Tips and Resources for Making the Smart Move

Congratulations! You’re about to embark on a new chapter in your life, a new home, a new city, or maybe even a new job. It’s an exciting time, but one that can cause you a lot of sleepless nights, too. Not to worry, there are ways to start planning now that can ensure your move goes smoothly and with as little headache as possible. Take a deep breath, then grab a notebook and a pen because the first step in any big project is formulating a plan of action.

Where to Start, Start With Where You’re Going.

Where are you moving to? Taking a trip to your destination city to learn as much as you can about your new home should be your first step. If you’re moving to say, Niagara County, N.Y., and initially thought it would be fun to live near the beach at Olcott, you may get there only to find that the perfect Buffalo neighborhood with art galleries and restaurants is the best area for you, your family and your work. Look around at schools, parks, bike accessibility, proximity to airports, public transportation, and hospitals. If you can take the whole family with you to scout things out, you’re in an even better position to make your new home one everyone will be happy about.  It is important to make sure you help your children and pets, if you have any, to adjust to their new home and the move in general.  Here is a great resource on how to tackle those issues as they arise.

Your Moving Budget and How to Arrive at a Number

With the average cost of a move being around $1,200 to move locally and close to $5,000 to move out of your state, you can see where things can begin to add up quickly. Move Buddha has a free moving cost calculator you can use to at least get you an idea of potential expenses. Some things you can do right now to lessen that is to first do an honest appraisal of exactly what you must move and what you can afford to get rid of. Sometimes, it can be cheaper to buy a sofa in your new city than to pay the cost of moving your old one.  Also, don't forget about the cost of protecting your valuable property during the move and consider getting moving insurance to protect the value of your things.

Professional Movers, What to Look for, and How to Save Money on One

 The most important thing to look for when hiring a mover is the feedback from previous users of that company. A quick look online with a search of “moving companies near me” can provide you with invaluable information and can literally save you thousands of dollars by avoiding companies whose reputations put their skills and integrity in doubt, while letting you know the ones that have done the job well. Most moving companies will sell you boxes, but you can save money by going to grocery and liquor stores and looking online on neighborhood pages to see if anyone is giving their boxes away.

Taking Your Work With You

If you’re relocating for your job, Monster suggests you can and should negotiate relocation benefits. Many large companies have relationships with relocation services, including buying your current home should it not sell in a timely manner. If you do sell, you can negotiate closing costs. They may also cover the costs of movers, hotels, restaurants, and gas. For costs not covered by your employer, especially if you’re an entrepreneur moving or beginning your own business, keep careful receipts, since many of your expenses can be tax deductible.

If you are beginning a start-up in your new city, get as much done ahead of time as possible while you’re in your current home. Setting up your business in your new city will take a lot of time and effort, so get things like your physical and online design, logo and marketing materials done early with the help of a company like Prime Encode so you can devote more time to the physical work of putting your start-up into motion in your new home.

Don’t Do This

Avoid things that could make your move more difficult than it needs to be. Not marking the outside of your boxes is a rookie move, so don’t let it happen to you. Losing your bill of lading means you have no proof that what your movers have is everything they should have. Hold on to the physical copy, but also take a picture of it with your cell phone and email it to yourself. Forgetting to put in your change of address means missing things that could be critical and it’s something you can take care of quickly at USPS.com.

Like any project you face, the best way to approach it is to take a look at the big picture, break it down into smaller pieces, and then tackle each one, one at a time. Designing a list of things you must do, adding to it as needed, and checking items off as they’re completed is the key to a move that is practical, cost-efficient, and smart.