Life can happen quickly sometimes. One day, you’re relaxing in your home, and the next day, you realize that, for any number of reasons, you’ll be moving to a new house very soon, maybe even a matter of days. With very little time to plan, there are still ways to pull this off. Here are some great tips to help you handle a last-minute move.
Who’s doing the moving?
If you plan on doing all of the work yourself, beg your friends and family for help, both with the packing and the moving, and secure a moving truck. If you’re hiring a professional mover, spend as much time as you can researching companies.
You can ask everyone that you know for referrals, as well as checking online review sites and the BBB to see any complaints. If you have the means, you can even hire a professional packing service, as well as house-cleaners, to get you packed and out quickly.
Make a list of all of the moving supplies that you’ll need.
You don’t have time to get too fancy with your moving techniques. Just make sure you have plenty of boxes, tape, bubble wrap, and markers, so you only have to make one trip to get them all. And, make sure that you know where to get more boxes if you need them.
Divide and conquer.
Hopefully, you have a few people helping you. If so, give them each a little direction, and send them into their own room or area to pack. You don’t have time to micromanage them. Just give them the things they need and let them go to work.
Incorporating breaks, and feeding them, will make things more productive.
Packing Tips
Let’s talk about power-packing. Here are some great ideas to speed up the process of getting everything safely ready to move.
- You may not have time to sort. And, that’s okay. Just grab a box, go to a room or area, and start filling it up. Try to balance out the weight in each box as you go, to make the box stronger and safer for you to carry.
- Leave hanging clothes on hangers. You can bunch the hangers together, maybe ten at a time, and drape a trash bag over them. Then, they can be easily be folded into boxes, or even in the back seat of your car.
- Leave clothes in drawers. It’s the same idea. You can stack the drawers in the moving truck like boxes.
- Use towels, washcloths, and sheets to wrap fragile items to pack them.
- In a pinch, garbage bags can also be used to pack some of your things quickly.
- Fill every box.
- Try to have at least one big trash can available. Even though you don’t have time to purge, you’ll still come across plenty of waste.
- Establish a safe zone where the things that you need on a daily basis don’t get packed somewhere that you can’t find them.
Movers can help.
If you are using a moving company and are running short on time, most of them have the manpower and capability of helping you pack. It will cost you, but it could be a necessity.
Be ready with the information movers need.
Professional movers boast of providing safe and secure service. The costs of moving items vary significantly depending on the items transported and the distance covered. Below is essential information that movers should know to provide the most accurate quote.
Items to ship – When you call movers, you should furnish them with detailed information about the shipment. Specific information helps them provide a precise quote, which is especially important with a last minute move.
If you’re relocating, be specific with the household items you need to transport.
Weight and dimensions of each item – Once you determine what you want to ship, you should measure each item’s weight and size. It is okay if you can’t weigh large items. Moving companies provide cost estimates for large items. Provide the company with the height, length, and width of each item. You can use the home scale to measure how much each box weighs. Also, ensure you tell the moving company the material of your things, including wood and metal.
What each box contains – Besides, as the number of boxes you want to transport, the movers will want to know what each box contains. Telling the company the content of the boxes helps to approximate weight and value if each box. Information about the importance of your items helps to determine if you need moving insurance and how much. It is prudent to purchase enough insurance to cover possible damages comprehensively.
Address of shipment – Another piece of vital information you must avail to the movers are zip codes of the origin and destination. Prepare this information before calling the movers. This information helps the mover provide the most accurate quote. There are also services that movers charge for extra services, including moving items up and down the stairs. You may also pay a premium for packing services.