Date Archives: April 19th, 2021

Moving your home isn't as easy as hiring professional movers, and voila, everything is done. No matter how competent the movers are, there are still several tasks to take care of before the crew makes an appearance on the scheduled moving day. Our REALTORS® know that starting the moving preparations well in advance can give your moving adventure considerable momentum and make for a pleasant experience. Following are the top five things you still need to do before the moving company arrives.

1. Declutter, Clean, and Organize
   Let's not drag dust, dirt, and unused items from your old home to your new one. Before moving day, unplug and clean electrical appliances, remove batteries from devices, empty drawers, bookshelves, and cupboards, wash and dry clothes and linens, throw out garbage and wash trash cans, drain the fuel out of any-fuel powered tools, and wipe surfaces clean. Pre-pack small and valuable items to ensure they don't go missing during the move. Also, go through your things and set aside items you haven't used in the past year. Give some to close friends and family members, have a yard sale, donate to charity organizations, or get rid of worthless stuff. This will lighten the load and cut your moving costs considerably.
   
   
2. Establish a No-Pack Zone
   Before movers arrive, take all the items that you don't want your movers to pack or load on the truck into a separate room. These items include valuables of all kinds, essentials boxes, personal documents, and small electronic devices of crucial importance. Just to be safe, mark that room as a no-pack or no-entry zone and consider locking it. If you can't afford to spare an entire room for such items, cordon off one section of a room and make it identifiable as a no-pack zone. Also, be sure to mark any household items that won't be relocated to your new home.
   
   
3. Plan for Kids and Pets
   As movers march in and out of your house, carrying furniture and heavy boxes, the conditions in your home will be downright dangerous for your pets and kids. They could be trapped, stepped on, injured, or crushed in the commotion. Their routine will be disturbed, and they may get scared or upset by the activities and new faces. Your furry family members could also slip out through an open door. As such, it's important to leave your pets and small kids with a relative, close friend, or a sitter. That way, you won't have to constantly keep an eye on your curious toddler or snoopy dog and will be able to focus on the urgent matters at hand.
   
   
4. Prepare Your Home for the Movers
   You want to make sure the movers can easily maneuver your items around and leave your home in good condition. Cover floors, carpets, stairs, and walls with protective materials, place doormats in front of entrances, take decorations from the wall, add foam padding to your door frames, and use corner guards to prevent denting or chipping. You should also check your rugs and floors for anything that could be hazardous during the move, like slack or bunched carpeting or loose floorboards. Also, measure all doorways and hallways that your appliances, furniture, and other large items will pass through to ensure they will fit. You may have to remove trim or take doors off of their hinges to make spaces wider.
   
   
5. Inventory All Your Possessions
   Keep an itemized checklist of everything you're moving. This will serve as proof of the contents of your household shipment if something goes missing or gets damaged during the move. It's a good idea to take photos of expensive items to prove their condition before they're loaded on the moving truck. After packing, make sure to label each box based on its corresponding room in your new home. This will make unpacking easier.

Ready to put your house on the market among Nassau County homes for sale or Suffolk County homes for sale? We encourage you to contact us and find out how we can help.