Essential Packing and Moving Tips For Homebuyers

Moving to the Boston Area? Prepare for the move like a pro.

Home buying can an exciting time but also stressful for a variety of reasons. One of the most intimidating tasks is moving, especially if it is a long distance move or your first time.

OK, truth to told, moving might be the worst part of buying a house or a condominium.

Below are some moving tips that should save you time and reduce the stress of moving into your new home in the Greater Boston area.

Take a deep breath and continue reading.

Remove Clutter

Throw out what you don’t need: During the moving process, keep trash bins and garbage bags nearby and get rid of unwanted items.

Donate/garage sale: Donate your unwanted belongings to charity or organize a garage sale to sell what you don’t plan on moving to your new place. If you haven't worn it or used it in the past year, do you really need it? You probably no longer need it, but someone in need will appreciate your kindness. And you will have a lot less to pack up. It's a win-win situation. 

eBay/Craig’s List/Etsy: Anything valuable that you don’t want to move or give away, consider selling online before the closing. Give yourself at least two months to get everything organized, sold and shipped.

Stay ahead of the mess: Rearranging furniture and boxes will be messy; try to keep walkways and doorways clear to make it easier to maneuver your way through. Remove all hanging items, rugs, and electronic devices with long cords to prevent tripping and falling.

Pack early: It is never too early to begin the packing process. Allow yourself more than enough time to clean, organize, and gather your belongings.

Groceries: Limit your grocery shopping before the move to just the essentials and as little perishable items as possible. You have enough to move; you don't want to move bags of groceries too.

Time Saving Moving Tips

Address change: Contact the post office to change your address. Forms to change your address are available at any post office and online. Don’t forget to notify third parties (bank, insurance company, doctor’s office, etc.) of your new address.

Switch the utilities: As soon as you have a closing date, call the utility companies and set up a service switch. It is of particular importance to switch the utilities sooner rather than later if you're moving into a home that is newly built or previously vacant.

Know what not to pack: Do not pack valuables, including cash, jewelry, and important papers. Keep them with you at all times.

Don’t pack your closet: Consider using wardrobe boxes to move the clothing in your closets. Not only is it much quicker to pack/unpack without having to deal with hangers, but you have the bonus of not having to iron once you're settled into your new home.

Electronics: Take a photo of how your electronics are connected so you can remember how and where all the wires go.

Double check: Before taking off to your new home, make sure you have loaded everything in your moving truck(s). Re-check every room to make sure nothing is left behind or damaged.

Storage areas: Don't forget to check little-used spaces, such as inaccessible cabinets, shelving in the basement or attic and crawl spaces.

Reserve a room: When your move-in date is approaching, designate a larger room (or the basement/garage) to store your items that you have packed and ready-to-go.

Essential Packing Tips

• Find boxes, boxes, and more boxes. Get more boxes than needed. You can often get boxes for free from grocery stores, home improvement stores or bulk-sale stores, such as BJ's or Costco.

• There are emerging services out there that rent plastic and other types of moving boxes, such as BungoBox, Rent a Green Box, and U-Haul. These services typically deliver and pick-up moving boxes and other moving supplies, saving you time. You might want to consider researching available services in your area.

• Place books and other heavy items in the smaller boxes while saving your bigger boxes for smaller/lighter items.

• Heavy boxes with handles are much easier to carry. Grocery stores and liquor stores often have boxes with handles.

• Make sure to use any suitcases, baskets, laundry bins and hampers to your advantage. The less to carry the better and suitcases that can roll are ideal for items that may be too heavy to carry easily.

• Gather related items together, such as shoes and clothes or toiletries to make unpacking quick and easy.

• Go from room to room when packing. Labeling boxes and recording a list of the contents of each box will speed up unpacking and keep you more organized. Not only will this making unpacking easier, but having this information will be necessary if a box goes missing and you need to make a claim for it. Consider numbering the boxes as well.

• If it’s a big move with a lot of boxes, find a color-coded labeling system. Yellow tape for the kitchen, blue tape for the living room, green tape for the basement, etc. 

• Use sealable containers and waterproof bags to store liquids. Mark the box clearly with arrows and “This End Up” to avoid spilling.

