Don’t Forget These 9 Things When Moving Long Distance
Relocating to a faraway town can be quite stressful. However, moving becomes necessary in many situations, such as if you’ve found a new job or maybe you can’t afford to live in your current city anymore. In cities such as Miami, Florida, where 70% of households are renter-occupied, tenants can’t afford rent which has risen by 25% since 2021. So, moving out of Miami might seem like the only option if you want to reduce your living costs and expenses.
A long-distance move is ultimately a good thing if you’re doing it for the betterment of your family – and you can turn the whole process into an adventure if you do things right.
This blog shares some important tips to make your move out of Miami stress-free and fun.
- Plan your move
Start planning your long-distance move in advance to make it a stress-free experience. You need to calculate all the expenses and create a realistic budget. Long-distance moves can cost your family anywhere between $1,000 to $5,000, and you’ll have to save some amount for other added expenditures.
You can move during the off-season (anywhere between September and April) to save quite a bit on the moving costs.
Also, investigate your move-in situation before leaving and prepare your new home for your family’s arrival. These preparations involve repainting, deep-cleaning, and changing all the locks.
- Choose reliable local movers
When moving nearby, you can ask your family and friends to lend a hand. However, a long-distance move requires professional assistance. You should hire an experienced BBB-accredited moving company to transport your belongings safely to your destination. As Miami’s population keeps declining, many movers are operational in the Magic City. So you can hire reliable Miami long distance movers for a smooth transition to your new home.
Ensure your movers can handle large-sized and delicate objects. Also, ask them for a delivery window. Movers usually transport stuff within three weeks.
- Protect your transported goods
No matter how reliable the movers are, accidents always come when least expected. That’s why you need to get long-distance moving insurance before sending your possessions away to your new home. Inventory all your stuff and take pictures showing your valuables in good condition. You will use these pics to get compensation from movers if any of your stuff gets lost or broken. Miami-based movers do ask clients to get proper insurance. You can ask your movers for more insurance-related information.
- Declutter before you relocate
This long-distance move can be the perfect excuse to start decluttering. So, look around the house and identify the stuff your family doesn’t use anymore. Inventory the items dumped in your attic and your basement. You may find some faulty appliances and worn-out furniture, hogging space. You need to get rid of all this clutter and organize. There’s no sense in paying to move an object you’ll realistically never use in the future. You can discard these items in the following ways:
- Just throw them out in the garbage for recycling
- Donate these possessions and hold a yard sale to make some profit
- Rent a self-storage facility in Miami where you can keep your clutter for now
- Pack your possessions properly
Many homeowners consider moving a more stressful experience than breaking up with a loved one. And 35% claim that packing is the most difficult part of the moving process. You can make moving a little less stressful by following these simple yet effective tips:
- Get quality packing materials
- Procure cardboard boxes for packing
- Wrap your items in bubble wrap for safety
- Dissemble large stuff like furniture before packing
- Put lighter items on top of heavier items when packing
- Label your boxes and color-code them to make unpacking easier
- Update your home address
Don’t forget to update your address before relocating. Have your mail forwarded to your new address. You won’t believe how many homeowners forget to redirect their mail to the new address before they switch homes. So, notify all important parties of this address change. Make sure your family and friends have your new home address. Other parties would include utility providers and magazine subscriptions.
Also, update your voter registration, particularly when moving to another state.
- Switch all your utilities
Transferring all utilities to your new home may seem like a trivial undertaking at first. But neglecting it will cause your family a lot of inconvenience after relocating and incur extra expenses when these utilities aren’t turned off at your old home. That’s why you need to schedule the cancelation of these utilities, such as gas, water, cable, internet, electricity, and others, and transfer them to your new home address.
- Grab all your essentials
Since an average American moves 11 times in their lifetime, you should mark this one down as “very important.” When packing your possessions, pack your essentials separately. You’ll carry this one bag of essentials when relocating out of Miami. There are two reasons for this: first, you shouldn’t trust movers with personal documents; second, movers give a delivery window, so you’ll probably arrive at the destination days before movers do.
You must bring your medications, a change of clothing, mobile chargers, jewelry, electronics, and basic utensils. These things help you spend your first night at the new home comfortably.
- Attend to your children
Take care of your children when moving to a new home. Keep them out of trouble when relocating. Ensure they are comfortable during the journey and there’s someone to take care of them. Make your house safe for your kids by child-proofing it.
Conclusion
Switching homes is challenging, and you must remember certain things before moving. Pack your stuff, grab your essentials, and update your address. Hire local moving professionals and get insurance to protect your belongings. These guidelines have been explained in detail in this blog. So, if you’re considering leaving Miami and moving to a distant city, follow these guidelines for a smooth transition.
Most of the stress related to relocation will disappear if you remember the essentials of moving.
