overnight bag & cleaning supplies
Unpacking every single box just to look for your toothbrush or clothes to change into after a tiring day can be frustrating.
To avoid this, pack all your essentials like toiletries, extra pair of clothes, medications, and other such items into a small bag which you can have easy access to at your new home.
You can also pack your important documents, jewelry, laptop, and other electronic gadgets into the same or a similar bag and keep them together in a different room.
Tip: if you were not able to clean your new house earlier, you may want to do that before your goods arrive; so, make sure pack a couple of basic cleaning supplies and carry them with you.
On the day before
11. Prepare appliances & electronics
Moving an unprepared refrigerator,AC, TV, and other appliances & electronics may lead to damages during transit and affect their working condition.
For Appliances: dust, wipe & clean all appliances so that they are ready for moving on D-day; empty the contents of your fridge, remove all the shelves, and defrost it overnight.
For Electronics: before unplugging your electronics, take photos of the connections from behindwhich you can refer while reconnecting; pack all the wires into Ziploc bags and label the device it belongs to.
Bonus Tip: stop buying groceries at least 1 week before moving day so that you don’t end up wasting good veggies and other foods; if you still have any leftover edible food on the day before, make sure to give them away instead of throwing away good food.
12. Take photos of all your goods
If you haven’t already taken pictures of the goods, make sure to do so on the day before moving them.
This way, you’ll have virtual proof of the original condition of all your items before the movers packed them, and it will help when you have to claim compensation for any damages.
On moving day
13. Guide movers during loading & unloading
Avoid damages to your house propertyby guiding the moving labor around corners when they are loading and unloading your goods at both locations.
To facilitate smooth and safe shifting of goods, clear the pathway from house to transport vehicle and make sure it is free of any obstacles.
Tip: if you arrive at the new home before your goods, do some basic cleaningand prepare the place where your goods will be kept.
14. Check delivered goods for damages
As soon as your belongings are delivered, get the movers to unpack them; inspect the goodsfor any damages while the movers are still there andreport any breakage or misplaced goods immediately.
Tip: this is where your pictures and inventory list of goodswill be helpful; be sure to keep them handy.
15. Tip the movers & offer refreshments
It’s a good idea to keep a fewwater bottles and snacksavailable for the moving labor who put in their hard work to shift your goods.
You can also consider tipping them if you were satisfied with the services they provided; make sure to tip each individual rather than handing over the total amount to the supervisor.
Packing and moving your entire household would be a mountainous task to handle alone. Taking the help of professionals will guarantee stress-free and safe relocation of your items within thedesired time& budget. However, it’s important to do a good amount of research before hiring any moving companies to avoid getting in touch with amateurs or possibly, fraudsters.
Alternatively, you could take the easy route and hire pre-verified & genuine relocation service providers in your city, via a reputed reference portal like AssureShift. All you need todo is,share your shifting requirements & moving items and compare the best option out of the 3 references provided by AssureShift; take into consideration thecharges quoted, services offered as well as their previous customer experiences.
Your hired packers and movers would take care of your complete move, and you can utilize your time in other fun tasks such as planning the layout of your new place with family, preparing to say goodbye to your old neighbors, and so on.
Wish you a Happy and Stress-free Moving!
