Moving is a daunting and unpredictable task. You try to prepare for it, and it seems no matter what you do, you still have so many unforeseen circumstances and don’t know how to move. But don’t worry, that’s completely normal with moving. It will happen, and the best advice we can already give is to expect problems to arise, especially when you’re moving long-distance. But don’t stress about it. Just tackle them as they come and be prepared. However, if you’re starting from square one and don’t know where to begin, we have you covered. This article will cover all the do’s and don’ts that are essential for long-distance moving. We hope to teach you how to prepare for a move as much as possible to take some of those potential unforeseen circumstances away before they begin.
What Not To Do
When researching the internet before making your big move, you’ve probably only encountered articles that advise on what you should or need to do when moving. While that’s a great help, we want to also touch on what not to do. That way, you aren’t going backward or stuck in a problem. Moving is stressful. You need all of your bases covered. Let’s go over the top five things you should not do.
1.) Not Researching Moving Companies
While there are tons of across state moving companies, not all will meet your specific needs. Researching companies is crucial when moving. Research allows you to find the best and cheapest ways to move across the country. And while sometimes there’s too many long-distance moving options it seems, we advise looking at reviews, ensuring they have an authentic website, a customer service option, and estimates. We are at California Movers USA, do all of that because we know the stress a move can bring.
2.) Trying to DIY your Move
You may be trying to figure out how to move cheaply across the country and decide to just do it yourself. This is the ultimate don’t! Especially when moving long distances. Your items are valuable. A reliable moving company has the proper insurance and training to ensure your items arrive safely in their new home.
3.)Packing Late
Understandably, procrastination gets the best of us, or you’re too busy. However, don’t pack late. You may think you’ll have time, but trust us as movers, there is never enough time. You can avoid stress by planning, making notes, and packing correctly with a good timeline. Moving companies can even offer their advice on your specific timeline.
4.) Not getting Insurance
As we mentioned above, when choosing a reputable, professional moving company, they will have insurance. However, if you end up doing this yourself or not researching a good company that doesn’t have insurance, you could be losing money and potentially your belongings forever. Don’t look for the cheapest way to move long-distance. Federal regulations require interstate movers to offer both released-value protection and full-value protection to clients. Do your research and find what insurance policy works best for your move and what your moving company provides.
5.) Keeping all of Your Belongings
Your belongings are sentimental to you; it’s understandable. However, we’ve seen it time and time again when homeowners move and bring too much to their fresh start. It’s essential to go through your belongings and make a keep, donation, or trash pile. The less you have in a long-distance move, the better. Too many items that you won’t even want can lead to wasted time that is crucial when moving, and too many times can cause your long-distance movers to cost more in labor and fuel.
Best Way to Move Long-Distance
Now that you are fully aware of the top 5 essential don’ts of moving, it’s time to finally get to the good stuff, what you need to do for your cross country move! Whether you’re moving across states, to a faraway city, or even a new country, these are top-tier long-distance moving tips we are giving. And we genuinely recommend following all of it; that way, you won’t miss a beat, and it’ll make your long-distance move so much easier. Let’s take a look at the top 5 tips for moving long-distance.
1.) Create a Plan
The first thing you should do after finding your new dream home is creating a plan. Write it down, type it up, buy a planner, whatever works for you, the organization is key. Creating a long-distance move checklist will help you tremendously. Moving hundreds of thousands of miles away is a huge task and something that big needs a plan. This will help keep you on schedule along with your hired movers. Knowing what you need to do every day before that long drive begins can stop future problems if you do not plan.
2.) Update Important Documents
This tip tends to slip people’s minds, and it shouldn’t! If you’re moving long-distance, you need to make sure all of your information is updated before getting all the way to your new home. By planning and figuring out what needs to be changed, you save yourself time and stress.
3.)Label Boxes
You may think you just need to buy a bunch of boxes and throw your belongings in them. We strongly advise against this. When packing, the best course of action is doing so room by room, organized with your handy-dandy schedule we mentioned above and labels. You can use a sharpie, pen, or an actual labeling tool. Trust us when we say this helps tremendously. Now when you move things in and you have a box labeled, “DISHES” you know to take it to the kitchen and not your bedroom. The great thing about labeling is it only takes a few seconds to write down on your box what’s inside. Although it may be tedious, please do this, we promise it’ll make your move that much more stress-free.
4.) Get Multiple Move-In Estimates
As we mentioned on the ‘don’t’ list about researching, you should also look into multiple moving companies’ long-distance moving quotes. You don’t want something crazy ridiculous or even something way too low, and both are red flags. So, if you find the cheapest long-distance moving companies, try and find out why it’s so cheap. It’s also recommended to find three different across state movers and do so about a month before your move. It’s also important to note you first should prepare your home to get the correct move-in estimate. This includes square footage, boxes, how many things you’re bringing, insurance coverage, and so on. Most moving companies offer a free estimate, so start looking today at long-distance moving companies prices.
5.) Hire Professionals
We saved the best piece of advice for last, and that’s hiring professionals. Long-distance is really hard, and it’s not recommended to attempt this on your own. We recommend full service long-distance moving companies, that way they can help you with multiple tasks if you need it. Once you have your in-home estimates completed, it’s time to choose a reputable company that suits your needs. Professional movers have the experience, knowledge, and insurance to back you up just in case. This way, you can take care of your new home and family while you let the professionals handle everything else. It’s genuinely the smartest ‘do’ on our top five list.
Start Preparing!
You now know how to move with our top five list for both do’s and don’ts of moving long distances. We promise following this will give you the best ways to move long-distance, and now it’s time to begin. Start preparing, and do it smartly. Organize, schedule, plan ahead and hire a moving company. Now when you arrive at your new home miles and miles away, there won’t be as many mishaps. Again, also be prepared for the ‘anything can happen’ scenarios. But don’t panic! Things happen, and you will get through it and make this new house a home. Good luck with your move, and congratulations!
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