Congratulations! You have finally made it to moving day. After signing a lease for an apartment or closing on a contract, all of your boxes are packed, and you are wearing your moving clothes. However, are you entirely prepared? Moving day can be one of the most stressful days in a person’s life. Not only is it emotionally taxing to pack up everything that you own and move it to another place, but it is also physically exhausting.
While your mind may be racing a million miles a minute, it is crucial to avoid making move-in day mistakes. When you are running around trying to tell movers where to put things, you may forget to feed or walk your dog crated in the bedroom.
If you hired sketchy movers, you may spend move-in day tracking down a moving company that has scammed you out of your money. To make moving day as smooth of a transition as possible, read the below list of five mistakes to avoid on move-in day.
1. Hiring Shady Movers
For whatever reason, it is typical for many moving companies to have bad reputations. Most people have heard horror stories about individuals being overcharged, discovering hidden fees or having movers show up late or not at all. One quick and easy way to weed out bad movers is to make sure that you hire a moving company that is licensed and insured.
You should also be sure to verify the company’s U.S. DOT number through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
When hiring movers, ask for references from other clients, read online reviews and pay close attention to the disputes and complaints. Also, do not hire the first moving company that you find.
While it takes time to interview more than one moving company, you can potentially be saving money by having representatives of the companies coming out to give you on-site estimates. Quotes that are provided online or over the phone are usually not as precise as those provided in person.
During the walkthrough, make sure that you ask detailed questions about the terms of the quote and that you check the inventory sheet and read the fine print. Finally, never sign a blank document and do not just hire a moving company because it offers you the cheapest estimate. By doing so, you are risking hiring a moving company that is incompetent or not professional, so pick a moving company by experience and reputation rather than by price.
2. Forgetting to Sign Up for Utilities
Unless you are moving into a college-style apartment where utilities are included in rent, you can expect to be responsible for setting up the utilities. To prevent delays, set up utilities at least one week before your move-in date. Most companies let you transfer the address on the account if you are moving within the same county. However, you will need to find out before you plan on moving.
Some internet and cable providers do not service specific area and neighbors, even if it is in the same city that you currently live. Therefore, before you move, figure out which services you can simply transfer and which ones you will have to cancel.
It is also important to schedule cable and internet installations well in advanced since they often take days or weeks to get an appointment. It is worth noting that cable installations see the most traffic at the beginning of the month. Finally, just as it is essential to sign up for utilities at your new home, it is equally as important to turn them off at your old place. However, make sure that you schedule to turn them off for the day you move so that you are not forced to spend the last couple nights at your old apartment with no power or internet.
3. Not Cleaning Your Old Apartment After You Move Out
Once you have finished packing your belongings and moving out of your old apartment, you may never want to look back. However, if you want to get back your security deposit, you are going to have to get on your hands and knees and clean the entire apartment. To give you the security deposit back after you move out, most landlords require that the apartment be returned to the same condition it was in when the renter moved in. Therefore, you will need to vacuum, sweep and scrub the floors, patch up holes and nicks in the walls, and clean doors and windows.
Before you begin cleaning, ask your landlord what conditions need to be met for you to get your security deposit back. Also, give yourself time to clean before you have to turn in your old keys. Cleaning an empty apartment may take more time than you anticipate, so make sure that you give yourself ample time to properly clean.
4. Not Calculating Every Moving ExpenseOne of the reasons that people hate moving is because it can be costly to hire movers or even rent a truck and do the hard work yourself if you want to save money on moving. Before you move, set a budget by guessing what you will spend on hired help and how much you will spend packing and cleaning both spaces. Also, try to budget extra for unforeseen expenses, like having to replace a broken TV or not getting back your security deposit. Doing so will help you move into your new apartment feeling calm and confident.
5. Forgetting to Take Care of Your Pets
If you have small children, you will generally have a plan for who will watch them on moving day. However, it may be easy to forget about taking care of your furry friends. The stress of moving day does not only affect you and your family, but it can also be stressful on your animals. If you can, try and find a friend or family member to watch your pets on moving day. That way, they are not confined to one room or area in your apartment while movers are continually coming in and out.
You do not want your pets to get loose when you are loading up the moving trucks when there are strangers around and heavy moving equipment or furniture. However, if you cannot find someone to watch your pets, try and keep them safe and out of the way by putting them in an animal crate. The last thing that you will want to deal with on moving day is having the family pet run out of the front door because she or he is confused with all the commotion.
By Admin –
