Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

Tag: packing

  • Relocating Home? Measurements Matters and More You Need to Know

    Relocating home requires attention to detail during one of the busiest times of your life. Staying organized eliminates oversights and provides essential peace of mind during a transition. Discover why measurements matter and more necessary details to remember as you learn how to relocate efficiently.

    Measurements Matter

    Measurements significantly differ from selling to renting and buying a new place. Consider hiring a professional to inspect both premises and take official measures. Use these figures to determine whether to move your current furniture or purchase items that fit better in the new house.

    Set Up Digital and Paper Moving Files

    Moving requires endless paperwork to prove current and future residences, financial status, identification, and more. Set up a digital moving file on a site such as Google Docs, accessible on a smartphone or other Internet-connected device. In addition, have a physical moving file maintained in a safe place in case you’re in transit and can’t get online.

    The Urge to Purge

    Establish a moving date, then plan to use all consumables in the meantime. For example, eating down the food in the freezer helps save money and reduce moving costs or losses. Also, use half-filled toiletries, so you don’t have to pack them. Finally, clean up and clear out any clutter in your path. If it gets in the way or has been unused for over a year, get rid of it, so you don’t pay to move it.

    Get Time Off to Move

    Some people relocate for employment, while others make transitions for other reasons. Remember to get time off to move, so you continue to get paid while packing and relocating home. Packing and moving may take more time than expected, so prepare to take at least one week away from work.

    Prepare to Pack

    Even if you hire professional movers, there are items you want to pack personally. Visit the local liquor store for boxes and purchase a large roll of heavy-duty garbage bags for sorting and packing essentials. Also, get labels and color-coded labels to designate rooms where the items will land.

    Focus on Fragile and Valuable

    Before hiring help, focus on finding all fragile and valuable items to separate them from everything else. These things might be stored in a safety deposit box or locked cabinet until moving, including:

    • China, glassware, and silverware
    • Professional licenses, marriage and birth certificates, and other essential documents
    • Jewelry and furs
    • Coins and collectibles
    • Artwork

    Think About Logistics

    Next, consider the logistics involved in moving from one location to another. Include how to relocate vehicles, furniture, and outdoor equipment. Consider moving certain heavy items ahead of time, so you can focus on collecting the more minor things on your way out of the old house.

    Who is Your Crew?

    It takes a skilled team to relocate successfully, especially when moving out of state. Include your professional crew in the budget to ensure a smooth transition, with experts such as:

    • Real estate agent
    • Mortgage broker
    • Insurance agent
    • Attorney
    • Accountant or financial consultant
    • Moving team – whether professionals or friends, schedule ahead of time
    • Inspector
    • Handyman
    • Cleaning crew
    • Pest control company
    • Babysitting services to take care of little ones during packing and moving

    Backup and Charge Up

    The confusion of moving can lead to more significant challenges, such as a crashed hard drive during the transition. Remember to backup your computer and charge all mobile devices, so you’re always ready to access essential information online.

    Plan for a New Life

    Leaving your old life behind and planning for a new one requires hours of preparation. Make a to-do list to ensure you cover all bases, such as:

    • Applying for new professional licenses and insurance
    • Establishing an office and staff in the new location
    • Transferring medical records and prescriptions to new providers
    • Registering children for school
    • Applying for a dog license, if the state requires one
    • Registering for the new library, community centers, gym, and houses of worship
    • Applying for a driver’s license, insurance, and other personal necessities in the new place
    • Determining the location of critical sites in the new area, such as hospitals and shopping

    Pack a Moving Bag and Cooler

    Moving day is often hectic, and you should be ready to transition to your new home. Pack a moving bag with necessities such as a change of clothes, toiletries, eyeglasses or contact lenses, and food – including goodies for your furry family members! Also, put together a cooler with plenty of cold beverages and fruit to keep everyone hydrated and energized.

    Have Cash On Hand

    From tipping the moving men to ordering pizza at your new house, it helps to have plenty of cash on hand when relocating home. Plus, moving often costs more than expected, as little details arise along the journey. So keep some money and a major credit card handy to cover unanticipated costs.

    Plan for a New Life

    Take a few moments to plan for your new life and bid farewell to the old one—schedule moments to take photos of the old house and say goodbye to the neighbors. Also, tour local hot spots in your new neighborhood and greet your neighbors. Treasuring your old memories and creating new ones makes the transition easier.

    Just Breathe

    Finally, the frenetic pace of moving can take its toll on your overall well-being. Keep the stress to a minimum by taking time to just breathe for an hour each day. Meditation, stretching, reading, or simply laughing at your favorite comedy helps take you away from the fast pace to rejuvenate yourself.

    Relocating home is both exciting and overwhelming. Knowing how to relocate eliminates the stress and ensures a seamless transition to your new home. From taking measurements to making time to unwind, every step matters to start an incredible new life!

