Moving Tips For Southwest Floridians

You bought a new house, sold your old house (or gave notice to your landlord), and the move-in day is set. 

Now, what do you do? 

If the thought of moving sends you into a tailspin at the thought of getting all of your belongings and beloved items from one home to the next, take a deep breath and read some of our best moving tips for Southwest Floridians. 

Here’s How to Make the Move in Southwest Florida a Breeze!

Start Early

You will never regret preparing for a move too early. The earliest that you are able to start tidying, organizing, and decluttering, the better. This is even more important if you are planning to move during the busy season in Florida, especially if you are planning to hire help, book moving trucks, buy moving boxes, and enlist your friends and relatives to join in. Starting early will help you get ahead of the game and help make your move a breeze!

Declutter 

Having a game plan is essential for a stress-free move. It’s a great time to take inventory of your belongings and decide what will suit your new home. This is even more important if the purpose of the move is to downsize. While you pack, it might help if you sort your belongings into several piles, such as:

Items to Keep- For this category, start with the most precious items to you and work your way down. Think about what items are the most valuable, the most used, and which bring you the most joy. 

Items to Sell- Are there a few items that are too much trouble to move with you that you can sell online? With apps and sites like Kijiji, VarageSale and Facebook Marketplace, it might be valuable to set aside some items that you’d be willing to part with in exchange for some cash. 

Items to Donate- With so many thrift stores, shelters and charities looking for gently used items, consider donating some things that don’t quite make the cut for the new move but that you know someone else may need. Also, if you have been hanging on to family heirlooms, this is a great time to pass them along to their intended person if you are ready to do so.

Items to Toss- Lastly, if it’s an item that’s broken, too dirty or no longer useful or valuable, it’s time to throw it in the trash. If you don’t want it, and it can’t be sold or donated, to the garbage it goes! This will save you the energy of packing it and unpacking it later. 

Hire Movers 

Moving is already a stressful and emotional transition. But, if you are able do so, hiring help can remove that one additional stress from your shoulders. For example, hiring a professional plumber will remove the stress of fixing a leak for you instead of going to the store, finding the parts needed, spending hours hunched over and hoping that the leak won’t re-emerge in a few months. It’s the same for movers. A good moving company will ensure that your belongings are packed efficiently and moved safely from one location to the next. This frees up your time to deal with everything else involved in the process. Not to mention, it will decrease the risk of you injuring yourself lifting that box of old DVDs. 

Talk to your Professional, Loving, Local Realtor^®, who should have several preferred vendors that will help you through this process. Your Real Estate team has likely helped hundreds if not thousands of people with the moving process over the years, so they will be able to point you in the direction of a professional who will be worth your money. 

Labels and Lists

Don’t underestimate the value of labels and lists. Moving can seem like an uphill battle where it’s hard to envision the other side. Packing can be exhausting; often, the goal is just to get everything into a box and worry about it later. Taking a bit of extra time to add labels and make to-do lists will save you a lot of turmoil once you arrive at your destination. 

A helpful tip is to pack an overnight bag and an “open me first” bin. In your overnight bag, pack a few essential clothing items, personal hygiene items, snacks and medication that you will need. In your bin, pack other essentials like toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, scissors or box cutters, and anything else that you foresee will help you when you arrive at your new home. 

Plan for Weather Conditions

Keep an eye on the forecast and plan accordingly. While Southwest Floridians are pretty lucky in that our weather is often more beautiful than not, you can always be surprised. Have comfortable clothing ready for moving, along with sunscreen, bottles of water or portable fans if you have them. If there’s even the slightest chance of a rainy day, make sure you have tarps, covers or sheets to protect electronics or other items that cannot get wet. Sometimes even just having a plan in place for the unexpected will alleviate that additional moving-day stress. 

If you’re ready to list your home, give us a call to start your Best Real Estate Experience. 

Call us today at 1-239-241-5646, send us an email or get a free home evaluation.

There’s absolutely NO OBLIGATION. Consultations with our team of experts are FREE.