• Wrap your fragile items, such as a lamp or ceramic knick knacks in clothing to save money on bubble wrap. Use packing paper for dishes, bowls, and glasses. YouTube has some useful videos on this topic.

• For anything you take apart, store in ziplock bags that are clearly labeled, so you don’t forget what parts go where.

• Vacuum seal your out-of-season clothing items.

• Avoid using garbage bags because a typical trash bag probably will rip and tear too easily. Even worse, what if someone thinks the contents of the bag is actually trash. Yikes! Also, some moving companies will not move objects in trash bags.

• Pack the items you will need to unpack first in a clear plastic bin. These might include a box cutter, paper towels, eating utensils, paper plates, toilet paper, trash bags, extensions cords, phone chargers, tools, etc. The clear bin allows you to see inside and it also stands apart from the cardboard boxes.

• If you are moving your refrigerator, remove all the food and allow it to defrost at least one full day before the move; otherwise, you are going to be dealing with a wet, smelly heavy appliance.

Tips for Loading the Moving Truck

• If you are moving area rugs, consider laying them flat on the moving truck first. It will save space and protect the furniture.

• Start off by moving your largest and heaviest items, including appliances and furniture, into the truck.

• Use furniture padding to protect wood surfaces and corners.

• Place heavy objects on opposite ends of the truck for balance.

• After loading the truck with your heaviest items, move the longer items like mattresses, full-length mirrors, headboards, and tabletops.

• Dissemble bigger items like bed frames, sectional couches, and dressers to make more space inside the truck.

• Fill in spaces beneath tables, under desks, and on chair seats.

• Place fragile items on the truck last.
  

Hiring a Moving Company

Plan: Make sure you book a moving company weeks, if not more than a month, in advance of you moving date. The good, reputable moving companies book quickly, especially during busy seasons. If you can avoid making your move on the day of your closing, that will reduce your stress level significantly.

Research: Read a company’s reviews online, using sites like Yelp and Angie’s List and take recommendations from friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Hopefully, you used Angie's List or Yelp to find the real estate company you hired. If you are ealier in the process and haven't interviewed buyer agents yet, Angie's List and Yelp are good resources. 

Insurance: Ask a moving company to forward you a copy of their bond, certificate of insurance, and Department of Transportation number. If they do not forward this information to you, you should move on to the next company (pun intended).

Agreement: Carefully read the work service agreement, including any fine print. Watch out for any strange exclusions or liability waivers. For example, a common scam is for movers to say in the middle of a move that large items, such as a washer or dryer, require an additional fee. Confirm that the price quoted is firm or at least not left to someone's subjective opinion.

Price: If a moving company’s prices are significantly lower than others, be wary. Don’t just go with the cheapest quote. You want a good deal, but carefully consider what’s behind that lower-priced quote from a moving company.

Payment: Be sure to know what you are paying for in advance, such as how many people moving your property and what is the size of the truck? What is the arrival window? Is it a flat fee or hourly or mixed? Is the owner or a manager going to be one of the movers? If not, will (s)he be available if any issues arise? When are payments due?

Additional Moving Tips

Pack an overnight bag: After the move, you’ll likely be too tired to unpack everything you moved. You’ll want your essentials to be easily accessible. Include a change of clothes, toiletries, laptop, phone charger, valuables, and other necessities.

Pre-clean your new home: If time permits, before the move, pre-clean the new home. Doing so will make it a lot easier than after you fill your home up with your belongings. Also, put up a new shower curtain liner and stock some new bath towels and toilet paper, as well. You’ll want to take a hot shower after a long day of moving and unpacking.

Be prepared: Make sure that you have packed everything, and you're organized before your moving company [or friends] show up. The sooner you start, the sooner you will be done.

Renters: If you’re moving from a rental, take pictures of your empty, cleaned-out apartment before you give back your keys. If you’re moving into a rental, take photos of any blemishes, dents, scratches, etc. of your new apartment before unloading your belongings and document them in writing. Photos are important if there is a dispute regarding your security deposit later. It will save you the aggravation from dealing with a challenging and unreasonable landlord who might charge you cleaning and repair fees unnecessarily when moving out.

Flooring and renovations: If there are any improvements you want to make to your new home, particulary refinishing floors or installing new floors, it will be dramatically easier to do before you move, if that’s at all possible.