August, 2014 |

When it comes to a move to a new home there is a lot to consider. One of the better tips we ever heard of was the three tarp system. Now in this case we will only need two, because the third is “keepers”. Moving alone can be a stressful event, but we have a few suggestions to keep your anxiety to a minimum.

One item that people often forget is time. The sooner you start some of this the better off you will be. It’s like that old saying about the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Moving is the same. Lots of little things will add up to the whole, so starting early lets you tackle the process in small pieces.

The first thing to start is the purge. Simply do a room by room sweep of the house and think about things that you haven’t touched or used in the last year.Chances are you don’t need it. With clothes, anything you haven’t worn in the last six months can go, except for seasonal or specialty gear. This purge involves those two tarps we mentioned earlier. If possible make a large space available in the garage, or covered on the lawn. One tarp is for junk, the other for donation. Anything too worn or broken or dysfunctional goes to recycling. This can be a large bin that can go straight to the recyclers. Be ruthless if it is no longer functional.

Tarp two is Donation. If people have outgrown, stopped using or even don’t like something that may be valuable to someone else donate it. Pile or pack everything onto this tarp and then before moving day make a trip to your local service groups and donate these items to them. Some will even come and get it all for you, saving you a trip.

Since you have purged you have already saved time and money because there is now less to pack, and less to move. No sense paying to move things you don’t want or need, only to throw it away after arriving at the new place.

The next thing you can do is create the room checklist. This can be a piece of paper for every room, with the name of each room on the top. Use it to list every major item that is in the room before it gets packed. Don’t list everything in a bathroom drawer, just list the drawer. It will all go into a single box. You can even skip this step if you have hired a company to pack and move for you. They will create a list as they go. And then it’s a simple matter of sorting on the other side.

So when moving day approaches, purge, sort, and let the movers handle the rest.

Moving can be one of the most stressful situations we put ourselves in. The details about moving out, hiring a truck, and asking friends and family for help is all hard on the nerves. Then there is coordinating and feeding everyone, managing times and keys for both places and packing everything into boxes. It’s no wonder some people put off moving for many years, and some people stay in the same place for decades.

Professional Movers Vancouver

If you’re one of the few who are moving this year, either for work or because your family is growing and you need a larger place, or simply because you found better lodgings or a better price, perhaps it’s time you considered minimizing the stress of a move and take advantage of a moving company in Vancouver. There are several companies that offer moving services in Vancouver and the surrounding area. All it takes from you is a little budget planning and a few phone calls. Most reputable companies will give you a free estimate, after a quick inspection of the current place and the amount of furniture and goods you have to move. To pack or not to pack. Professional moving companies offer packing services, this means that they will arrive a day early and log and wrap and pack every item in your home into boxes. Once delivered they crosscheck these boxes off the manifest created and ensure every item gets to your new home. A moving services company in Vancouver will be bonded and insured, meaning that your good are covered in the unlikely event of loss or damage. With a Vancouver moving company handling all your moving needs you can at least relax knowing that all your treasured stuff is in good hands. All you need to do is be there on delivery day and direct the crew with what goes where. They even take apart and put back together awkward items like dining room tables, bed frames and the like. And on arrival at the new place someone will open the tool box and put your furniture back together for you. OF course this all sounds simple and easy for you, and to be honest it really is. But like most things involving your home and family it is best to do a little bit of homework yourself. The obvious way to start is online. A quick search will turn up lots of companies in the area. Pick a few that strike your fancy and follow up individually. Get a quote for a couple of options like a full move with pack and unpack included, a simple move where they just drop items off at the new place. Or you can ask for combination where they just pack and move or you pack and they move and unpack. Obviously the more they do the higher the cost but the lower your stress. Ask about complete costs, taxes, and any possible extra charges, and additional insurance if needed. Sometimes the insurance of contents is limited and if you have an antique armoire or some other very special item you may want to get a special insurance rider for it just for the move. Once you’ve narrowed down your moving company options, make sure that you ask for references from past customers of the company. Ask about the vehicles they use and the equipment to get you moved safely and easily. Then consider the costs of the move against your budget and peace of mind. I think you’ll realize in the end that the costs are worth it for the freedom it gives you and the rest of the family.