10 Moving Mistakes All First-Time Homeowners Should Avoid

10 Moving Mistakes All First-Time Homeowners Should Avoid

 Moving into your first house is an exciting and overwhelming experience. While it’s great to focus only on the positives of homeownership, it’s important not to overlook the nitty-gritty details of transporting your stuff.

 Avoid these 10 classic moving mistakes:

#1: Not Making the Proper Arrangements with the Apartment or Condo Building

 Moving from a rental unit to a brand-new home is probably one of the highlights of your life up until this point. But we get so excited thinking about our new house in Calgary that we tend to forget all the things we have to do to vacate our current apartment or condo building: namely, alerting the building manager when you need to book the elevator. Concierges and building managers absolutely hate it when tenants forget to book and try to move their stuff out of the elevator while other tenants try to squeeze in. It creates havoc for everyone involved. Trust us, you don’t want to schlep your furniture down flights of stairs while your neighbours are clambering around you.

#2: Not Measuring Your Furniture

 Unless you’re willing to take apart every table, chair, and couch (if that’s even possible), you’re going to have to measure your furniture. As clever as you may be, there’s no pushing a sofa through a doorway if it’s wider than the space. Make sure to measure your furniture well before your move date, so you can make the proper arrangements. If you live in an apartment building, don’t forget to measure the elevator as well.

#3: Not Taking Measurements of New Rooms

 While you have the measuring tape out, you should check if your new home will fit your existing furniture. Not only should everything fit, but your furniture layout should also make sense. If your sectional sofa just doesn’t flow well in your new living room, you can save yourself the hassle of moving such a large piece of furniture. Sell it, give it away, or trade it in for another model.

#4: Cutting Too Many Corners

 It’s no secret that moving is a large expense, so we don’t blame anyone for trying to save a buck here or there by taking on the duties themselves. But the danger of facing your move with a DIY attitude is that you’re risking major burnout. Renting a truck and bribing your friends to give up their weekend to help you move to your new house may work, but if you want to avoid the stress and hassle of taking on the packing plus the loading, hauling, and unpacking, hire a professional moving company. You’ll be happy you did.

#5: Hiring the Cheapest Moving Company

 Cheaper isn’t always better, and that’s especially true about moving companies. If you don’t own that many expensive belongings or you’re not planning on moving too far from your old home, you may be able to get away with getting a couple of strong types with their own van to do all the work. But if you have a lot of items and you’re moving further than just a few blocks, we recommend spending a little more to get better service. Professional movers understand how to pack your things safely, efficiently, and in a timely manner.

#6: Not Trimming the Fat

 One of the biggest moving mistakes you can make is not taking an honest inventory of your things and deciding what you can sell, donate, or toss. Downsizing can save you money and prevent you from starting a pre-existing clutter pile at your new home.

#7: Forgetting to Set Aside the Essentials

 We doubt that you’ll be doing a lot of unpacking the first day you move in, and the last thing you want to do is search through the ocean of boxes to find your toothbrush, shampoo, or pyjamas. The day before you move, pack an overnight bag with things you know you’ll be needing the day you move in (and maybe a few after that), such as:

•  Toiletries
• Pet food
• Snacks
• Change of clothes
• Diapers, favourite toy, etc.
• Bed linens

#8: Being Lazy with Your Labelling

 When you have to rip open 18 boxes just to find that one thing you were looking for, you’ll be wishing you had spent a little extra time labelling everything. It may take slightly longer to pack your belongings, but the smartest thing to do is number each box and take an inventory of everything that you’ve packed in it. Finding your items will be a breeze with this simple system.

#9: Trusting that Things Won’t Break in Transit

 When it comes to protecting your fragile items from breaking, less is definitely not more. If you cherish your belongings, don’t skimp on that bubble wrap, and don’t load heavy items on top of breakable ones. Jostling movement from the truck will make your glassware and antiques especially vulnerable to breaking, so always wrap your things in more bubble wrap than you think you need. Make sure your items are secure in their boxes by using cardboard separators. Gently shake boxes with the lid open to see whether or not items are stable.

#10: Not Forwarding Your Mail

 You spend weeks carefully packing your belongings away so that nothing gets left behind. But what about your mail? Don’t forget to change your address with your credit card company, bank, and government offices. Remember to update your subscriptions or put them on hold. For a small fee, you can also ask your post office to forward all incoming mail to your new address for a year.

 If you’re notorious for forgetting things, change your address on your online shopping profiles. This way, you won’t accidentally order something and have it sent to your old home.

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