Having a plan and practicing proper preparation for your move ensures your move will run seamlessly and that you’ll have a smooth process. From finding the right movers to packing with the best techniques or preparing for your moving day, make sure you have everything you need to make your move go off without a hitch.
Explore our tips below and helpful guides to ensure you receive the best move possible.
How to Find the Right Moving Company
There are several essential research tips that you should follow to ensure you’re working with the right movers, whether for a local, long-distance, or international move. These include:
- Recommendations: The first thing you should do when looking for movers is to talk to trusted family or friends who have worked with movers before. Getting first-hand recommendations will let you work with movers whom you know have personally had good experiences with and make it more likely that you’ll have a good experience too.
- Reviews: In addition to in-person recommendations, always look at online reviews for prospective moving companies. Don’t just look at their websites either; look at third-party review sites like Google Reviews, Angie’s List, and the Better Business Bureau to read reviews from real past customers.
- Get Multiple Estimates: Never just get a single estimate from one company and call it a day. Compare estimates from multiple prospective companies to determine which will give you the best services at the best prices. Remember, cheaper isn’t always better—if a company gives you an estimate significantly lower than other companies, this could be a sign of a scam or low-quality services.
- Beware of Scams/Rogue Movers: There are many red flags to look out for when it comes to moving companies. Always make sure your movers are licensed and insured (you can look up their credentials through their USDOT number on the FMCSA website). Movers shoulda always volunteer this information or make it easily found. Additionally, most reputable movers won’t ask for a cash deposit upfront, nor will they charge for your estimate. If your movers ask for payment for estimates or push for cash upfront, this is a sign of a scam.
Looking for reputable movers in St. Louis or Memphis? See what Cord’s high-quality moving services for residential and commercial needs can do for your household or business today.
How to Pack for a Move
Packing for a move can be a complicated or chaotic process if you don’t have a schedule and advanced planning on your side to keep your process organized. We recommend the following to keep yourself on track while packing for a move:
- Create a Packing Schedule: Start by creating a packing schedule well in advance, with different packing goals for each week. This will allow you to start early and pack little by little, which will make your process much less stressful and more organized. It’ll also make packing around work or school schedules much easier.
- Decluttering: Get rid of unused or unwanted items before you start packing. Go through each room and section items into “keep,” “donate/give away/sell,” and “trash” to keep things organized. Decluttering prior to packing will save you time and expense.
- Start With Non-Essentials: Start your packing process with nonessential items, like wall hangings and decor. Packing away items you don’t use day to day will allow you to make a lot of progress with your packing process without making day-to-day life awkward by rooting through boxes for things you need.
- Room-by-Room: Keep yourself organized by packing according to room. As we mentioned, start with the nonessentials and work your way through rooms as your moving day gets closer. Always label boxes with what’s in them and what room they belong in to streamline the unpacking process.
- Separate Essentials: Pack day-off essentials separately to keep with you during your moving process. This includes toiletries, valuables, essential documents, and extra clothes to wear while waiting for your items to arrive in the case of long-distance or international moves.
Our complete packing guides will give you even more insight into making your packing process a breeze. You can also utilize our professional packing services to take packing stress out of the moving equation completely.
How to Move with Children
Moving with children can be complicated, and it can be hard to know how to break the news of a move to them, or how to get them excited and open to your new home or location. Here are a few tips to let your kids adjust to moving:
- Advance Notice: Always let your kids know that you’ll all be moving well in advance of your relocation. Include them in the conversation and always be open and honest in communicating with them, and allow them space to express themselves and their feelings.
- Research Schools & Recreation: Enroll your children in their new schools as soon as you can to make sure they get into schools that are right for them. Additionally, research family-friendly activities, clubs, sports, or recreation in your new area to get them involved and to let them make some new friends.
- Medical & School Records: Notify your children’s current school of your move, as well as any doctors or relevant parties. This will give institutions time to transfer their records to their new school or doctor’s office.
