MOVE!
A dummies guide to moving.
I. Considering your move date
30 days is the bare minimum. With less than 30 days you will probably get to your new place with no idea where your good clothes are, having no electricity, and by spending double to triple for the move.
Finding a place
If you don’t know it yet craigslist is your friend. Craigslist organizes several regions with each within each city within each state in United States as well as in many overseas locations. Listings are organized under the housing section apartments and housing rooms shared sublets temporary housing vacation rentals office space etc. If you click on apartments/housing for rent you will see that you have criteria for search – you can type in requirements such as (pool, garage, air conditioning, etc) as well as selecting high and low rent, pets etc. you can narrow search by region a well. Most of the listings have many photos of the place to give you an idea whether not even want to make an appointment to visit it. In addition there will be a “reply to” button that will allow you to email the poster of the ad directly. Warning – In some cities realtors have caught on to craigslist and many of the ads you will see will be for home finding services. You have to watch out for this as it’s a big time waster to contact them and register for their service. I have tried a couple of these will little success, but I am sure this varies greatly by region.
One of my favorite home finding sites is Padmapper.com. In the past this site incorporated all of the Craigslists ads as well as MLS listings, Rent.com, etc. licensing may cause pad mapper’s prowess to vary by region. Shout outs to Zillow.com as well.
Driving around
A lot of people have success driving sound neighborhood by neighborhood. I suggest printing a google map of a few areas and taking it with you to highlight locations when taking notes. Before settling in an apartment or house you may want to visit it during the day and night. Check weekend and weekend traffic patterns. Pad mapper will allow you to see walking and driving regions by time.
Looking at the mailbox will allow you to quickly gauge how many units are in the building – an indicator of how often you may see your neighbors.
The PackRat versus The Minimalist
I have moved three times in the last three years, each time to a smaller and smaller apartment. Now this won’t always be the case but for me it has been a learning experience in shaking the packrat mentality. Two notable processes gave me insight into how to shed my stuff.
A. A dollar a pound!
When moving across the country, a general rule is that it will cost you around a dollar a pound. This am go up or down based on whether you hire someone to pack, expedite delivery, or if you rent a uHaul and drive it yourself. But the less pounds, the less money, period.
B. when did you last use that?
A friend of mine was really into buying and selling stuff, he was also one of those people that like to retain the most possible vale out of purchases. He even went so far as to sell TV sets just before the new one came out. Every six months or so he would go around the house and put little stickers with the date on objects around his house. If in 6 months when he did this again the last time he touch that object was when he put the last sticker on it – it was time for it to go. He would use eBay or Craigslist to sell it.
He thought that the bottom line is, cash in the bank is a lot easier to move that stuff. This won’t work for everybody, but seriously think about stud before you blindly put it in a box, because moving month is a great time to sell stuff you no longer want or use whether individually or at a garage sale.
C. Garage sale
The hardest thing about a garage sale is the stuff you are selling you really want to keep. I mean you bought it, we’re gifted it, built it inherited it or whatever. So this is what you need to do.
1) look it up on eBay completed auctions. This is a true indicator of its value. Most items have been sold and can easily be found. Red is high bid that didn’t meet minimum price and green ones sold. Look only at the greens and determine condition. Use this number to make out a price tag and start tagging your stuff. If you sell it later, now you will know its worth without letting your emotions influence.
2) on garage sale week. Start advertising, direct traffic from busy streets with signs, advertise in paper, Craigslist, etc. calling you junk drawer sale an estate sale sometimes helps to drive traffic.
3) on sale day. You will need help. Someone to just sorta look intimidating and observer people so small items don’t get stolen. Each person should be their own cashier. Make sure to have lots of singles, fives, and tens to make change. Discounting to these amounts is not a bad idea too.
III. I do it versus They do it
Packing it yourself is advised unless you either can’t be bothered or don’t have the time. movers charge by the hour for packing, some also charge for boxes, tape, etc. going rates are between $25-$50 an hour. Cheaper if you get you little cousin to help. It takes longer than you would think to pack. A kitchen that has full cabinets could take an entire day for one person to pack. Wrapping dishes and glasses just takes way longer than you would like. This is by far the least fun part of moving.