  • Moving Tips and Tricks to Save Time and Your Sanity

    No one enjoys packing for a big move, but that doesn’t mean moving needs to make you lose your sanity. With a little preparation before moving day, the actual move will go smoothly and you’ll feel a lot less stressed. To get started, take a deep breath, read the following packing tips and then get to work.

    Don’t procrastinate

    The time to start packing isn’t a week before you move, or even a month. You’ll want to start packing many months before your move so you can be as thoughtful as possible about what to unload, what to take with you and how to make it all happen.

    To begin, start packing areas of your home and yard that don’t get a lot of traffic. Clean out your garage and storage spaces. Empty the shed of everything except the essentials. If you tackle at least one room or yard space per week, you’ll be in good shape.

    Create a to-do list

    Moving takes a lot of coordination and it’s easy to forget something. Therefore, make a list and write down everything you need to do that is associated with your move. Do you need to repaint your home before moving out? Write it down. Also write down things such as forwarding your mail at the post office and giving out your new address.

     

     

    Contact movers many weeks in advance

    Once you have an idea of when you’d like to move, the next thing to do is call movers three or four weeks in advance. You’ll want to read reviews of movers on Yelp and Google to ensure plenty of other people have had a good moving experience.

    If you decide to forego hiring professionals, make sure to schedule a rental truck and make sure you have people to help on the day of the move.

    Purchase packing tape, bubble wrap and other packing materials

    A common moving mistake is to use boxes from the liquor store or whatever other packing materials you have sitting around. A big professional packing tip to remember is that moving companies will only move well-constructed boxes and furniture, not bags or other items. If possible, use the original boxes that came with your electronics and other delicate items.

    More than anything, it’s important to pack things in an orderly fashion using boxes can easily be stacked into the moving van or truck. Make sure to add enough tape to the bottom of your boxes to ensure they won’t break open during your move.

    Also, while you may be tempted to simply wrap precious items in newspaper, an affordable packing material to use is bubble wrap, which can be purchased by the roll.

    Purge, donate, and sell

    Look around your kitchen. You’ll probably notice that you have more pots and pans than you need, an extra cheese grater, or a basting pan that you haven’t used for many years. Now look around your living room, bedrooms and bathroom. Chances are there are things in each room that you can and should unload. Have a large library? Donate some of it to your nearest public library or look online to find out which nonprofits in your area accept books. The more you purge and donate, the less you have to move.

    You’ll also want to sell some of your gently used things- that wedding gift that’s been sitting for ten years in a closet, for example, and furniture that might not fit the style of your new home.

    Although moving often feels stressful, you can take a load off by carefully following the packing tips listed above. Make sure to relax. If things start to feel overwhelming, take a break, sit back with a cool drink and remember that because you’ve planned so far in advance, your sanity will be kept intact.

  • Ask a Pro Q&A: Storing Winter Clothes During the Summer

    Summer is in full swing, which means we can officially pack up those big winter coats, sweaters, and boots! But how do you keep your winter necessities and everyday clothes ready to use at the first snowflake? This week on Ask a Pro, Dream Team member and lifestyle pro Carolina Buia shares her advice for keeping winter clothes damage free during the summer.

    Ask a Pro Q&A: Storing Winter Clothes During the Summer - bhgrelife.com

    Q: What’s the best way to pack up my winter clothes for the summer?

    – Kathleen F.

    A: When it comes to packing away your winter clothes, you’re going to need two mindsets: VIP and quotidian. First, decide which pieces will get VIP treatment. Nicer cashmere and wool sweaters, pants and skirts should be cleaned (at home or professionally – ­­read the label) before put to rest for the summer months. Wrap them in acid-free paper, expertly fold them and store in plastic containers, ­­adding a layer of paper between each piece. Keep them in a cool place, such as a basement. As for other VIP items like coats, you can cover them in a breathable garment bag or an air tight contractor bag (the inexpensive, DIY option). Forget about those plastic covers you get at the dry cleaners, as they trap moisture and may lead to mildew staining. Get your clothes out of those as quickly as possible.

    As for the everyday, long-­sleeve cottons and heavier slacks and skirts: You can clean and gently fold them into clear containers without worrying about the acid-free paper, ­­except for at the top. As for your heavy, winter boots, add some paper (you can even use magazine tear sheets) to the tips, so that they keep their shape come next winter. If you still have your original shoe boxes, great. Now is a smart time to quickly polish your winter shoes, so they are ready for the next blizzard. You don’t have to get too crazy with specific shoe polish colors, just buy a jar of clear and in half an hour you can do a modest polish on your favorite boots. Finally, don’t forget to keep some cozy pieces on hand. There are the occasional cool summer nights or unexpected trips up north, where you will want your favorite cerulean sweater and you won’t want to be digging through boxes. Enjoy the summer!

    – Carolina B.