Moving checklist: the 7 biggest moving mistakes

Moving can be a very stressful process. There are dozens of tasks to complete in a short period of time, as well as many important decisions to make. This leads to a high potential for mistakes.

Most movement errors turn out to be minor, but there are some that can have long-term implications. This article can help you overcome the 7 worst movement mistakes.

The 7 worst moving mistakes

1. Moving without a moving plan or checklist.

2. Leave very little time to pack.

3. Hiring the wrong engines.

4. Not hiring the right kind of help.

5. Not labeling and detailing the boxes and their content.

6. Failure to pack items safely.

7. Insuring incorrectly.

The details

Big move-in mistake 1: moving without a moving plan or checklist.

Description of the error: Many people who are faced with a move simply jump right into the process without fully planning for the future. Similarly, they try to manage tasks without having a detailed checklist on the go.

Why it’s a mistake: Countless productivity studies have been done showing that having a written plan increases productivity, and similar logic implies that a moving checklist helps you manage the details of a move.

Impacts of Errors – The biggest impacts are wasted time, added stress, and the possibility of forgetting critical tasks.

How to avoid the mistake: Use one of the many free and great checklists to download as your preliminary moving plan

Big move-in mistake 2: leaving too little time for packing.

Description of the error: People tend to drastically underestimate the amount of time it takes to pack a house, which means they have very little time to complete the packing.

Why it’s a mistake: This causes a mad rush just before moving day to get everything completed in time for the truck.

Impacts of Errors – This is a recipe for stress and sloppy packaging, which can result in damaged products at their final destination.

How to avoid the mistake: Allow at least 5 hours per room and pack the 3 messiest rooms first. If they are completed faster than that, you can reduce your schedule. If not, you will have enough time to complete all of your packaging.

Big Moving Mistake 3: Hiring the Wrong Movers.

Description of the error: Many first-time movers hire the wrong moving company, usually looking for the cheapest quote they can find.

Why it’s a mistake: Moving scams are too prevalent, and many times moving companies offering an abnormally low quote will hold your property hostage in your moving truck until you get a lot more money than your original quote indicated. .

Impacts of Errors: You can run into a huge mess of fees and legal problems in these circumstances and often the moving company will disband before you get to court, leaving you without resources.

How to Avoid the Mistake: Visit the federal government website titled “Protect Your Move” along with the websites for Moving Tubo, Better Business Bureau, and Epinions. Only request quotes from promoters who have received a positive rating for each resource. That way, you will eliminate disreputable moving companies from the start.

Big Moving Mistake 4: Not Hiring the Right Kind of Help.

Bug Description: You decide to relocate with friends and family, but you recruit the wrong type of helpers or assign them to the wrong types of tasks.

Why it’s a mistake: The wrong kind of help can actually slow down the move rather than make things easier.

Bug Impacts – You can end up hugely frustrated and end up doing a lot of the work yourself.

How to avoid the mistake: Recruit only people who meet the profile of a good volunteer. This profile has three characteristics:

They have talent or skill (packing, babysitting or pets, lifting heavy furniture) Their talent or skill matches a need you have for your move They are willing to apply that talent or skill to your need in a way that helps you.

Big moving mistake 5: Not labeling or detailing the boxes and their contents.

Description of the error: In an effort to save time or labor, people tend to skip the process of correctly labeling and cataloging their boxes and contents.

Why it’s a mistake: The time saved by not labeling boxes and cataloging their contents is almost always erased by the amount of time wasted looking for things in their new place.

Bug Impacts: Few things waste more time or cause more frustration than the inability to find a necessary item in a sea of ​​moving boxes. That causes you a huge hassle when trying to install.

How to avoid the mistake: Mark at least 2 sides and the top of each box with a room abbreviation, a box number (start a new set of numbers for each room you pack), and general content (eg. , “Juan’s Shoes”). It doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed, but it should be enough to narrow any search down to a maximum of two boxes.

Major moving mistake 6. Failure to pack items securely.

Bug Description: In a rush to get everything done, some people end up in a mad rush to pack everything and don’t protect items fragile enough.

Why it’s wrong: Moving involves a lot of stacking and mixing, even when it is done by caring professionals. Packing properly takes more time, but it dramatically reduces the number of items that will go bad.

Impacts of Errors: Failure to pack things carefully can result in items being damaged or destroyed.

How to avoid the mistake: Here are some guidelines on safe packaging:

· Use sturdy moving boxes for fragile items.

Limit boxes to no more than 50 pounds each.

Try to fill each box exactly to the top to prevent the box from being squashed or damaged.

· Fragile items should be wrapped in at least 1 “of bubble wrap.

Double box (that is, put the item in a box and then put the first box in a second box, both with padded materials) sensitive equipment such as computers and other electronic devices.

· Use old biodegradable peanuts, towels, rags or other rags to fill in the gaps around the items in the boxes.

· Mark “FRAGILE” on boxes with delicate contents.

Major move-in mistake 7. Insuring improperly.

Description of the error: Many people who are faced with a move underinsure or overinsure their furniture and other items.

Why it’s wrong: Standard moving coverage provides only $ 0.60 per pound of declared value, and more expensive insurance may not provide replacement value. Also, most moving insurance EXCLUDES items in boxes that you packed yourself.

Impacts of Errors: Insuring improperly can result in serious disappointment and financial problems.

How to avoid the error:

Check with your current insurance company to see if their homeowners policy will cover your move or if they have another policy or full replacement value coverage rider. This is usually the cheapest coverage option. Check in detail what exactly is covered and what is not.

· Look up the “full replacement value” for any item you need to replace if it is damaged or destroyed.

Document the contents of each box as you pack, including details such as manufacturers’ names and serial items where applicable.

And there you have the 5 biggest myths and poignant realities. For more free moving tips and advice, visit Movers-Edge.com.