Packing up your life and moving across the country is a project that wraps up one era of your life and begins another. Cleaning out your home, listing your property, and deciding how you’ll get everything from here to there is always a challenging process. When you’re planning your cross-country move, there are plenty of opportunities to ensure that this process is a smooth experience. Everything from professional junk removal services to professional long-distance movers, to a hauling company, can help you clean up and market your old space, so you can leave behind the things that don’t matter for the new adventure on which you’re about to embark.
Just like moving countries entirely with the help of immigration Lawyers Christchurch, moving across the country involves much more than lining up a new job. It can easily take several weeks and months before you’re ready to relocate, even if you’re flying rather than driving. Here are a few tips for making your cross-country move a successful and stress-free process.
Get a Quote from Several Moving Companies
To begin the relocation process, you’ll need the assistance of experienced cross-country movers. Most movers price your items by the estimated weight of your belongings, which of course, means the more you’re planning to bring from one location to another, the more it will cost. To ensure you get a fair price for the transportation of your belongings, it’s usually best to get a quote from three to four moving companies before selecting the one that’s right for you. Check reviews online to ensure that the cheaper rates aren’t putting any of your items at risk of damage.
Consider Disposing of Old Furniture
Furniture pieces are likely the heaviest item in your home that you’re considering bringing across the country. However, if the furniture is old or damaged, it’s often more reasonable to dispose of it and replace it at your new location. A junk removal services company can assist you with getting rid of the furniture items you’d like to replace. With a junk removal service, you’ll also have the opportunity to clear out old appliances, rugs, grills, hot tubs, and anything else that you’d like to get rid of but doesn’t quite fit in the trash bins.
Pricing for junk removal services usually depends on the size and shape of the items or the amount of space they take up in the company’s truck. Besides furniture, you may also want to consider speaking with a junk removal service to dispose of old televisions, computers, and other outdated electronics. However, because these items usually contain lithium-ion batteries, there may be additional disposal charges.
Get Rid of Everything Else You Don’t Need
Moving across the country is an opportunity to downsize your belongings altogether, not just get rid of a few furniture pieces. Chances are, there are plenty of items in your closet that just aren’t worth keeping anymore. Outdated dishes and silverware, yard tools, and your old artificial Christmas tree are also worth getting rid of before your move. Once you’ve disposed of these items, you’ll likely feel lighter, and you’ll have reduced the moving bill. Because the movers will usually price based on weight, getting rid of all the items you’d like to replace rather than simply dispose of makes the entire process easier.
Make an Inventory List of Your Belongings
A week or two before the movers arrive, make a list of everything you still have at home and are planning to ship in the moving truck. A close inventory of all your items means you’ll be able to identify if anything is missing from the truck quickly so that you can recover the missing items as soon as possible. Whether the item is big or small, you’ll want to add it to this list. When you’re moving across the country, the worst-case scenario is overlooking an item and then realizing that it’s missing a few weeks or months later.
Reconsider Shipping Your Car
Shipping your car across the country can easily set you back more than a thousand dollars. Pricing for shipping your car is usually determined based on the number of miles you’re shipping the car, rather than by its weight. Depending on the mover and distance, it’ll usually cost somewhere in the range of 75 cents to 2 dollars per mile. Many long-distance movers can put you in connection with a company that offers a reasonable rate for this shipping process.
In many cases, long-distance moves have cheaper pricing per mile, because you’re committing to larger charge upfront. While this per-mile rate might sound insignificant at first, it’ll add up quickly. As an alternative, you’ll want to consider having you or someone in your family drive it across the country. If you absolutely have to fly to your new destination, it can sometimes even be cheaper to sell the vehicle and purchase a replacement at your final location.
Take Pictures of Your Items Before Shipping
Before you allow the movers to haul away your items, it’s a good idea to take a picture of the items for liability reasons in case any of your items are damaged in the transportation process. In connection with this concern, you may also want to consider mover’s insurance to ensure you’ll be fairly compensated for these damages. Pictures serve аs valuable proof of damages in these scenarios. If you’re shipping your car, you’ll also want to take several photos before the truck comes to pick it up.
Don’t Rush Cross Country Travel
When you’re planning the actual drive across the country, it’s easy to think that you’ll be able to drive straight through from sunrise to sunset. However, it’s best to plan out your stops, make hotel reservations, and take it easy, even if it means you’ll arrive a day or two later. This allows you plenty of leeway in case anything goes wrong with either your vehicle or the rental trailer. Don’t forget- there are likely a few touristy spots that you’ll want to stop at along the way. When you reach your destination, you’ll feel significantly more relaxed and ready to settle into your new home.
