Moving to a new house is an excellent step in one's life. The move can be a bit hectic if you do not take the proper steps to prepare for the move. The following steps are imperative for a smooth move.

Decide How You’ll Move Your Possessions

One of the first decisions you’ll have to make before you move is how you are going to transport your possessions. Will you rent a moving vehicle (ex. UHaul)? Will you lease a storage container that a company moves for you (ex. PODS)?

A storage container is a really nice option if you need a bit more time to empty your house and don’t want to be rushed in the process. Typically the fee includes about a month of storage time, so this is the ideal choice when you want extra days to sort, pack and organize your stuff. Also, if you don’t want the hassle of lugging your stuff across the country (or your local town, for that matter), a storage container might be your best bet. With this type of unit, the company you rent from will be responsible for the transportation, not you.

On the other hand, if you want to be in control of when and how your things arrive at your new destination, then a moving van or truck is a better option. With this option, though, you’ll be on a tighter timeline. Typically, you’ll only have a day or two to pack up the truck if you want to keep the budget low. If your boxes are packed and you’re ready to load up the van, this is a smart way to go when you want your possessions to stay with you at all times.

There is also the option of hiring a licensed moving company. This is usually the most expensive way to go, but it’s also more secure as they have insurance and professional staff to handle your moving needs.

Whatever option you choose, consider factors like the cost of moving, the cost of gas, the security of your valuables, the container sizes and how much time you need to fill the container with your boxes and personal items.

Rent a dumpster

As you clean out your home and possibly update it, in preparation for a home sale, you’ll likely find an excess of junk, construction materials, large broken furniture, landscaping debris and trash that is far too big to fit into the standard trash bin provided by your municipal waste removal company. For this, a dumpster rental in Port St. Lucie is the most effective solution to handling all these problems effectively. The Service can help you dispose of all excess you do not need at an affordable cost.

Get Boxes, Tape, and Packing Materials

It’s not uncommon to underestimate just how much packing material you’ll actually need to put your possessions in storage. As you start clearing out closets, cabinets and attics you’ll be surprised at how many boxes are actually required.

While it’s certainly fine to make multiple trips to the hardware or shipping store to get all the packing products you need, you should at least start with enough materials to put a good dent into your packing endeavor. Here is a start list of some items you’ll likely need:

• Cardboard boxes in many different sizes

• Plastic storage containers for those items going in long-term storage or needing extra care (paper is a favorite food of some pests, so you don’t want cardboard sitting in your attic, rafters or shed for too long)

• Shipping tape

• Bubble wrap or packing popcorn

• Foam wrap and dish inserts

• Plastic wrapping

• Zip ties

Have a Garage Sale

After living in a house for a long time, you will accumulate many sentimental value items that are hard to let go of, but even more other items that are just plain expensive to move. The time, money, and effort required in moving the items at times are not worth the effort, and a garage sale can help you recoup the value of your items.

Create a catalog of things you want to sell and their prices. Put price stickers on all the items for sale. Decide the place and date you will hold the garage sale. If required in your town, appy for a garage sale permit. The day of the event, post lawn signs everywhere you’re allowed along the neighborhood corners and busiest streets. Post to all the community social media groups. Sell, sell, sell. Since you’ll likely donate whatever doesn’t sell, it might be worth it to bargain and have an open mind about pricing.

Forward Your Mail & File a Change of Address with the Post Office

Don’t forget that your mail doesn’t know that you’ve moved! Many of your family, friends and debtors may have outdated records for you too. That’s why it’s imperative that you file a change of address with the post office. If needed, forward your mail for a period of time as well to cover the delay in your address change.

Contact the postal service and inform them of your change of address. Once the change of address is finalized, notify the current employer, children's school, family members, bank, family physicians and attorneys, and utility bill companies of the change. Inform the authorities such as the tax agencies, post office, phone, cable, and internet so the institution can send your bill and other confidential details to the correct address. Forward all mail to the new address.

Get Your Personal Accounts in Order

The last action you conduct is to ensure your accounts and bills are in order. Contact your current providers well in advance to schedule your cancellation of service so that you aren’t incurring new charges when you’re no longer the owner of your past home. Here are a few providers you might need to contact:

• Utilities (gas, electric, water)

• Waste management

• Phone

• Internet

• Fitness Center

• Doctor

• Bank

• Home maintenance subscriptions (lawn care, water softener, HVAC, house cleaning etc.)

This article should provide a good starting point for you to brainstorm additional tasks you need to add to your relocation list before you say goodbye to your current address.

FAQs

We need to toss a lot of furniture. What size dumpster should we rent?

For a single couch or loveseat, you could probably get by with renting a 10 yard dumpster. However, if you have several couches, beds and other large furniture to dispose of, you will need a 20 yard, 30 yard or 40 yard dumpster.

Can we put our old TV and computers in the dumpster?

No. Most dumpster rental companies do not allow electronics to be placed into the dumpster due to waste regulations, as these items may contain hazardous materials and metals.