If you’re facing a cross-country move, you may be worried that the process is going to be difficult and time-consuming. But if you prepare yourself properly, moving across the country doesn’t have to be a hard task – read on, and arm yourself with the knowledge you need to simplify the process of a cross-country move.
- Start Planning For Your Move As Early As You Can
In most cases, you’ll know if you have to move across the country at least a month or two before you need to make your move. You need to start planning for the process as early as you can to make sure you have ample time to do things like:
- Inform your landlord about your move-out date, if you’re a renter
- Sell your current home if you’re a homeowner, and find a home for rent or buy a new home
- Find a job (if not moving for a career change or promotion)
- Research and hire the right moving company to handle your cross-country move
- Disconnect your old utilities and set up new utilities at your new home
- Change your mailing address with the USPS and all other relevant organizations and financial institutions
All of these things take time – and by starting to plan these steps out as early as you can, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassles and headaches.
- Pack Up Room-By-Room And Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute
If you have time to plan ahead for your move, you need to make sure you use it wisely, and part of this means packing up your stuff room-by-room. It’s best to not wait until the last minute – this is a sure-fire way to feel totally stressed out before your cross-country move! We recommend doing the following:
- Pack up storage areas like closets, attics, and basements first, prioritizing items that you rarely use.
- Once most of your storage space has been packed up, start packing items up from offices, bedrooms, and living areas that you don’t use frequently, like extra bedding, out-of-season clothing, spare office supplies, and so on
- As a rule, you’ll want to leave living areas and work areas for last. Usually, kitchens and bedrooms will be the last rooms to be packed. It’s best to pack up your stuff at least a day or two before your move, leaving only the essentials unpacked to get you through to your moving day.
Throughout this time, make sure to pack boxes carefully and label them according to their contents to make the process of unpacking easier.
If you’d prefer to avoid packing entirely, you also have the option of hiring a full-service moving company. In full-service moving, moving staff will take care of packing up your stuff, disassembling furniture, and handling every other task necessary when packing up your household goods to move them to a new home
- Downsize Your Stuff As You Pack To Save (Or Even Make) Money
As you pack up your stuff, consider each item you pack. Do you want to keep it? Could you sell it for some cash? Donate it to a charity? Give it away? Should you just toss it?
Packing up to move is the perfect time to go through what you’ve accumulated over the years, and get rid of some stuff you don’t need. In turn, this saves you money since you won’t need to pay to move as much stuff to your new home.
In addition, by selling items you don’t need, you can even make some money for your move, and donating or giving away unwanted stuff will help you do some good in your community.
- Hire An Experienced Moving Company For Your Job
A DIY cross-country move will be much more stressful, since you’ll have to load and unload your stuff yourself, rent a truck, tow your car, and much more. For this reason, it’s best to work with an experienced moving company like eckertsmoving.com.
With the help of a moving company, you don’t have to load up your own stuff, find friends or acquaintances to help you unload at your new home, or drive across the country. Your moving company will handle the logistics, and you can simply fly to your new home across the country and start unloading your stuff in your new home right away.
Follow These Tips To Streamline Your Next Cross-Country Move!
By giving yourself plenty of time to pack, packing up your stuff room-by-room, downsizing as you pack, and working with an experienced moving company, you can simplify the logistics of a cross-country move – and enjoy a stress-free lifestyle in your new home. Take another look at these tips now, and make sure you keep them in mind during your cross-country moving process.