A few tips when relocating to your new digs to save you time, hassles, and money

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Published Date 9/7/2022

Moving. It can be an art form or a free-for-all (with or without pizza on board), depending on how you intend to accomplish it. And if you’ve ever moved, you probably know that everyone seems to have an opinion on the best way to go about it.

Realtor’s Gina Roberts-Grey advises not to let your already tenuous grip on sanity fall prey to well-meaning moving advice. “Moving is stressful enough without crazy talk and terrible pointers,” she says, offering some common moving myths that will almost certainly derail you, if you let them.

Free is not always good. When it comes to moving boxes, dash the thought of heading to your friendly neighborhood liquor store to plead for castoff cartons. Roberts-Grey urges you to invest in good boxes intended for moving, not Seagram's 7. Never skimp on boxes, even if that means you have to pony up a few bucks for them, say storage and organization experts. Boxes should have top and bottom flaps so they can be taped shut, handle cutouts on the sides for easier carrying, and be more or less square, no wider than your shoulders. Any more than that and you’ll have to carry boxes by holding your arms out and away from your body, which will wear you out faster.

“The ideal moving box should be made of thick cardboard and be easy to stack on a dolly,” says Roberts-Grey. “It should also have a designated area for writing what’s inside the box, and have the weight limit printed on the outside so you know what it can carry without ripping.” She goes on to say that uniform sizes makes it easy to gauge how many you’ll be able to pack in the truck based on the dimensions of the truck and a little math. Also, they’re way less likely to fall apart at the worst possible moments. “But if you do decide to go the free route, be careful about what you bring home from the grocer. Packing your possessions in free produce boxes could mean you’ll be joined by unwanted insects in your new home.”

You’d think choosing a marker for your boxes would be no big deal. But instead of grabbing any old marker you have lying around, try color coding the writing on boxes so that everyone knows what goes where in your new home. Permanent markers with a thick tip are best since they work on a wide variety of packing material. And don’t forget those arrows indicating how the box should be loaded and carried while you’re at it — especially with fragile items in the box.

You’d also think you’ll be able to simply wait until the last minute to pack up personal items and bedding if you’re using them on your final night in your old digs. But according Roberts-Grey, that can create chaos and increase the odds of something getting left behind or misplaced. Instead, have everything packed up and ready to go on moving day, even if you have to sleep in a sleeping bag the night before. She consulted with a moving expert who acknowledged that lack of preparation is the No. 1 reason why consumers experience higher-than-expected moving costs. Why? Because you could wind up paying professional movers to stand around while you pack up those last few incidentals.

“Pack personal items like medicines, pet food, toiletries, school items for kids, a few days of clothes, as though you’re going on a two- to three-day vacation,” the expert suggests. “That way it’s easier to find the essentials you’ll need to muddle through a move during the first day or two in a new home.”

Perhaps you think Friday is the best day to move because it gives you the whole weekend to unpack. But the reality is that everybody else is thinking that, too. And that extra demand means higher costs. Movers charge more on weekends and at the beginning and the end of the month because that’s typically when they’re the busiest.Think 20% to 30% higher during those times. And they charge more in the spring and summer than during the fall and winter. It’s not entirely a matter of money, however. Moving during a peak time means crews may be stretched thin and you might have to settle for movers with less experience. Make sure to book movers three to four weeks in advance to lock in the day and time you want.

The reward for all this is the unpacking party — placing all your items in their new homes and then standing back to admire all your hard work. It’s a moving experience.

RealtorMag, TBWS

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