Moving to a new home is taxing on the wallet, but also the body. When you’re mentally drained, it’s normal to make mistakes.
…and if there’s one time you don’t want to make a mistake – it’s on the day you move!
Even if you’re a real estate expert, small problems can still arise.
That’s why we wrote this entire article highlighting the six most common moving day mistakes. Some are considered common knowledge, whereas others are hidden gems!
7 Common Moving Day Mistakes
1.) Not Organizing Your Boxes
Let’s start with the most obvious first – lack of organization.
When you’re moving into a new property, organization and planning begins weeks earlier. You need to make a schedule of when (and how!) you will pack and ‘organize’ your belongings.
Notice the emphasis on ‘organize’?
Most people think dumping all personal belongings into random boxes is the way to go. Sorry to break it to you, but this is a recipe for disaster!
How will you ‘reorganize’ everything in your new home?
Don’t wait until moving day and find that all your possessions are muddled up. When you begin packing, put labels on all your boxes that highlight every room in your home.
Take this a step further by writing out the contents of each box. This works great when you have multiple boxes for the same room.
When it’s time to unpack in your beautiful new home, you will be less stressed and save time.
2.) Taking Stuff You Don’t Need
One of the biggest mistakes people make on moving day is transporting belongings that they don’t need.
Moving house is an excellent time for decluttering.
If it’s time to move house and you’re bringing clutter with you, you’re costing yourself more money and stress.
Let’s be honest – removal companies are not cheap! Take less stuff and you will spend less money.
We recommend having garbage bags on hand when packing your possessions. When you come across clutter, you can easily dispose of it.
That begs the question…
Where do you dispose of your clutter? We recommend donating it to a charity. That way, it’s going to good use and helping people in need.
3.) Breaking Your Tableware
Imagine getting to your new home and realizing all your tableware and fragile items are damaged.
Is it the moving company’s fault?
Or is it your fault?
If you’re asking yourself these questions – it’s already too late. To prevent this, there’s a simple way to protect fragile items.
We recommend using bubble wrap. Each fragile item should be wrapped in its own strip of bubble wrap. If you wrap two fragile items together, there’s a chance they will hit each other and break during transit.
4.) Not Keeping Important Documents Close By
Most of your belongings will be packed in boxes, which is perfectly fine! However, we don’t recommend packing your important documents such as passports, birth certificates, and deeds in moving boxes.
While having trust in your removal company is important, it’s best to transport these types of documents yourself.
If these documents get into the wrong hands, they can be used for a fake identity, taking out loans in your name, and committing fraud.
Not the type of thing you want to be dealing with when moving home, right?
Forbes recently wrote an article talking about how to spot scammers posing as legit moving companies.
5.) Not Measuring The Route (For Mobile Homes)
When you’re dealing with mobile homes, it’s important to measure the route
beforehand.
Transporting an entire home on a trailer is difficult. You’re likely to come across bridges, overpasses, and other obstacles. If your home can’t fit through these spaces, it’s not like your driver can just turn around!
In addition, let’s say you bought a modular home, or manufactured home – you’ll have to factor in not only the transportation time, but things like the time to set the
foundation.
6.) Not Packing A First Night Box
When you arrive at your new home, finding cutlery, clothes, and other essentials is hard. The best way to avoid this problem is to pack a first-night box.
Make sure to transport your first night box in your vehicle, so that it can be easily located when you arrive.
Here are some belongings to pack:
- Toothbrush
- Soap
- Shampoo
- A phone charger
- Small snacks & drinks
- Changes of clothes
- Important medications
- A tool kit
Packing a first-night box does not just save time, but also helps you to settle in faster. When your essentials are on hand on moving day, you will feel more comfortable in your new home.
7.) Forgetting About Your Pets
On the day you move, your removal company will be coming in and out of the house. If you’ve got pets that like to escape, things will not run smoothly!
You sure don’t want your dogs or cats escaping amid the chaos.
Our advice is to hire a pet sitter for the day. Another option is to keep them in an empty room in your home. The problem is that your pets will become frustrated after a while.
Summary
The reason people get stressed when moving is that they don’t plan. However, some great tips can be implemented on the day of your move. These include labeling boxes, decluttering, and bringing a first-night box.
We hope you found this blog post on Common Moving Day Checklist Mistakes People Make useful. Be sure to check out our post on 3 Common Mistakes People Make When Moving for more great tips!
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