Prepare to Be Moved™
By Nan Hayes for Caring Transitions®
It is peak moving season, and the nation’s move management experts at Caring Transitions®wish to provide you with tips and advice to help reduce move day stress!
Planning
Failing to plan ahead for a large move just adds to the stress and chaos of moving day. Successful moves being with a solid plan, including a move timeline and list of tasks that need to be accomplished. To create your plan, start from moving day and add tasks to a calendar moving backward to the present day. You can find a copy of the Caring Transitions® Moving List HERE.
In addition, plan for packing. It works well if you can set aside specific days and time frames for each room. Do your best to complete one room at a time before moving on to the next so you can clearly see your own progress. Remember to pack and label boxes according to the room items will be moved TO, not the rooms they are being moved FROM. It is also helpful to budget for packing materials and start collecting good, clean, sturdy, standard sized boxes in advance.
Organizing
Just like planning ahead, organizing your possessions in advance can help save time and money. Before you begin to pack, decide in advance what you will keep, donate, sell or throw away. This will prevent you from having to pack and unpack cartons of things you don’t’ really need or want, and also save on your overall moving expenses.
If you have items of value to sell, the experts at Caring Transitions® can advise you on the best resale option for your situation. In today’s changing marketplace, we can help determine if it is worth your time and investment to hold an estate sale, or if one of our other liquidation options, such as CT Online Auctions, may be a better method for clearing your home.
Hiring
Even the best do-it-yourself-ers need a little help sometimes. A trained, certified and experienced professional can often do in hours what takes most families days or weeks to accomplish! Whether you are looking to hire a moving company, packing service, home stager, organizer or estate sale professional, take time to find a trained, qualified and well-vetted resource.
Most in-state moving companies have very few regulations, so it is worth taking precautions against rogues and scam artists. The organizing, move management, estate sale and home staging industries are also unregulated. In all cases, be sure and ask for referrals, proof of insurance and background screening to vet the best possible providers.
As the nation’s largest and most-trusted resource, Caring Transitions® maintains higher standards and provides better insurance and training than many smaller companies. We also have a large menu of services andcan recommend reliable partners to help with everything you need to transition seamlessly from current residence to new home.
Getting Help
Frequent travel to visit parents can be stressful and may have a significant impact on your job or immediate family. Be sure to establish a budget for travel funds and set up a network of support with family, friends and child care services. Discuss your parents’ situation with your supervisors and Human Resources department at the workplace so they may better accommodate changes in your schedule. Ask your spouse and children for personal or emotional support when it is needed.
Understand that hiring a third party may not seem to fit your budget, but in the long run, hiring may save you money and stress. For example: downsizing and decluttering your parents’ home could potentially take 9-18 months (A Place for Mom), and cost a family of 4 adult children nearly $8,000 in travel and lost wages. An outside liquidation service like Caring Transitions can accomplish the same thing in a matter of days or week and cost much less.
Call today for a free consultation!