Expert Tips and Tricks for Planning a Long Distance Move
A long distance move can be one of the most exciting parts of your life, particularly if you’re doing it as part of your retirement. For many, a long distance move is so exciting because it means a totally new and exciting way of life (just ask any New Yorker who has moved down to Florida). But as you may imagine, a long distance move can often involve a lot more complications than simply moving down the block. So while a long distance move can be one of the most exciting parts of your life, in order to make the most of your move you need to make sure to carefully plan ahead and get organized. Follow these tips to have your best long distance move.
Make a plan
There’s a lot of details to consider when moving. You have to coordinate dates, finances, and use your time wisely. We recommend writing down all your moving-related tasks and the expenses surrounding them. If you want to go a step further, organize those steps into a schedule. Once you have all your important dates and papers organized, we also recommend putting them all together in a binder. Having all of your important moving documents in one place can help save you time, and make your process more organized and less of a hassle.
Stay on schedule
Now that you have your schedule, it’s important that you stick with it. Tasks such as school enrollment and utility bills are time sensitive, so you want to make sure you’re completing everything in a timely manner. Try sticking to your schedule, blocking out times in the day for specific tasks, and creating reminders on your phone.
Hire a moving company
You may want to save some money and move yourself, but realistically, you won’t save that much. In fact, after expenses such as gas, insurance, hotels, food, etc., you may end up spending more. Save yourself the stress and hire a moving company, and prepare your home for the in-home estimate. To learn more about how movers charge for their services, check out our blog post on the topic here.
Update important documents
Many important documents and personal information are linked to your address. Make sure that you update all of these documents (driver’s license, registration, etc) so there isn’t any confusion when you’re in your new home! In addition, make sure to end any subscriptions or services associated with your past address (particularly if you’ve set up your bills to be on auto-pay). You don’t want to be paying the gas bill in a house you no longer live in!
Get coverage for your things
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and for many people that means buying some form of coverage or insurance to protect their valuables in the event that something happens to them during the move. If you’re looking to purchase coverage for your move, it’s important to know that there are basically two forms of coverage available: (1) valuation coverage, which is not formally insurance and is provided by a moving company and (2) an insurance policy provided by a third-party insurance provider.
Make an inventory list
Keeping track of your possessions is imperative when you move. If you’re worried about forgetting some items, make an inventory list! When packing and unpacking, use this list as a checklist to ensure that everything is accounted for.
Label boxes
Similar to furniture, it’s best to have every box assigned to a specific room. This way, unpacking is more efficient and you won’t have to stress about missing any important items. Label your boxes so you know where everything is supposed to go when you arrive in your new home. Another good way to be able to track what’s in you boxes once they’re packed, consider placing color-coded stickers on the outside of each box depending on what’s inside. So, for example, you could put a small blue sticker on every box with kitchen items and small green sticker on every box with living room things and so forth.
Figure out where everything is going in your new home
When you move into your new home, all of your large furniture is going to be placed wherever you desire. It’s better to let the movers take care of the heavy lifting and give them designated locations for each piece of furniture, or you may have to struggle with moving it around later.
Downsize and prioritize
Over the years, we tend to build up a collection of unnecessary items. Any clothing items, kitchen utensils, or other objects that you don’t believe are absolutely essential should be disregarded. Seriously, it’s a huge relief to declutter when you move - you’ll thank yourself when you arrive in your new home.
Let the professionals handle it
Packing itself is stressful and can be very time consuming. If you’re busy, or just too tired to pack your entire house yourself, consider hiring professional packers and organizers. Luckily, Sunbound takes care of this step, along with the process of moving your possessions.
Move during the off-season
The last thing you want to deal with when you move is excessive traffic or increased rates. Save yourself the money and time by moving during the off-season. To find out other tips and tricks on having the cheapest move possible, check out our blog post on the topic here.
Move your car the right way
If you plan on driving your car to your new home, make sure you consider the cost of food, gas, and housing for the duration of your travel. If you’re moving an especially long distance, we recommend shipping your car. It will save you time and money in the long run.
Plan around your delivery window
Sometimes your items may arrive after you do. For this reason, make sure all essential items are with you rather than your movers, because you may end up spending some time in your new home without all of your items. Luckily, Sunbound will coordinate your move as best we can to ensure that everything arrives on time.
Of course the best tip for having an easy move is to let Sunbound handle it all for you. Whether you’re moving around the block or around the country, working with Sunbound is the easiest way to make sure you have an easy move into your new retirement home.
Sunbound is the best way to pay for senior living. If you want to learn more about how Sunbound can help make senior living more affordable for residents and easier to manage for communities, email us at info@sunboundhomes.com or request a demo here. Sunbound is on a mission to make senior living more affordable for everyone.
