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A move doesn’t have to be across the country. Local moves are very common – whether the move is to get into a better school district, to be closer to work, or to upgrade or downsize your home. But, moving across town isn’t necessarily a piece of cake. The following tips can help make your local move a little easier.
1. Take care of changing over the utilities, cable, etc.
If you’re moving across the country, it’s obvious that you need to close out your local accounts. But when you’re moving across town it may not be as high on the priority list. It is still something that you need to do – the electric company is not going to take care of it for you. A few weeks before your local move, contact all of your services and start switching them over to the new address. Keep records of this and try to get verification numbers – mistakes can happen and the burden of proof is on you. You don’t want to pay someone else’s electric bill.
2. Begin a quest for boxes.
Collecting boxes ahead of time is a great way to save money on your local move. Start by asking everyone you know and by visiting local businesses, grocery stores, and schools to ask for discarded boxes. You may even be able to share boxes with friends that are moving before your move date. They would probably love to pass on their boxes to you instead of having to haul them to a recycling center.
3. Pack in stages.
Instead of trying to pack up your whole house all at once, start packing one room at a time to prep for your local move. Start with the least used rooms and end with the rooms that you use every day. It is easy to pack a guest room and just leave the boxes in the room waiting for moving day. In the kitchen, you can pack the rarely used items or even use paper products for a few days so you can pack all of the dishes.
4. Have children and pets out of the way for moving day.
It can be distracting to have young children or pets underfoot on moving day. You want to spend the day loading your boxes as quickly as you can – not chasing the cat every time it dashes outside. Instead, lock up your pets in crates or a room that has already been completely emptied (leave a note on the door so no one inadvertently opens it!). Have a friend or family member keep your kids for the day for an extended play date. Be sure to repay the favor with a nice gift card to a restaurant or some other thank you.
5. Consider hiring professional movers.
Many local moving companies and even some national chains offer moving services in which you pay hourly for help. This is often a great option for a local move. You can pack most, if not all, of your belongings yourself but have movers help you to move it. You can work with the movers to set the pace. Be sure to provide plenty of water bottles as well as lunch – pizza or fast food should do the trick. Also, have cash on hand to tip the movers.
Even though your move is just across town, planning ahead is still key to making your move a breeze. This can help you avoid putting everything off until the last minute. Procrastinating, even for a local move, can lead to unnecessary stress and the likelihood that you’ll make mistakes with your move.
Published on March 05, 2007Read full article at realestate.com