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Planning to move this
summer? You're not alone --
summer is the busiest time of
year for professional movers,
according to the American Moving
and Storage Association. It's an
arduous process, but these tips
will make your transition much
smoother.
If you're planning to use a
moving company, call now. As
busy as they are, they usually
need plenty of notice -- often
at least six weeks or much more
if you're moving a long
distance.
Be sure to build in some
overlap between the
closing/possession date of your
new home and the last day of the
lease on your rental (or closing
date of your current home).
Moving always takes much longer
than you think.
Pare down your belongings.
There's no sense moving things
you don't need or want. Look
through your house for rarely
used items. Discard anything
that's beyond repair, have a
yard sale to get rid of the
rest, and plan to load unsold
merchandise into your car right
away so you can take it to the
charity of your choice.
Make notes about your new
house -- room measurements, door
measurements, location of
electric, cable, and phone
outlets -- so you can determine
exactly where your belongings
will go. Measure appliances to
make sure they fit the space
available.
If the previous homeowners
are taking their curtains and
blinds, you'll want to measure
windows in places you want
privacy immediately and buy
curtains or blinds before you
arrive.
Start arranging now for
phone and utility hookups. Phone
companies, especially, now need
a few days (or even a week or
more) to get you connected.
Arrange now for the type of
internet connection you want and
order extra phone jacks or cable
outlets if you need them. Fill
out a change of address form
with the Post Office. If you
have automatic debits on your
bank account, alert your
creditors if you're changing
banks.
You can buy boxes and
packing material from a moving
company or other sources, but
that can be expensive. Instead,
ask grocery stores, electronics
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stores and office supply stores
for their discarded boxes.
Invest in a tape gun, and start
saving up newspapers so you'll
have plenty of packing material
if you don't want to buy bubble
wrap.
Whether you use a mover or
pack yourself, consider using a
product like Pack-N-Label's
moving kit. Dozens of preprinted
labels for every room of the
house provide an instant
checklist of items. Labels are
color-coded by room so your
movers will instantly know where
to take each box. The
comprehensive kit also includes
the IRS form for moving
expenses, preprinted lists for
taking a household inventory, as
well as a sheet of moving and
packing tips.
Be sure to pack a box of
essentials -- a telephone, a
couple of changes of clothes, a
few pots, pans, dishes,
utensils, toiletries, and
medications -- to get you
through the first few days.
Also, if your mover is late and
there are items you couldn't
live without for a few days,
consider taking that in your own
car.
If using a mover, be sure to
pack any small, nonbreakable,
valuable items separately so you
can take it with you in your own
car. Large valuable items, such
as artwork or electronics,
should be clearly noted on the
mover's inventory form in case
of damage during transit. Do buy
insurance to cover any damage
that may occur.
Take the time to record the
makes, models and serial numbers
of your electronics and other
items in a notebook or on a
sheet of paper. Put this
information, along with owners'
manuals, extra keys, birth
certificates, car titles, wills,
insurance information, and other
vital documents, in a special
folder that you'll keep with
you. In your new home, find a
place for this folder (or put it
in a safety deposit box), so
you'll always know where these
important papers are.
Before you unpack, get a
clean start by wiping out
drawers and cupboards, sweeping
out closets and solid-surface
floors and vacuuming the
carpets. Next, make up the beds
and put towels in the bathrooms.
Then you can take your time with
the rest of the unpacking.
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