Moving sucks. I think we can all agree on that, right?
It’s stressful, things never seem to go as you plan, and you’re always panicked to stay on schedule, no matter how far in advance you start the process. Even after so many years of planning the moving process, we still can’t seem to get it right. And even after most of us have moved multiple times, we still struggle to do it well. There’s just something about it.
So, we hit the ‘streets’ to find some experts who could provide their insight on making a move as smooth as possible. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
Mike Harvey – Director of an International Moving Company
Mike’s tip: Purge your items, pack less, and make things easier on everybody.
“Some people fail to understand that the more stuff you’re moving = the more expensive your moving will be. Movers will either charge per project or hourly and, no matter what, more items will increase the price of both of these pricing models. And, as a professional mover, I often go to a job and ask myself “why are they paying to have these items moved”? So many people just move junk from one place to the next and it costs them more money because of it. If I were to provide expert advice for someone looking to make their move as smooth as possible, it quite simply is: purge your items and get rid of what you can.
Once you’ve dived in headfirst and got rid of what you can, then you can do more to make the move as easy as possible. But it all starts with limiting the items that must be moved.”
Credit to Mike Harvey, Director of 1st Move International
John Gluch – Experienced Real Estate Agent
John’s tip: If you can, dismantle as many large items as you can beforehand.
“Moving companies never want to deal with having to dismantle a big object or finding an alternative method of getting it out of the home/into the home. Sometimes, having to figure out a way to get a giant piano from one place to the next can become a giant disaster and turn your move into a nightmare. Or only realizing that a giant cabinet won’t fit down a stairwell after hours of already working on the move. These things can be a total disaster and can be very frustrating.
The homeowner should look at every item, measure every aspect of the move, and make sure everything will fit easily without hassle. If a certain item could cause a problem, take it apart the night before or figure out an alternative method of moving it in order to keep it from becoming a disaster.”
John Gluch, Owner of The Gluch Group
My advice – An experienced mover
My tip: Don’t pack by room.
“Packing by room creates the most uneven attempt at moving ever. Obviously, every box related to the kitchen is going to be insanely heavy, while the box with towels and blankets will be too light and could be crushed in transit. Packing by weight and by item is smarter. Line up a number of boxes and disperse the heaviest items accordingly in each box. Then fill the rest in with lighter objects to create a more evenly weighing box.
If someone has a big record collection or lots of tools, it doesn’t make sense to pack these things together either. The boxes could break and, even worse, you could hurt yourself in transit, which can be a big issue.”
I hope your next move goes smoothly and these tips can be helpful!