Moving to a new apartment can be quite an undertaking. You need to get yourself and your stuff from point A to B. To make moving to a new apartment as painless as possible and avoid common moving mistakes, take it slowly, read the fine print and keep track of your task list.
Don’t blow your budget
Before you can begin your move, you have to establish a moving budget. Whether you can hire a mover and/or packing service or will have to do it yourself will almost entirely depend on how much you can spend. Even if your budget is tight, however, don’t take just any affordable mover. There is a lot more work to do when it comes to picking a mover than finding the right price tag.
Don’t trust just anybody to move your stuff
Take the time to find a good moving company. Ask co-workers, family and neighbors who have had a good, recent experience to provide suggestions. Once you’ve narrowed the field, check out your top choices with the Better Business Bureau to be sure there are no complaints against them. Then arrange for someone from the company to come to your apartment to give you a moving estimate.
Avoid high and unrealistic moving estimates
Never get a moving estimate done online — there is no accurate way for a mover to gauge the cost of your move without seeing what needs to moved firsthand. Once you’ve got the estimate you can live with, be sure that it is binding or, ideally, get a not-to-exceed estimate. Avoid paying a deposit, which leaves your money and your belongings with the movers. Also be sure to read the details of what’s included in the estimate. It should cover all possible transport, fuel, packing, third party and insurance costs. Be sure to go through the estimate line by line with your mover.
Don’t go without insurance
There are several different types of insurance you can purchase to cover possible damage to or loss of your property as a result of the move. If you want the most comprehensive protection, full replacement value coverage is the best and, of course, the most expensive. You can also look into assessed value coverage, which let’s you buy insurance in $1000 increments, based on what your household items are worth. Declared value insurance provides coverage based on a dollar amount per pound (around $1.25), multiplied by the total weight of your belongings. Movers are required to carry basic liability insurance, providing very minimal coverage. Check with your potential mover for details.
Don’t get off schedule
Leaving your apartment moving tasks to the last minute can cost you money and aggravation. Be sure that you’ve done your homework before you sign the contract with your mover, for example, by confirming that you have easy access to the street, building entrance and elevator at your new apartment and your current one.
Don’t leave your packing until the last minute. Even if you are hiring a packing service, it’s still up to you to sort and prepare your items for their work. The day your apartment goes into boxes is not the time to sit down and figure out what you want to keep and what should be tossed. If you’re doing the packing yourself, you need to allow for plenty of time to pack carefully at a leisurely pace, without exhausting yourself.
You also want to notify the post office, businesses and subscription services of your move in advance, as well as transferring records for schools and medical professionals, if necessary before you go. And if you’re heading out of town, don’t forget to plan a goodbye get-together with friends and neighbors. How you leave your old apartment is just as important as how you settle into your new one.
The work of moving to a new apartment doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Plan ahead and understand your moving costs before you sign. Most of all, don’t leave moving tasks to the last minute. The more time you have, the saner — and cheaper — your apartment moving experience will be.