- Arrange for Moving Day Supervision: Moving days can be upsetting and even dangerous for children. Arrange for a babysitter or for family or friends to watch your children while movers are bringing items to and from your home to ensure their safety and peace of mind.
- Pack Essentials: Let your children choose essentials to keep with them during the moving process. Include essentials like toiletries or medical supplies, but let them choose clothes, stuffed animals, and more to keep them secure during the transition.
- Keep Routines: Keep your kids secure by keeping up with their routines and staying consistent, even right before and after a move. From meals and playtime or naps, keep them on track to lessen the upheaval in their lives. Unpack their rooms first to let them settle in and get comfortable with their new surroundings.
How to Move with Pets
Coordinating a move with pets involves ensuring their stress levels are kept low and in making sure they know they’re safe and secure with you amidst the upheaval of a move. Remember, they don’t have any way of knowing what’s going on, so a move can make pets stressed or more prone to act out. There are several things to do to make a move with pets smooth:
- Routines: Keeping up with your pet(s) routines during the course of packing and moving is essential to keep them calm and less stressed during the process. The more your schedule changes, the higher their anxiety can get. Don’t skip out on everyday routines like their usual feeding times, walks, playtime, and more.
- Organization: Especially with young pets, having boxes and random items everywhere during the packing process can not only be stressful but dangerous as well. Get them used to packing supplies by having them around the house for a while prior to packing, and make sure not to leave out any hazardous items while packing, like cords or possible choking hazards.
- Extra TLC: Give your pet a little extra attention and care leading up to your move to reassure them and reduce their stress. The more care and attention they receive, the better they’ll handle a transition. Spend extra time during playtime, walks, and activities with them to keep them entertained and tired during the day.
- Contact Your Vet: Make sure your pet is in good shape and up to date on all shots and medical needs prior to your move. Additionally, contact your vet to obtain their records and notify them of your move.
- Pack Essentials: Always pack pet essentials separately from items going on your moving truck, especially if you’re embarking on a long-distance or international journey with them. Keep their water and food bowls, favorite toys, blankets, and more on hand and with them during the journey to keep them comfortable.
- Moving Day: Make sure pets are secured and out of the way on moving day for their safety and to lower their anxiety. Movers moving furniture and boxes can pose a safety risk to pets loose in the house, so we always recommend bringing them to a trusted friend or family member’s home during the move or keeping them in a separate room with their favorite items to keep them away from the action.
How to Move Plants
As all plant parents know, relocating plants is a very delicate process that require a lot of care and attention to detail to ensure their short and long-term safety and survival, as well as their overall health and growth.
Explore Cord’s plant moving and shipping resources to learn more about the best ways to keep your plants safe during a transition.
How to Prepare for Moving Day
Getting ready for moving day can often be stressful and catch you off-guard, even if you’ve been properly preparing well in advance. To make sure you’re ready to go on your big day, make sure you have the following areas covered:
- You’re working with the right movers
- Have completely packed up all items in advance (don’t forget to organize and label!)
- Keep children or pets in a safe area or with family or friends while moving crews are packing or loading
- Pack a separate essentials bag for you, your children, and your pets
- You’ve gotten rid of or eaten all perishable food items, and have packed non-perishable packaged items that are unopened and in good shape
- Follow a checklist to keep yourself and your movers on track
- Do a final walk-through to ensure everything has been addressed
Making sure your moving day runs smoothly comes down to proper planning and organization. Always start early and work with the right movers to make your day a breeze. Check out our step-by-step moving guide to learn more about how to make sure you’re ready for your moving day.
Financing Your Move
Having movers who will work with you and your budget will make your move that much more affordable and will cause you that much less stress. Always choose high-quality movers who emphasize the importance of customer service and affordability, and look for possible financing options like Cord’s installment payment plans through Enhancify.
Additional Resources to Make Your Move a Breeze
Need additional guidance for your move? Check out Cord’s various moving resources and guides to make sure all of your moving questions are answered.