IV. And then God created tape – and a few other tools of the trade.
Tape tape tape. You will use way way more than you think. As a rule I always start with 6 rolls and its never enough. And that’s for a 2 bedroom. Tape is good for years and years and you are better off having more than less.
Tape gun. You should get one per person, or at least one per bedroom. You don’t want to be running upstairs/downstairs or looking in the kitchen cabinets for your tape gun. Just get a couple extra. This is not the place to save money.
Sharpie! Use this – see section below on labeling boxes.
Dolly – a single box may not be too heavy, but 75 of them will be. Use dolly to transport boxes from staging area to storage area for day of move. Try to limit vertical stacking of boxes unless they perfectly taped shut and the exact same size otherwise this will ruin the integrity of the boxes before the move.
Vertical file boxes – these are perfect for transporting file cabinets as you can take vertical files out put them right into the specialize boxes and put on lid, these are designed for stacking. If you have a home office or lots of files you should gets these. Seek out boxes from a document storage company. Usually law firms and insurance companies use these.
Wardrobe Boxes. These are large boxes with a metal rod across the top for hanging clothes. By far the easiest way to transport a closet and also the best for protecting the clothing from damage. Most moving companies will provide these for free or small fee. You can also get Moving Bags – these are large plastic duffle bags that you can stuff a lot of stuff in – $25 or so.
Bubble wrap vs paper for glasses
There is some controversy over billable wrap as it is pretty expensive and takes up a lot of room. If used correctly one square sheet should be good for any glass and it is here that you want to be generous with tape. When it comes to breakable items motion is your enemy. Make sure that any box that has breakable items in it is packed fully. There should be little to know wiggle room and if you shake the box you shouldn’t hear anything. This is especially important for longer trips where boxes may sit on tricks for long periods of time. Be sure to label breakable items Fragile and Glass. Also you want to indicate which side is up. If you are using paper, be somewhat wasteful as it really doesn’t provide all that much protection for glass items. If using newspaper, you may want to wear runner gloves to prevent the ink from staining your hands and nails.
Wine boxes: these can be used for all kinds if things. Besides keeping bottles safe, wine inserts are great for storing cords, rolled up magazines, cooking utensils, and condiment bottles. Just make sure to mark any perishable items a such.
V. The Box can be your friend if you let it – where to buy: many box providers will deliver boxes to your home. If you have already mapped out your needs order in a just in time basis in order to keep clutter down in the process. If you aren’t sure what to order, start with small boxes. As a rule of thumb, 16x16x12 boxes are perfect for a lot of things. Heavy things like books, CDs, files, papers, collectible items, and smaller things like picture frames and decorative items. Smaller boxes can still be very heavy, but by packing tight, they will be manageable and stackable. Bigger boxes (even mediums) are hard to get your arms around so there is more likelihood of the box being dropped. When using medium or large boxes, go light. Keep heavier items on the bottom and go light above that. Fill up the boxes with sheets, pillows an blankets, things that take up space but aren’t that heavy. You can also use FB Marketplace to find people that are just getting rid of boxes and go get them free.
Artwork: you picture frames and paintings will get destroyed of you dot pack them correctly. Go to a art or framing store and ask to buy a box there. UHaul and Home Depot sell these too but they are a bit harder to come by. You can create framed art boxes yourself by cutting large or wardrobe boxes. You want to be sure that you use a piece of cardboard between each painting or picture and again movement is the enemy so yet should not wiggle around.
Electronic equipment should be packed in its original box. If you don’t have this, you should wrap with bubble wrap, then fill box with backing peanuts above, below and on all sides of item. The bubbled wrapped equipment should float in the peanuts and again absolutely no movement. Consider double boxing in this manner if very valuable. Flat panel TV’s must either be packed professionally or shipped in the original box. Be sure to bubble wrap any cords, screws, or remotes that could bang against the screen in shipping.
