4 Ways To Ensure A Positive Moving Experience
Even if you're only moving across town, the moving process can be tiring, costly, and stressful. Fortunately, hiring the right local moving company can reduce anxiety levels significantly, but there are other strategies available as well that can make the day go as smoothly as possible. Following are four ways that you can help ensure a positive moving experience.
Do Your Packing Yourself
Because local moving companies charge by the hour, as opposed to interstate movers that charge by the pound, you can decrease your moving costs substantially by doing your own packing. Placing clear labels on each box describing the contents will make unpacking go smoothly. Make certain not to make any of the boxes too heavy or large. If any of the boxes cannot be safely moved, they will have to be repacked, and this will involve both time and money. Use the money that you've saved by doing your own packing to treat yourself to a nice dinner in your new neighborhood.
Figure Out Details in Advance
Although it seems like a no-brainer, people who are moving often completely forget about details such as where the movers will park their truck or van or who will be responsibility for watching children and pets during the moving process. You should also check the weather forecast on the evening prior to your move. Also, if you're moving during winter and live in an area that receives regular snowfall, you'll want to give yourself some extra time for shoveling the walkway if the forecast calls for snow showers. If it's going to rain, you should plan on tacking on an extra half hour or hour to the total moving time because traffic slows down on rainy days.
Have Paperwork Prepared Before Moving Day
Waiting until the movers arrive to complete the necessary paperwork will simply prolong the move, so be sure to have it in order prior their scheduled time or arrival. For instance, if you're moving into rental apartment or house, you may have to provide the owner or property manager with a copy of the moving company's certificate of insurance. Moving companies are used to having to provide this for customers, but waiting until the last minute to request one may require that the movers send an employee back to the office to make a copy, and this will eat into valuable time. Many companies have their certificate of liability available for downloading and printing out, so check this possibility as well when moving day draws near.
Disclose High Value Items Prior to Moving Day
Don't wait until the morning of moving day to let the movers know that they'll be transporting valuable antiques or boxes of fragile china. Some valuable items require the use of specialized equipment in order to minimize the possibility of damage. Don't make the mistake of thinking that a mover's standard insurance policy will provide the replacement costs of valuable items that are damaged or somehow lost during the transition. The two types of insurance coverage most often offered by moving companies are:
- Released value coverage. Type of coverage will reimburse you for a certain dollar amount per pound of any lost or damaged items.
- Full coverage. This policy will cost extra, but it will be worth it if the moving company will be transporting items of great value.
However, it is important that you notify your mover of any items of great value. Failure to do so means that they won't be covered, even under the mover's full coverage policy.
if something does occur, report any damage that occurred during the transmission to the company immediately. Even though state laws allow for a period of between 30 and 90 days depending on the individual state, getting it out of the way as sooner as possible means that you'll get reimbursed for the damages sooner.
For more information, go to sites of local moving companies, or contact them in person.