On the move

Your Go-To Relocation Guide: 5 Tips To Know

Whether you’re changing apartments or moving your business to a new location, relocating is a major endeavor. You don’t want to make unnecessary mistakes. Fortunately, people have been moving since time immemorial, so it’s not rocket science! You just have to make sure that you’re ready. In this relocation guide, we’re going to help you understand exactly what you can do to make the entire process easier, but first, let’s take a look at why you might need a relocation guide in the first place. 

Why You Need a Relocation Guide

The biggest issue with relocating isn’t the physical demands of lifting heavy boxes or driving from one location to the next. It’s the fact that moving or relocating involves dozens of moving parts (no pun intended). You have to account for many of these things in advance, from contacting your utility company to ensuring your new home or place of business is in good condition. In any case, it’s easy to miss small details that could make your relocation more stressful, complicated, and expensive. Having a relocation guide like this one can help you consider details that you might otherwise have missed!

5 Things You Can Do to Prepare For a Relocation

If you’ve got a big relocation planned for the near future, here are 5 things you’ll want to do to prepare for the move and avoid more hassle later on:

Make a Checklist For the Move

A checklist is the easiest way to jot down the most important things you need to do before or during a major relocation and literally check them off the list as you get them done. It can even help you prioritize the most important tasks while still keeping track of less important tasks. For a relocation, you’ll often want to include tasks related to cleaning, packing, and making official address changes to your documents or accounts (more on that later). 

Get Organized

While a checklist will help get you mentally organized, you’ll also need to make sure that your environment is organized. It’s one thing to say that you’re going to relocate to a new city, but actually making it happen in a short amount of time takes a lot of work. The best way to get organized is to start determining what is staying behind, what is going with you, and what is being thrown away or donated. You’ll often be surprised how much stuff you can get rid of in advance of a move, and this is also a great way to cut down on the time it takes to pack up all your stuff. So, start organizing your belongings as soon as possible!

Cut Off Utilities and Other Services

When you relocate, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t accidentally keep paying for services you’re no longer using. So, tell your utility companies at least one month in advance that you plan to move. It’s usually a good idea to have them cut off the utilities a day or two after your move. This way, if you’re unexpectedly delayed, you won’t suddenly be left without water or electricity. You’ll also want to go through a similar process for services like internet and cable TV. 

Update Your Address

If you’re like most American adults, you have dozens of different accounts that require you to keep your information updated. From traditional bank accounts to subscription services, you’ll need to go through and update your address so that you can begin receiving mail at your new location. You can often get free mail forwarding for up to a year through the USPS, but this won’t necessarily catch every piece of mail, so changing your address on all your official accounts is still important to do in the days before the move. 

Hire a Quality Relocation Company

Are you getting ready for a major residential or commercial relocation? Are you located in the greater Kansas City area? If so, the experts at Mike Hammer Moving are here to help! Let us be your relocation guide, as we have more than 30 years of experience helping people move within Kansas City or even from Kansas City to locations out of state. To get help with your next move, reach out and get a quote today!