There will likely never be such a thing as an ‘easy’ move, as picking up and moving years of your life from one place to another comes fraught with all kinds of stresses and problems.
There are however some relatively small, but often overlooked things you can do to make the whole process of moving to your new Waterloo Region home easier and more efficient.
Make the DIY vs Pro Decisions Early
Anyone planning a home move has a very basic choice to make that will affect every other element of the undertaking; are you going to do it yourself or hire a professional moving company?
There are pros and cons attached to each option and the final decision is a personal one. However it is a decision that should be made early so that planning the rest of the move goes as smoothly as possible. If you are going to go pro make sure you get at least three estimates and read all of the fine print before you commit to anything.
Pack Early and Often
If you have more than a month or so before moving it can be tempting to put off packing until the move date is a little closer as you have so many other things going on. That is usually a big mistake though and often leads to unnecessary stressful scrambling as the big day draws nearer.
Make a resolution that you will pack at least one box a day and be prepared to exercise a little discipline about exactly what makes it into those boxes. Moving home is a great way to finally let go of some of the clutter that most of us hoard away over time. A good rule of thumb is that if you have not used (or even seen) something for over year then unless it is a family heirloom it probably does not need to make the trip with you.
Document all of Your Hookups
Most homeowners have tons of electronic equipment to move these days, much of which has been in place – and all hooked up together – for a long time. You can save yourself a lot of frustration once you are in your new home if you snap a few pictures that document the way you have all of those gadgets hooked up right now so that recreating the set up in your new space is a lot easier.
Take the Insurance
Whether you have hired a professional moving company or are renting a U-Haul type van and moving yourself you will usually be offered the opportunity to take out full value insurance protection. Before you dismiss it as an unnecessary extra expense compare its cost to that of how much it would take to replace your most valuable items if they are damaged. Usually, when looked at like this purchasing the extra insurance starts to make more sense.
Kids, Pets and Moving Don’t Mix
Moving is certainly not child’s play and it can be super stressful (and scary) for pets as well. With this mind it really will be better for everyone if children and pets are kept away from the proceedings on moving day as much as possible.
If that really is not feasible designate a space in both the old and the new home where they can all safely play undisturbed and won’t get lost in the shuffle.