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How to Organize, Plan and Prepare for a Move

A family carrying boxes for relocation.
How to Organize, Plan and Prepare for a Move

You have purchased a new home in Seattle, and now it’s time to continue onto this exciting chapter. However, most relocating experiences can be tiring, time-consuming, and stressful. Whether you do the work yourself or hire professionals, it can all seem overwhelming. You need to pack up and haul your entire life, often in a short period, and it isn’t easy to know where to start. But, with proper preparation, you can cross everything off your to-do checklist while still having time to sit back and breathe. For this reason, we have created a guidebook to help you organize, plan, and prepare for a move. You’ll be well equipped for the moving day and ready to settle into your new place seamlessly.

Organize, Plan and Prepare for a Move: A guide

To move like an expert, you should understand that planning is essential. It’s easy to get disorganized with all the scheduling, arranging, and paperwork you’ll need to do in the coming weeks. These suggestions can help you stay on track with your upcoming relocation.

Devise a moving strategy

Early in the preparation stage, you need to decide if you need professional relocation services for your Seattle relocation. Reliable movers can help with every part of the process, as long as you do your research and check their references. Also, look at their website and see what options they provide. Before agreeing to anything, you should ask for a moving quote in advance.

Then, set up a plan for when you will carry out activities. Should everything be moved in one day? Are things to be moved to multiple places, such as a storage space and your new home? Do you have to throw out junk?

A mover next to a moving truck.
Movers are there to do the heavy lifting, which might make your portion of the work much easier.

There is also the matter of how far away your destination is. Any move that occurs within state boundaries is referred to as intrastate moving. On the other hand, interstate relocation involves crossing state boundaries. You may be subject to different moving rates depending on the sort of relocation you are planning. It is useful to do your research before even contacting the movers.

Have the necessary equipment

Make sure you have enough cardboard boxes, containers, etc. Check if you have something in the storage room or garage, ask friends and acquaintances, or visit the shops. A useful suggestion is to fill up baskets, suitcases, and other containers with items.

A couple sitting on the floor surrounded by moving boxes.
You will need A LOT of boxes.
Throw away, give away, and sell

Get your things in order BEFORE you pack. Sort everything that needs to be thrown away, given away, sold, and kept. Maybe you have some old furniture or clothes you can sell. Are you going to throw away the old dining table? Post it online, and a lucky family can benefit from it. If you do this a couple of weeks before the actual move, you will have less to move, less to clean, and you will feel that you have got off to a good start.

Take a systematic approach

Maintaining order during the moving chaos is not easy. For this reason, try to create a system – a good tip is to label the boxes with the contents and which room they should be placed in. This will save you time when you start unpacking in your new home. You can also use transparent plastic bags to pack clothes and bedding, so it is easy to identify the contents.

It may pay off to check if you are insured in case an accident occurs. To limit any damage, have plenty of bubble wrap, newspapers, towels, etc., to wrap fragile items such as glass and frames.

Packing fragile items

You should know the best way to wrap up and box your sensitive possessions so that they arrive in one piece at your new residence. Consider wrapping your valuables in plastic wrap and photographing your devices before disconnecting them.
Be careful when moving large and heavy furniture since it is easy to get scratches on both the furniture and the floors. If you are dismantling larger pieces, remember to fasten the corresponding screws to each piece of furniture.

If you have any precious artwork, like paintings and sculptures, you need to put extra special care into the process of getting them ready for transfer. Artwork can be big and bulky, and even the elements designed to protect it—the frame and glass—might damage it during relocation. You will need to match the artwork with appropriately sized boxes, secure it with paper and bubble wrap, and specifically mark the boxes so whoever carries them knows to treat them with extra care. As an added precaution, you can hire art movers who specialize in these types of items.

A couple preparing artwork for a transfer.
Fragile items, like artwork, often require a lot of special care.
Check the technicalities

Check deadlines for termination of various services related to your home. Services that may be worth checking are electricity and rent, internet, cable, and newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
If you have children, you also need to enroll them in a new school, which means doing research on the school districts is a must before the move.

Pack an essentials bag/box

After a long day of packing, the last thing you want is to look through all the boxes for essential items. Therefore, pack a box with a change of clothes, toiletries, toilet paper, coffee maker/kettle, and some plates and cutlery. This way, the first day in your new home will be much more comfortable.

The big moving day

Moving day is finally here, and you have hopefully completed the points above and are as prepared as you can be. Put aside plenty of time for the relocation, whether you are using a moving company or doing it yourself. It always takes more time than you think. Moreover, if any friends or family members are helping you relocate, make sure to treat them with some food or drinks. They will surely appreciate it and might even want to help the next time you decide to move!

Final thoughts

Having to organize, plan and prepare for a move isn’t a piece of cake, but it is very manageable and doable – with the right advice and a positive attitude. Once you’ve made it through the hard part, you get to design your new home however you envision it and enjoy all the wonderful things that await. Good luck!

