You want to find a new home. You’ve done your research and you’ve found your dream home. Now you’re moving. You need to find a moving company. In 2017, a little more than 1 in 10 Americans moved. Moving services help homeowners move their households, and businesses in office relocation. However, there are things you can do–in addition to hiring a local mover–that will make your move easier on everyone.

Steps to an Easier Move

While researching moving services is a prudent thing to do before you hire a moving company, there are things you can do that will ease the stress of moving. Below are tips on how to make moving your home easier.

First things first.

1. Get an estimate. Request an estimate from a local mover or, if you are moving out of state, from a long distance moving company. Reputable moving companies will schedule an appointment to assess your home or business and give you a written estimate free of charge.
2. Use an app. Apps are a good way to be efficient and glean insights from others. For example, MyMove is a free app for your smartphone that will assist you…
• in finding moving services,
• with moving tips,
• in finding moving company reviews, and
• with interactive moving checklists.
3. Inventory. Make a list of inventory while you go through your household items. Before you store, package, and box items, you’ll want to know what you have in the first place. Also, this is a good time to discard items you know that you will not use at your new home.
4. Label. Label everything, especially the boxes and containers which will house your items during the move. If you want ease and convenience in finding your toothbrush, for example, label your moving containers.
5. Find a place for your pets. Do you have dogs and cats. Find pet housing for them, so that your move can go off without a hitch. You love your pets and pets are even less fond of moving than their human companions, so finding pet lodging–whether with a family member, friend, or professional pet sitter–will make both you and your pets happy.
6. Find somewhere safe for your children. Do you have children? If they are teenagers they can be of assistance during the move; however, young children need a safe place to stay during the hectic activity of the move. Their main task should be acclimating to your new home once you are moved in. Enlist the help of a family member or dear friend to help you with your children. It’ll be particularly helpful if your family member or friend has children similarly aged as your children.
7. Reconnoiter your new home. Before everything is moved, check out your new home so that you can have already planned the placement of the furniture and so forth. This will also eliminate possible arguments.

Moving homes is a big deal. These tips will help you plan for making your move as painless as possible. Instead of stressing out, enjoy the excitement of moving into a new home. Plus, with the help of your moving service, you’ll be able to enjoy a tall glass of lemonade as they carry moving boxes and furniture into your new home.