You just landed your dream job in a new city and now have to pack up your home and move quickly. Where do you even begin?! With so many moving pieces involved with a move, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But, with careful planning and quick action, you can have a successful, relatively stress-free residential move even on short notice.
Make a Plan
While your head is spinning from the news of an unexpected move, you need to take a moment to get organized and come up with a plan. Write down a list of everything that needs to happen to get out of your current home and into your next one. Create your list, placing time-sensitive tasks at the top of it. Keep to your to-do list so you can meet your tight moving deadline.
Start Making Calls
After making your to-do list, start making phone calls to help facilitate your relocation. For example, you may need to arrange short-term housing in your new city while you look for a house. Or, you might have to give your current landlord notice that you’ll be leaving. Call your utility companies to notify them when you’ll end your service. Contact a realtor to get your current house on the market if applicable. Of course, contact movers early to ensure your moving date is available.
Out with the Old
Now is the perfect time to purge your house. As you move from room to room, pack your belongings and discard anything that you haven’t or won’t use in the future. Putting the time and resources into packing items you’ll never use doesn’t make sense. Make sure to sort your discarded items into piles. Have a pile for items you plan to sell, items you want to donate, and those that can go straight to recycling.
Packing Supplies
Gather as many packing supplies as you can. While you can purchase your supplies at a store, remember to use your home resources. Shredded paper, plastic bags, and towels can all help protect some fragile items in boxes. Contact local businesses for boxes that vendors may have used for shipments, or contact your friends to see if they have moving supplies at home you can use.
Don’t Overthink—Pack
With limited time, you need to pack now and sort later. Do not worry about box “themes” or grouping similar items. Your goal is to get all of your belongings from your current home to your new one safely. If a limited time frame means you can not sort items optimally or keep an itemized list of what you packed where that’s okay. If you must combine dissimilar items when packing, ensure you wrap everything safely and securely. You can handle the sorting once you arrive at your new place.
While it might be tempting to skip the labeling task— don’t. Take the time to label your boxes. It will be to your advantage when you arrive at your new home. The boxes will make it into the appropriate rooms, and if you need something right away, you can scan your labels to find it.
Many Hands Make Light Work
Remember that you don’t have to pack your entire house alone. Many hands can make light work, so contact local friends and family to help you move. Have a fun weekend with friends while you work to pack your house. The more people who chip in to help, the less of a load the move will be on your shoulders.
Dedicate Time
It will be very easy to become engrossed in day-to-day activities while attempting to organize your move. Make sure to dedicate a particular amount of daily time to packing and organizing. Even if it is just an hour a day, keep that time aside to be productive with your move. When you have a deadline fast approaching, it can be shocking how quickly time can fly away.
Moving Quickly
With a professional moving team in your corner, you can rest easy for your next move. Caring, dedicated, and experienced professionals can move you and your family, even on short notice. To get a quote for your next move, contact us today.