VI. Am I crazy if I label everything
Create a labeling system and stuck with it. Use the “1/total” system where for each properly labeled room (office, kitchen, etc) you have box # over the total number of boxes for that room. When labeling the box leave the deniminator blank until just before items start to get move to truck. Keep a running list for each room so uou can check off when they leave and when they return. Items of value should be highlighted in your list, but not on the box itself (beyond fragile markings). All boxes should be labeled on top and on at least one side. Stage boxes in the same room that they will be delivered to. For example all office boxes get loaded and unloaded at same time.
VII. The day before – breathe – it will be okay. Clean up the old place so you get your security deposit back.
VIII. The day
If you followed all the instructions, this is an easier day, especially if movers are carrying for you. You may want some picnic plates and cups to use for this day. Something that you can toss out after. If you plan it right, you will use up amd throw away cleaning supplies so you won’t need to transport them. Il this is a good time to think about buying a new mop or broom as well so you can trash the old one after the truck leaves. If you need to vacuum, do so room by room so the vacuum is the last item on the truck.
Leave behind a few “large catch all boxes” so when you remember the linen closet last minute, you have a box for them. You will likely do a walk through with the landlord or new owner after the truck leaves. Make sure that you have all the keys, clickers, and anything other required paperwork handy – I always pick a kitchen cabinet for this.
IX. I don’t need no Insurance
You absolutely need insurance. Something, many things, will break or get “lost.” In your move. Many items are covered by your home owners or renters insurance, but take the time to read your policy ahead of time as there are many limitations. Movers usually are bonded ad have insurance. The ones that do tend to be more careful. You should request to see a copy of their policy and fully understand the limits. Sometimes it is based on weight and we all know how light those new laptop computers are.
X. Transfer me
Here is a list of items that you should transfer ahead of time :
Electricity
Gas
Water
Cable
Internet
Phone
Mail
Credit cards
Banks
Brokerage accounts
Insurance (car and home particular have a 30 day clause)
Drivers license
Health clubs
Forwarding address to landlord for security deposit
Online accounts (apple, amazon, eBay, PayPal, etc)
XI. Payments and Claims and Photographs
Take pictures of everything. It will be your only evidence if you have to make a claim. When movers see you documenting everything they tend to be a bit more careful with your stuff too.
Take pics of the piles of boxes from each room. When placing boxes in room make sure that the box number for the room can been seen in the shot. Take pic of truck as it is being loaded and before the door closes. Not only will this be your proof if something shows up missing, it will also help you find things later when they are lost.
XII. Blueprints and floor plans and software make experts.
You want to measure and map out your new place before you move. Know what furniture is going where in the new place and consider labeling the non-obvious stuff like chairs, small tables and such.
Use a tape measure to take accurate dimensions for all four walls of each room and indicate any spots where those walls have areas that make them shorter (utility closets and such). To the best f your ability make cut outs of your furniture so you can place it in the room. Try to do this to scale. I realized on my last move that there was no way that my big couch was going to fit my new apartment and sold it before moving. It would have been a big hassle to pay to make it only to find out later it wouldn’t fit. Pay close attentions to things like kingside beds, shelving units with built ins. There are a number of home decoration softwares that allow you to easily enter room dimensions to build a floor plan. Many of these are free. Taking pictures of each room in the new place will be very helpful when planning your move.
XIII. Doing it online and creating the big password.
Everything from Planning your move, finding anew place, or ding box tape and packing material to transferring utilities can be done online. Consider creating a new gmail email address for this so everything is always in the same place.
XIV. A good friend helps you move, a really good friend helps you move a body.
Don’t ask your friends to help you move if you can help it. No one wants to help and unless you have a “I helped you, now you help me relationship” everyone will hate you for asking. However, with that said, there are some things that are not bad to do and that I have ha much success with 1) we need to drink all the wine in my house cause it will go bad in the move party. This is the disguised help me pack my kitchen party. 2) the I’m getting rid of clothes and I have all this designer stuff you might like party. Make sure that as you are going through stuff you have already laid out the keep and pack, this is for you, and must give this away pile. You can probably get your friends to help you drop off stuff at good will and they will be helping you pack as you go through closets and drawers. 3) would you mind meeting me at the new place while my mover unload – I will bring pizza / wine/ beer, etc – I just need a set of eyes fr a few hours so nothing gets stolen.