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Relocation Tagged: How To Move, Moving 101, Moving Guide, realogics sotheby's international realty, Relocation, RSIR, SBD, seattlebydesign, SeattlebyDesign.com, Sotheby's International Realty

Where Next: Kauai

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Posted in: Destinations, Relocation, Sothebys Tagged: Andrea Healey, Island Sotheby's International Realty, Kauai Homes for Sale, Kauai Real Estate, Moving to Hawaii, Moving to Kauai, realogics sotheby's international realty, Relocate to Hawaii, Relocate to Kauai, seattlebydesign, Sotheby's International Realty

Where Next: Santa Fe

This month, Where Next visits Neil Lyon of the Neil Lyon Group, for an inside look at Santa Fe, New Mexico!

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Posted in: Destinations, Investment Property, Relocation, Sothebys Tagged: Living in Santa Fe, Move to Santa Fe, New Mexico, relocate, Relocate to New Mexico, Relocate to Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Lifestyle, Sotheby's International Realty New Mexico

Where Next: Washington, DC

This month’s Where Next visits Washington DC to hear from one of the area’s foremost boutique brokers, The William Fastow Team!  What better time to visit our esteemed colleagues than during the change in leadership at our nation’s capital?

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Posted in: Destinations, Relocation, Sothebys Tagged: Moving to Washington DC, Real Estate Agents in Washington DC, Real Estate Broker in Washington DC, Relocating to Washington DC, Sotheby's International Realty, Washington DC

Where Next: Nashville, Tennessee

 

This month, Where Next visits Nashville, Tennessee with Zeitlin SIR Managing Broker, Stephanie Brooks.  The SeattlebyDesign team invited Stephanie to share insights with us about what makes Music City such a special place.

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Posted in: Destinations, Investment Property, Relocation, Sothebys Tagged: homes for sale in nashville, moving to nashville, nashville real estate, nashville tennesee, seattle, seattlebydesign group, Sotheby's International Realty, sotheby's realty nashville, Zeitlin SIR

Where Next: Tucson, Arizona

This month, Where Next visits Tucson, Arizona with Russ Lyon SIR’s, Marta Harvey.  The SeattlebyDesign team invited her to share insights with us about this warm weather locale that many PNW residents flock to annually.

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Posted in: Destinations, Investment Property, Relocation, Sothebys Tagged: homes for sale in tucson, moving to tucson, Russ Lyon SIR, seattle, seattlebydesign group, Sotheby's International Realty, sotheby's realty tuscon arizona, tucson arizona

Where Next: Sun Valley, Idaho

This month, Where Next visits Sun Valley, Idaho with Sun Valley SIR’s, Coralea Graham.  A few weeks ago, the SeattlebyDesign team invited Corey to share her insights with us about this popular and enchanting destination.  Read on to learn a bit about the area and more still about Corey.

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Posted in: Relocation Tagged: Contract Furnishings Mart, Idaho, Is Sun Valley a nice place to live?, Living in Sun Valley, Move to Sun Valley, Moving to Sun Valley, Relocate to Sun Valley, Should I move to Sun Valley?, Sun Valley, What's it like to live in Sun Valley?, What's there to do in Sun Valley?

Where Next: Hood River, Oregon

This month, Where Next visits Hood River with Greater Seattle native, Molly Donnell, and her distinguished team at Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty. The SeattlebyDesign team puts great effort into ensuring we have a solid network of brokers from around the corner to around the globe so we can assist our clients wherever their journey may take them. When it comes to Hood River, there’s one go-to advisor we are eager to recommend to our clients, Molly Donnell. Without hesitation, Molly was willing to share a little insider knowledge with our team for those considering a move or secondary home in Oregon.

When asked to share about her now-home of a dozen years, Molly offered this:

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Posted in: Destinations, Investment Property, Relocation Tagged: Cascade Sotheby's International Realty, Hood River, hood river homes for sale, Molley Donnell, mt. hood, Oregon, outdoor activities near seattle, Real Estate Agents in Hood River, seattlebydesign, The Columbia River Gorgeo, vacation home in hood river, vacation towns near seattle

Where Next: Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast

Who doesn’t love a visit to the Oregon Coast?  This month, Where Next delivers extraordinarily beautiful and quaint Cannon Beach, courtesy of one of its most prolific agents, Sally Conrad!

Cannon Beach, Oregon is the premier coastal destination of the gorgeous Pacific Northwest. A little more than an hour drive from Portland and just over three hours from Seattle, the area experiences an influx of over one million visitors per year from locations around the world. Impressive for a town with a full-time resident population under 2,000!

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Posted in: Destinations, General Real Estate Information, Relocation, Sothebys, Waterfront Tagged: cannon beach homes, cascade sotheby's realty, connon beach real estate, ecola state park, homes for sale on the oregon coast, homes on the oregon coast, portland coast homes, Real Estate, Sally Conrad, seattle by design, Sotheby's International Realty

Where Next: Insights From Our Broker Network

This month’s Where Next brings us to our neighbors in Walla Walla, Washington! Danielle Beebe, a Broker with Walla Walla Sotheby’s International Realty, graciously shared her perspective of this Pacific Northwest gem with our team. If this glimpse at the infamous wine country town in Eastern Washington peeks your interest, please reach out to us, we’d be more than happy to arrange an introduction!

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Posted in: Investment Property, Realogics Sotheby's International Realty, Relocation Tagged: Danielle Beebe, for sale, housing, market, move, Pacific Northwest, relocate, RSIR, SIR, Sotheby's International Realty, Walla Walla, wine country, wineries

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