What to do Before Home Movers Arrive

Moving can be exciting, especially if you are heading to a new city or overseas. It can also be stressful; however, if you take your time with preparation and planning, the effort can quite easily pay off to ensure that when moving day rolls around, you are feeling calm, relaxed and organised.

Not all home movers are created equal, so if you have made the smart decision to get some professional help with packing and moving, do a little research first. Ask around friends and family, and be sure to choose a moving company that has already gone the distance for lots of satisfied customers.

Before your moving company arrives, there are a few things you should do to ensure a pleasant moving experience.

Get Rid of Clutter

While it may seem like a mammoth task, downsizing your belongings before you start packing is a very good idea. Go through each drawer and cupboard and have 3 boxes handy. Keep, discard, and sell—or give away. This is an opportunity to put together a garage sale or list some items online to recoup some of your costs while reducing the load you need to shift.

A lighter load adds up to a faster transfer of your belongings from your old property to your new property – or your storage facility – and that translates to less time, money or storage space required. A move really is an opportunity for a fresh start, so a little reminiscing and then out with the old and in with the new can help you move forward in more ways than one.

Create Categories

Some items will need more care or should be more easily accessible than others. So, when packing and moving, you should be mindful of what goes into the truck first and last and flag any items that need extra care.

Perishable Items

Food and other perishables should not be packed into the truck. You can make an exception for dried goods and cans; however, do think about whether you will want to use these things in the initial hours or days on your arrival at your new location. Obviously, you don’t want milk, cheese, meat or frozen items taking a week-long trip across the Tasman, and you don’t want a soggy box of decomposing food stowed on top of your favourite dressing table as it travels from Auckland to Christchurch over a couple of days. It could pay to pop next door before you move and offer your perishable items to the neighbour or have a family member swing by for them.

Important Documents

A big move requires a lot of logistical planning. You may be shifting to a new job, your kids will likely be enrolled in new schools and sports clubs, and there are all sorts of practical details around utilities to sort out. 

Alongside a folder or dedicated box for birth certificates, passports and insurance papers, be certain that you have printed out all the forms and authorisation letters that you will need to make a streamlined exit into your new location. Double this up with a dedicated folder on your desktop, and you will definitely win at moving!

Fragile Items

Losing a treasured vase or half your dinner set in transit is an avoidable nightmare. You want to start by cataloguing all your breakables, including musical instruments, electronic devices, and anything else that may break if handled as though it is not fragile. 

Choose home movers who understand that even your larger items and whiteware need to arrive in the same condition they were in when they left. This means selecting a company that understands the different packing and moving packaging requirements for optimum results at the other end.

Last In First Out

Last but definitely not least, consider what needs to be unpacked first at your destination and ensure it gets packed in last. This could include beds, bedding, non-perishable food items, clothing, toiletries, and perhaps some relaxation items like a fluffy dressing gown, favourite lamp, candles, and bath salts.

Parking For Your Home Movers Truck

If you have a driveway that can be utilised, make sure your own vehicles have been cleared. If it is an on-street parking situation, either secure a parking spot with your own vehicle the day before—mark sure it’s a good-sized one—or get hold of some road cones and let your neighbours know what is going on.

This is a big deal on moving day as you don’t want to block the road and have to shift the truck multiple times, and you don’t want your home movers crew walking a long stretch every time they load an item.