The Secret to Getting Organized in Your New Home -Part 1

Congratulations! It’s official - you’re moving.

Whether you’re moving to another apartment in your building, down the block, across town or to another state, you know that moving can be a colossal, head-spinning project.  Like most people, you’ve heard your fair share of horror stories about “moves gone wrong”. There is no shortage of ways a move can go wrong, from priceless furniture damaged by careless movers to rogue movers who don’t show up or charge astronomical hidden fees. You don’t want to end up with a horror story to tell.

Regardless of the reason of your move, what you want – in fact, what we ALL want – is peace of mind throughout and after the moving process. You want your furniture and other possessions to arrive to your new home unscathed and you want to organize your new home and get comfortably settled in as quickly as possible so you can move on with your life.

The good news is that contrary to popular belief, much of the success of your move is in your hands. There are a variety of practical steps you can take to help ensure that your move goes as smoothly and predictably as possible.

Ensuring a Smooth, Organized Move

Ironically, one of the best ways to guarantee that you are organized after moving day is by taking certain steps before moving day.

Getting an Early Start.

Arguably the most important step to ensuring an organized move is getting an early start. The more time you leave yourself, the more time you have to make informed choices throughout the moving process and take care of the many tasks involved.

Don’t Leave Packing Until the Last Minute.

Getting an early start also gives you time to pack methodically rather than haphazardly. This is absolutely critical in setting yourself up for success and getting organized in your new home. If you leave packing to the last minute, you simply don’t have time to put an organized packing system in place. You wind up chaotically stuffing bags and boxes with as much as they can hold because you know you’re racing against a clock. There’s no time to carefully wrap items of value, systematically mark and label boxes, or decide what items you really want and need in your new home. Items end up broken, lost, or mixed together, leaving you a big mess and headache upon arrival in your new home. Start packing at least a month in advance if not more, depending on the size of your move, to ensure the packing process goes smoothly. Tackling one room at a time, create clear piles to identify what you definitely want to keep, no longer want but plan to sell, no longer want but plan to give away, and plan to keep in storage.

Pack Electronics with Care.

No one wants to arrive in their new home and discover their electronics are a jumbled mess of missing parts and twisted wires. The good news is that you can avoid spending countless frustrating hours searching for tiny but important missing pieces or untangling twisted cords. Organize and label all your cords before they are packed. Simply wrap and secure each cord and small part with a twist-tie, place the pieces inside a sealable zip lock bag, label it will a sharpie and tape or fasten it securely to the electronic device being moved. Even if it does detach, when you locate the labelled bag you will know exactly what electronic device the pieces belong to.

Hiring Professional Local Movers You Can Trust.

Another way to ensure you’re organized and have peace of mind as quickly as possible upon arrival in your new home is to hire professional movers. Because professional movers are experienced and have the right equipment, they can safely move all your furniture and belongings without putting them at risk of being damaged. You don’t want to arrive at your new home to discover the legs of two dining room chairs are broken or your glassware got shattered. You want to know your floors, walls, staircases and personal items are safe from damage. Dealing with damages caused by movers does more than cause unnecessary stress. It can be costly and shifts your time and focus away from the task at hand – getting organized and settled in after moving day.

Professional movers, like our team at All Jersey Moving and Storage, have been executing residential moves and office moves for decades. We know how to protect your floors, walls, staircases and personal items from damage. By hiring a reputable moving company, you can have peace of mind that your furniture and valued items will reach your new home in the same condition they left your old home!

Create a Labelling System.

One of the most important steps for getting organized in your new home is creating a simple, clear labelling system during the packing process. First of all, label your boxes by the room they need to go to. This will give your movers a clear roadmap of how to pack the moving truck and where to unpack the belongings in your new home. A clear labelling system will spare you from having to drag boxes from one room to another after your movers have gone home. You won’t be left wondering why your dishes are in the laundry room and the box holding your favorite pairs of shoes that should have ended up in the master closet are buried beneath a pile of boxes in the basement.

