3 Big Moving Mistakes to Avoid!

August 7, 2018

While moving is not on any top-10 list of “most stressful events”, we think it should at least be in the top 20. Just figuring out what to move, what to leave behind and who to ask and hire for help is enough to raise your blood pressure a few millimeters. Because while you’re sorting, packing, bending and lifting – you still have to keep your life moving forward, even as it moves sideways to another location!

Thinking You Have Lots of Time

In a word (or two), you don’t.

Things like consolidating to pack (you don’t want to pay to move things you don’t really want or need!) and sorting out leave-behinds take longer than you think. Estimate eight weeks to organize, pack, label and take inventory. And then add two weeks, because you’ll likely need all 10. And repeat this paraphrase from 14th century brainiac Geoffrey Chaucer – “time waits for no one!”

Summer is, for obvious reasons, the busiest time of year to move, so if you haven’t booked yourself a moving truck – get on it NOW. The experts recommend getting bids from movers at least three months before your move so you can evaluate estimates and schedule your move.

Also, be sure to ask whoever you decide to hire about overbooking – you don’t want to find yourself on the short end of the moving stick! Here are 15 more questions to ask the moving companies before you choose one.

Ducking the Clean Sweep

One of the upsides of moving is getting rid of old phone books, textbooks, CDs, movies, old papers, furniture, clothes and rarely-used anything. Here are five questions to ask yourself about something before you pack/move it:

  • Do I love it?
  • Do I need it?
  • Do I use it (specifically, have I used it in the last two years)?
  • Do I have multiples of it (and need more than one)?
  • Do I want to buy it again?

Pay attention to — and act on — your “no” answers! For more tips on what to leave behind, check out the top 10 list from National Van Lines. Things like extra bedding, garage junk, bulky electronics and books are all on the list of things NOT to pack.

Waiting to Make the Move Official

Moving immediately conjures up images of boxes and bubble wrap but we sometimes procrastinate when it comes to forwarding our mail and pulling the trigger to transfer utilities. Make sure you start this process a few weeks before the move. It usually takes the U.S. Postal Service eight to 10 days to process forwarding requests, and as for utilities, you’ll want everything turned off at your old house (and out of your name) and turned on at your new home by the time you get there!

Moving into Southshore

One of best things about moving into the master-planned community of Southshore (besides living lakeside!) is that your neighbors are quick to welcome you and lend a hand. Take time to tour the amazing models in Southshore from Richmond American Homes, Century Communities, and Toll Brothers, three of Colorado’s top builders. It’s life at the lake, in both ranch and two-story designs, priced between the upper $300s and the $700s.