Planning for Your Interstate Move

Moving within your local neighborhood requires careful preparation, planning, and timing. Now imagine planning an interstate move. That means double the work as you would not want to forget some essentials. This long-distance move often makes the preparation stage critical and tasking. But, the truth is that you can keep your sanity and make traveling a fun activity with detailed planning. If you are thinking about relocating to a new city or state, here are some stress-free tips for planning an interstate move. 

1. Plan and Organize a Detailed Moving Calendar

One way to make your interstate relocation stress-free is by creating a detailed and organized moving calendar. Without a detailed outline of steps to take before, during, and after the move, you may likely start the moving process at the last minute which may turn out chaotic and unorganized. Hence, it is important to start your plans early. 

We suggest that you start your moving plans at least two to three months before relocation time. If you have many home equipment appliances, we recommend starting earlier than three months. This way, you get to carefully organize all your items of furniture and personal belongings without leaving back any information. 

2. Pick Your Date for Relocating 

Most times, certain factors like finance, festivals and timing can affect relocation. Hence, many moving companies’ advice on scheduling the move early. If you do not choose an early moving date and these factors can end up leading to rescheduling of your move. This mostly happens during the summer because many people see this season as the perfect time to relocate. 

When you pick a date for relocating, make sure to choose a festive free day. If you do not know what date will work best for you, then, you will need to have a backup plan to make the process easy. 

3. Make Room for Emergency Funds

It is no doubt that financing a long-distance move can be expensive and even with proper planning, factors like bad climate or traffic accident may compromise your plans leading to you spending more funds than that budgeted. This is way it is necessary to set aside emergency funds when drawing out your financial plan. This budget will save you in situations where you never expected. Moreover, you are moving to another state and do not know the cost of services there. Hence there is bound to be series of unexpected cost. 

4. Create a Working and Organized Packing System

If you plan to pack essential home items yourself, it is best to create an organized packing system that works well for you. Try placing each item in order of value and use. Also, make sure to label each box as it will help to identify each item in it. Aside from this, remember to label boxes according to their durability to enable your different delicate items from the heavy ones. Furthermore, use packing gears like cardboard boxes, high-quality tapes, bubble wraps, and permanent markers to keep your belongings safe. 

5. Plan for Moving Large Furniture and Other Heavy-Duty Equipment

One of the best ways to move your large home furniture like tables, chairs, beds, and sofas is to dismantle them. This is because heavy-duty furniture can take up much room in the moving van and there would be less space to pack boxes. 

Before doing this, we suggest you take photos of your furniture before dismantling it as it will enable ease of setup once you settle down in your new home. Additionally, put all small items like cables, cords, and screws in a plastic bag. Then, label them to show which appliance they should be used on. 

6. Get Preferred Storage Equipment

Most people prefer storing their belongings in their old house while others want to take everything with them to their new home. Whatever option you choose, check If you will need storage compartments to put items. If you do, shop to see the best storage option that will suit your need. Storage compartments may come in form of cardboard boxes, wardrobe boxes, duffel bags, plastic wraps, garbage bags, and many others. 

7. Save Yourself the Stress and Hire a Moving Service

Many people prefer to transport themselves to their new homes. But, the truth is that an interstate move is not the best time to test your Do-it-yourself moving skills as there are many things at risk. For instance, you may incur additional costs on gas and custom fees you never planned for. Apart from this, many people want to get quotes from just any mover and do not bother to check their credibility. 

Before hiring a moving company, you need to find out the legibility of the service you want to hire. The best option would be to hire an affordable, experienced, trustworthy, and reputable interstate moving services. 

To get reliable and professional team, compare the relocation cost with other companies, read up reviews from former customers, check for active membership with the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). 

If Your Budget is Restricted, here are Some handy Tips for You. 

For people with restricted budgets, moving can be energy consuming and a not so good option. But, did you know that there are some tricks you can employ to slash relocation costs? Here are some of them. 

• Organize a large gathering to auction your items you no longer need. If you do have value items that will not serve your needs for the long run, a garage sale will also help raise the necessary funds you will need for your move. 
• Move during the free season and try avoiding the busy summer as it is usually packed. 
• Ensure that your new living area is ready before the move. This way, you do not have to pay for additional storage cost. 
• Find reliable but affordable companies that will approve discounts for your move. Then, get a quote from each and decide on which one has more favorable options for you. 
• If you do not have the money to hire movers but have great driving skills, consider renting an automobile. 

Conclusion

Relocating can be a chaotic activity if there is no proper planning two to three months before the move. To save yourself the stress when planning for your move, organize your moving calendar, choose a date for relocation, make room for emergency funds, create a detailed packing system, plan to move large furniture, check your storage options and hire professional cross-country movers. These steps will help you make a stress-free move without additional cost and losses.