If you number the moving boxes, you can also take note of the specific contents of each box. Having a master document detailing this information will help quickly solve a lot of mysteries; eliminate tremendous stress and confusion; and allow you to prioritize the order in which you unpack your belongings. You can also ensure that boxes meant for storage wind up in storage, rather than have to reorganize, reseal and transport those boxes to a storage facility after arriving at your new home.

Sell or Give Away What You Can’t Bring Along.

One reason people find it difficult to get organized in their new home is that they discover they brought along furniture and other belongings they simply have no need or space for! Don’t fall into this trap. Moving is the perfect opportunity to take stock of your furniture and other belongings and decide what you do and don’t want to take with you. The earlier you do this, the better, especially if you want to sell pieces of furniture at a reasonable price. Leaving this task until the last minute could result in you taking unwanted furniture with you that you couldn’t sell in time or having to give it away for free. If you want to sell your items, you can go the old-fashioned route and host a garage or contents sale. Of course, you can also list the belongings you wish to sell on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. However you plan to sell your items, give yourself sufficient time to get a fair price.

To avoid bringing items you have no room or use for to your new home, you may also want to consider donating unwanted furniture, appliances, clothing or other items. Ask your moving company which local charities will pick your items up at no cost. Again, it’s key not to wait until the last minute to organize pick up. Be sure to call at least a week or two in advance.

Put Items into Storage. Part of getting settled in your new home after moving is ensuring that your living spaces aren’t filled with “stuff” you have no room or use for. If you want to store furniture or other items of monetary or sentimental value that you don’t have room for in your new home, research local storage options. Putting items into storage will help eliminate clutter in your new home; allow you to make most efficient use of your space; and create room in your closets, basement and attic for things you need to access on a more regular basis.

To ensure your belongings are stored securely in clean, cool condition, look for storage facilities with excellent customer reviews. All Jersey Moving and Storage offers reliable, convenient residential and commercial short-term and long-term containerized storage, document storage and logistical storage. Investigate the difference between self-storage and containerized storage to see what option is right for you. All Jersey Moving and Storage's storage facility is containerized, which means that your items are blanket-wrapped, sealed and secured in large wooden containers to keep them safe.

Tackle Important Moving Tasks in Advance. When people think of moving, they immediately think about hiring movers and packing. But if you’re moving, there are numerous other responsibilities and tasks you have to take care of, from updating your address on important documents to finding a new family doctor if you’re moving out of town. Taking care of these tasks well in advance will help eliminate stress before moving day. When you arrive at your new home, you want to focus on getting set up and settled, not tackling a myriad of tasks. Here are just a few examples of tasks to take care of before moving day:

• Notify your insurance agent, doctor, dentist, pharmacist, credit card company, bank and utility company about the move.
• Arrange with your current utility company to have your services disconnected the day after you move and with your future utility company to provide services a day or two before the move.
• Get copies of your dental and medical records and prescriptions and ask for references for new health professionals, if necessary.
• Obtain change of address forms from the post office.
• Visit your children’s school and arrange for their records to be transferred to their new school.
• Update the address on your magazine and newspaper subscriptions.
• If you’ll be changing banks, remember to clear out the contents of your safety-deposit box.
• If you are moving your fridge to your new home, make sure to empty, clean and defrost it a minimum of 24 hours before moving day.

All Jersey Moving & Storage: Moving Experts You Can Count On

By taking the right steps in advance and having a plan in place, you exponentially increase the likelihood of a smooth move and set yourself up for success after moving day.

All Jersey Moving & Storage has helped thousands of families execute successful short and long distance moves safely and on schedule.

Contact All Jersey Moving & Storage today for a complimentary moving estimate.

Stay tuned for “The Secret to Getting Organized in Your New Home – Part II” for tips on how to get organized in your new home as quickly and efficiently as possible.