Local Moving in Coral Gables: The Ultimate Guide
Moving can be a hassle, even if you’re just moving to a new house down the street. You’ll need to plan carefully for your move to be a success. We’ve put together this guide for Coral Gables homeowners, to tell you everything you need to know about how to enjoy a stress-free local move.
Start Planning Ahead
Before your local move, you’ll want to start planning well ahead of time. For residential moving, two months is a good time frame to start with. About eight weeks prior to your move, you’ll want to start off by going through your belongings. If you’re like most people, you have all kinds of old stuff lying around that you’re not really using. Rather than letting it clutter up your new place, now is a great time to get rid of it.
Valuable or high quality items, like antiques or fine art, can be sold through an auction house. Other things with value, like contemporary furniture, can be sold through Craigslist or Ebay. Many people have a yard sale shortly before they move, to clear out some of that old, unused stuff. Just about anything you can’t sell can be donated to a local thrift store, as long as it’s in decent and usable condition.
You should also make checklists and schedules to help you manage your time and make sure everything is taken care of by the day of your move. If you’re a renter, you will need to give a 30, 60, or 90 days’ notice, depending on what your lease requires.
At least a month before the move, you should also be actively researching moving companies and getting estimates.
Packing Your Stuff Securely
Before moving, you’ll need to pack. Many full service local moving companies offer packing services at an additional fee, but most homeowners choose to do it themselves. You’ll need boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, packing tape, and other materials to box up your belongings securely.
Here are some helpful tips for packing before your move:
- Start early. The earlier you start packing, the better. Packing can be a tedious process, so it’s a good idea to pace it out as much as you can over the course of at least a month. Start with things you use the least often, like fine china and books from your bookshelves.
- Label your boxes. Use a permanent marker to label each box, so that you know what’s inside it.
- Identify and set aside things you’ll need on day one. Things like toiletries, a change of clothes, and other daily must-haves can be packed into a suitcase, so you can use them right away after you move.
- Put heavy items in small boxes, and light items in large boxes. A box that’s both very large and very heavy can be incredibly unwieldy, and too many of them can slow down the moving process. Instead, pack heavier items into smaller boxes, and fill big boxes with lightweight things like clothes and pillows.
- Use blankets as pads. Instead of packing towels and blankets into their own boxes, you can use them in other boxes as padding for fragile items.
- Consider custom crating for certain items. Things like antique furniture or fine art statues may benefit from custom crating, which many moving companies offer.
Choosing a Moving Company
You should start looking at local moving companies well ahead of time, because they’re generally booked in advance. It’s a good idea to get non-binding estimates from multiple moving companies, to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay. There’s nothing wrong with saving some money by going with the best deal, but be careful if a company gives you an estimate that’s significantly lower than what other companies quoted.
Here’s how to find good local moving companies in Coral Gables:
- Ask people you know. Word of mouth is the most reliable way to find out about a company’s quality of service. Ask friends, family members, or neighbors if there’s anyone they recommend.
- Do a screening and “background check” before hiring a company. Moving scams are surprisingly common. You can protect yourself by researching companies before you hire them. Movingscams.org is a consumer advocacy site that blacklists companies with poor reputations. You can also look up the company on Ripoff Report, the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, and other third party sites. If you’re still not sure, you can email the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) to see if the company is a member. Membership in AMSA is completely optional for movers, but to join the organization, they must meet certain standards. Moving companies that are AMSA members are generally reputable.
- Double check that the company is licensed and insured. Moving companies in Florida are regulated by Chapter 507 of the Florida Statues, as well as by the US Department of Transportation. You can look up a company’s USDOT number to verify it online.
Local Movers in Coral Cables
Need reliable professional local moving services in Coral Gables? At Orange Movers, we serve the greater Miami-Fort Lauderdale area with residential and commercial moving services. To find out more, call us any time, or fill out our contact form to get in touch today.