Start Planning Your Move Today with These Helpful Tips

Your former dream home can start losing its appeal years or decades later. As your family starts to grow, the space around you can feel like it’s shrinking. At the same time, after decades of raising a family, an empty nest can suddenly leave you with too much space.

There are plenty of good reasons to move to another home in Aventura. Whether you need more space for your kids, less space and lower expenses after the kids go off to college, or just a change of scenery and a different neighborhood, local moving is a common choice.

These useful tips can help you start planning for your move today. Even for short-distance local moving, planning ahead is one of the keys to a successful and stress-free move.

Start Planning in Advance

After you’ve found your new dream home, you’ll need to start planning your move a few months in advance. Moving is a long and potentially stressful process, and it’s easier to handle if you give yourself plenty of time.

This helpful moving checklist can help you get ready for your local move to a new home in Aventura, without driving yourself crazy by trying to do everything at the last minute.

Two Months Before the Move

For a short local move, you should start planning at least two months in advance. This is a time for research, sorting through your belongings, and a bit of early preliminary packing.

• Sort through your belongings and purge what you don’t want or need. Everyone has stuff they’ve accumulated that they really don’t use much anymore. Old knick knacks and clothing do little but take up space, and when you’re getting ready for local moving, it’s a great time to clean house. Go through your possessions, and make decisions about what you do and don’t want to keep. Things you don’t want can be donated or sold, depending on their value and quality. Higher end items can be auctioned or sold, while other stuff can usually be donated to a local thrift store. If you choose, you can also have one or more yard sales prior to your move, making a little extra cash from your old stuff.
• Start researching moving companies. Local movers in Aventura are generally booked in advance, so you’ll want to schedule as soon as you can. Start researching reputable local companies. Recommendations from neighbors or friends are a good way to find companies. You can also use Google to find nearby companies, and look for customer reviews and testimonials. It’s a good idea to get estimates from two or three companies, to give you a better idea of what you can realistically expect to pay.
• Arrange for school records to be transferred, if applicable. If your children will be going to a different school, arrange for their records to be transferred. This may only be applicable if you’ve moving between Aventura and another nearby community in the Miami area.

Six Weeks Before the Move

• Get moving supplies. You’ll need boxes, sharpies, packing tape, bubble wrap, and other materials. You can also get specialty containers for dishes and clothing. You can get cardboard boxes and other materials for free sometimes through Craigslist, but they’re inexpensive to purchase. It’s better to have more than you need than to not have enough.
• Start using up consumables you don’t want to move. This is a good time to start using up things like frozen foods, which you may not want to move to your new house. Cleaning supplies can also be used up, as can any perishables in your fridge. Non-perishables you don’t want to use in the near future, like canned goods or unopened packages of rice and pasta, can be donated to a nearby food pantry.

One Month Before the Move

• Choose a moving company and finalize your arrangements. This is the latest that you should be confirming your arrangements with a moving company. Again, local movers are generally booked in advance, so you need to schedule at least a month ahead of time.
• Start packing. Begin with non-essential items, like the contents of guest bedrooms, clothes that aren’t in season, and formal dishware. The things you need the most can be packed last. Be sure to label each box clearly, so that you know what’s inside it. This can prevent frustration when you unpack at your new place.
• File a change of address. You can do this at the post office, or online at usps.gov.
• Notify important people and services of your move. You’ll also need to change the address you have on file with your bank, your magazine subscriptions, your insurance company, and other services. You may also need to inform friends and relatives.

Moving Day

The big day has finally arrived! By this time, you’re mostly verifying that your movers arrive on time, and then starting the unpacking process after all of your boxes and belongings have been relocated to your new home.

• Verify. Wait and greet the movers when they come, and make sure the truck that shows up is actually from the company you hired. The USDOT number on the truck should match the number on your estimate paperwork. Scams do happen, and some people have been duped by fake movers.
• Take inventory. After the moving company is finished transporting your belongings, sign the bill of lading and inventory list. Keep a copy of it for your records.

Planning a Successful Move

If you’re moving locally in Aventura, you should start planning and getting ready a couple of months in advance. One aspect of the process is finding a good, reliable local moving company.

At Orange Movers, we provide professional moving services in South Florida. To schedule an estimate, call us any time or fill get an online price estimate for your upcoming move.