Two of our team members were recently faced with sneaking in a move between work, two book deadlines, end of summer vacations, camp, school and the day-to-day happenings of what we call life. So to help ourselves and you, we conducted an impromptu social media survey of our virtual network, asking: What are your best tips for making the experience as pain free as possible?
A day later, we had more than 75 tips from real estate agents and their nomadic clients, proving people want to know—and share in—the joys of moving. Thanks to everyone who participated, and now, we’ll count down our top 10 tips for a painless relocation.
10. Move from denial to acceptance. Before you strap on your serious boots and start hauling your boxes away, Patrick says the best thing to do is “sit back, relax and accept the fact that, in the move, stuff will get broken, lost, or packed in a box that you never open.” Once you realize there will be potholes along the road, it’s a lot easier to handle hiccups as they arise.
9. Donate unwanted items. You have to go through all of your belongings during the packing process, so Nikki says, take advantage of a forced spring cleaning any time of year. Call a local charity and get rid of all of your unwanted items. Or if you have the time, make some extra loot through a garage sale or Craigslist.
8. Make a list. Tracking all of your belongings—especially if you’re using a moving service—is a task unto itself. Dawn suggests numbering boxes and tracking what’s in them and where they go. “I keep an excel spreadsheet to know what gets on the truck and gets off,” she says. It may take a bit longer on the front end, but will save you a lot of headaches come unpacking.
7. Make a map. In the same vein, Barb describes her go-to moving routine, which includes a detailed furniture map made of masking tape at her new home. “I always go to the new house a few days before and map out furniture placement for the movers. It saves time shoving things around later or being constantly interrupted with, ‘Where do you want this?’”
6. Wrap dishes in your towels. Save time, money and space with Connie’s advice to use sheets, towels and blankets to wrap your breakables. “ It protects the dishes better [than newspaper], you pack twice the items at once, and you only need to wash a load of towels instead of every dish you own.”
5. Prepare your survival kit. Lenny warns to remember to pack a box of necessities for your first night at the new house—things like toilet paper, sheets, pet food, toiletries, etc. Moving is hectic enough without digging through 17 boxes in the dark to find your contact solution and a toothbrush.
4. Think about the kids. Valerie reminds us that if you’re moving a family, kids can be overlooked in the chaos. She touts getting everyone involved. This is an adventure. Treat it like one and fit in some fun.
3. Ask some friends for help. Aaron’s best tip is to “leverage other people…MREA style.” Reach out to your network for boxes, trucks, manpower, babysitting, etc. You’ll be surprised how many people are excited to help!
2. Offer incentives. Taking leverage a step further, Paul says putting some compensation on the table—in the form of food and drink—is sure to draw a crowd. Set up a few “packing” or “paint” parties, and leverage your friends for function and fun!
1. Hire movers. Last but not least, the number one trick to moving seamlessly is to hire someone to do it for you. With the help of her hired team, it took Kammi only three hours to move a 3,000 square foot house. That’s what we call getting the job done!
What's your number one tip?
