Tips to Prepare For a Smoother Move

How many times have you moved, or helped someone else move? How many times have you said or thought – “It would have gone better if this had been done.” 

It’s okay, everyone that has moved before, has thought the same thing…moving isn’t easy, in fact, no matter how excited you may be for your new home, moving can be very challenging!

If you are helping a senior downsize and move, it’s especially challenging for them, so the smoother you can make the move, the better, and the key to making it better lies in the preparation, preparation, preparation. I have watched too many situations where people are so unprepared for their move that nothing goes right…

One lady was not only planning her wedding, but also planning to move from a large home into her new husband’s home. (we’ll call her June, because she had a June wedding) They were married on a Tuesday, the move was planned for the very next Saturday. June had failed to prepare for her move, except to invite a few friends over on Saturday to help her. when her friends arrived, she had nothing packed, no packing boxes or other packing supplies…no plan. Needless to say, there was very little that went smooth, and the move didn’t get done on time. 

Plan the work, work the plan…

Allow yourself an appropriate amount of time to accomplish each task so everything is completed by the “big” day.

1. Create a master list of things to do, along with a timeline, that will not only keep you on track, but will help alleviate stress and frustration.
2. Decide if you’ll be moving yourself or using professional movers or maybe Senior Move Managers. If you’re going to use professionals to help you move, call them at least 2 weeks in advance to set up an appointment.
3. Also, a couple of weeks before your move, you should notify the post office of your new mailing address, and if appropriate, contact the utility departments as well.
4. Create a floor plan of your new home, this will help you with #5 as you sort and downsize.
5. Allow plenty of time to sort through your household and personal belongings, then dispose of (sell, donate or throw away) all the things that are not wanted or needed in your new home. This downsizing should include furniture that won’t be used also.
6. Make sure you have plenty of packing supplies, boxes (new or used), packing tape, packing material such as paper or bubble wrap, and labels/marking pens to label the boxes with the contents and the rooms they should go to.
7. Pack a suitcase (even if you’re just going across town) of the personal things you will want to use immediately the first day in your new home.

Planning and preparing can certainly help your move go smoother, but if you’re still feeling overwhelmed…Ask for Help!  Smooth Transitions can handle the job from start to finish OR we can just take care of the things that you don’t want to do.

We are Certified Senior Move Managers recognized by our National Association of Senior Move Managers, NASSM! We are committed to serving our seniors with a high standard of ethics, best business practices and continuing education to help make our client’s move a Smooth Transition.

Contact us to learn how we can help you and/or your family cope with a senior move anywhere in the Phoenix East Valley area. We would love to serve you.