We understand moving your home can be a very stressful time for you and your family. Through our years of experience, we are able to recommend the following steps you should take when making arrangements for your move day. When hiring a moving company for your family:
- Be sure to ask if they are licensed and insured.
- Ask if they use full-time employees or temps. (Be cautious of those who use temps and day labor, they may not have proper insurance.)
- Ask what type of training their drivers and team members go through prior to servicing customers.
- Ask if they charge extra for large items such as pianos and big screen TVs.
- Ask if they will have a contact person on site or provide a contact number for the day of their move.
- Ask if they move nights and weekends and if they charge for that service.
- Ask what type of payment options they offer.
- Ask if they offer free estimates.
- Ask if they offer packing and unpacking services.
- Ask if your items will be insured during the move.
- Be sure you are clear on how they bill, either by the hour or by piece.
- Make reservations two to four weeks prior to your move day.
When packing your family’s home:
- Avoid mixing items from different rooms in the same box.
- Use wardrobe boxes to make closets easier to pack. Clothes in drawers can be placed in suitcases.
- For large appliances be sure to check your owner’s manuals to see if there are special instructions for moving.
- Never use printed newsprint to wrap fine china.
- Always stack dishes upwards when packing.
- Pack important and sentimental documents separately to be easily accessible including: children’s health records, passports, family records, insurance information and photo albums.
- Remember: the heavier the item, the smaller the box.
- Don’t use used boxes. You don’t know if the box will be strong enough to support your possessions.
- Never use duct tape – use packing tape.
- Always tape boxes. Don’t interlock the tops.
Two weeks prior to your move:
- Don’t forget to arrange to transfer school records.
- Make a “survival closet” of things for the last cleanup before you move out – broom, dust cloth, dust pan, mop.
- Remember to get snacks for move day.
- Schedule disconnect times for about a week before your move day.
- Cancel newspapers, cable, pest control, cleaning help, lawn services.
- Mail in your change of address forms about week before your move date.
- Clean your stove before you move out.
- The day before your move, defrost the fridge.
- Take time to say goodbye to friends and neighbors before your busy move day.
- Don’t use boxes without tops. No tops make it impossible to stack properly in the truck.
- Use custom-designed boxes when packing fine china and clothing.