Things to be done before you move

• List and inform all your friends, relatives, business firms, doctors and others who attend you daily about your move.
• Sort out and dispose all unwanted goods so that the weight of your goods might be reduced.
• Donate unwanted clothes and blankets and things that you no longer need to charitable organizations and obtain a receipt if possible for tax deduction.
• Do not shop and buy a lot of goods. Buy things that you can and will use before moving.

Pick the Right Mover

Picking the right mover will make your move easy and enjoyable. Moving can be an emotional strain for most of us because it disturbs our lives, disrupts our relations and is a huge drain on our finances too.
Who is a good mover? The one who quotes least estimate amount or the one who delivers your goods in a responsible manner!

By checking the following things in a mover you can decide whether the mover is a good one or not.

• License holder.
• Excellent track record.
• Highly-experienced.
• Responsible and reliable delivery.
• Customer-centric approach.

Planning to move.

• Initially, make a checklist of the things you are planning to move and also fix some budget in this regard.
• This will let you know, what kind of mover your luggage needs. Understanding the Estimate:
• Ask the movers for an estimate. Let it be it a written estimate that was made after the mover has personally inspected all the items that need to be moved. Verbal estimates shouldn't be accepted by the individuals as it might lead to some fraud by the mover.
• Find out the validity period of the estimate the mover is ready to offer. Consult various movers and ask for their estimates so that you can compare all of them and pick out the best of the lot.
• Your estimate will depend upon the services you have asked for. For instance, if you have asked for packing, carrying, crating & storing etc then you will be charged separately for each service.
• There might be certain hidden costs involved in the moving process. So while calculating the expenses, do not leave out anything. Estimate the cost of each and every aspect of the move; right from the wrapping material to the shipping charges. Check with the mover thoroughly what expenses each aspect covers.
• Talk to the mover in detail; the more doubts you ask the more information you are likely to gather. Adding any extra items in the last minute will add up to your bill.
  

Incredibly low prices !?
Though it is advisable to look for the best deals available, it doesn't necessarily translate into the cheapest deals available in the market. Even the services and the safety ensured, matters a lot along with the price of the moving service. Avoid hiring a mover, who is quoting incredibly low prices or is demanding huge deposits before the very move itself.

Checklist for your move

Moving is a time-consuming process and it cannot be done overnight. Though it can be emotionally disturbing for some and psychologically unnerving for many; moving actually requires so much of our time, resources and energy.
Nonetheless, one should start preparing for their move at least six weeks prior to the moving date, to avoid any last minute hiccups.

The clock is ticking away! The countdown has begun.

Only one more month to go for your move:

• Sign contract with moving company.
• Things to carry: Choose all those items that need to be carried. Sort out the things to see if you really require those broken items, books in tatters etc. Beware; every item you are carrying is going to affect the bill you are going to pay. May be it's time for you to bid good-bye to them. Hold a garage sale or else give them away to some charity.
• Moving Folder: Moving involves loads of paper work that needs to be saved for future reference. Create a ‘moving' folder where in you can safely place all the bills, statements, contract papers etc. pertaining to your move. When you need to look for any bill, it will be quite easy for you to locate and thus will help you save your time.
• Moving file can be used not just for filing the bills but also for keeping all those designs, brochures, maps and other such information in tact that will be of great use to you before and after the move as well.
• Relocation charges: In case you are relocating due to professional reasons find out from your employer, if they are ready to offer you any relocation charges.
• Collect documents: You need to collect various documents before you move like - your kids' school record, your medical record from the doctor etc. Apply for the same and even seek referrals wherever necessary.

Two weeks to go:

• Intimate your relatives and friends about your move and the subsequent change of address. Change the address for all your magazine subscriptions too.
• Check for the insurance coverage at your new place. Talk to the insurance agents over there.
• Arrange to disconnect: Several utilities used by you like electricity, water, cable T.V. etc. needs to be disconnected right after your move.
• Arrange for connecting the same at your new place before you reach it.
• Self-packing: If you are planning to do some of the packing by yourself, then it's the time to start. Start packing all those things that you might not need during the last weeks of your stay.
• Finish the food: Stop stocking things in your fridge and pantry. During the move, it will be difficult to carry too many items along. They might even get spoiled. Buy food items that will last till the moving day only.
• Bank deals: Transfer all your bank statements to the bank at your new place. In case, if you have any deposits to be transferred, do so without a fail.
• New home cleaning: Cleaning the new home will be easy as it is empty.

One week before the move:
As you are about to move within a few days, there is no time to lose.

• If there are any hazardous chemicals with you, dispose them off. To carry them would be dangerous and illegal too.
• Finish paying all the bills and necessary dues. Do give them your new address for further contact.
• If you have anybody else's belongings with you, return them without fail.
• Two days to go: Movers would have already initiated the packing process.
• Inform the truck operator of your new address and give him the necessary guidelines about how to reach the place. Do give him your contact number and ask him to give you a buzz when required.
• Give your new address and contact number to the entrants of your old home, so that they can contact you in future.
• Remove all the contents from your refrigerator and clean it thoroughly.
• Take out the curtains, curtain rods, bulbs etc.
• Keep an extra pair of clothing, disposable plates & glasses; some food items and children's games ready for the moving day.
   

Moving day:

• Talk to the movers and get all your queries answered.
• Keep kids and pets out of the movers' way. Explain the importance of this day to kids before hand and give them necessary instructions to conduct themselves. You can even ask the elder ones to take care of the younger kids.
• Create some space for dumping all those items that need not be moved.
• Empty all your cupboards and clean the entire home and garden.
• Do not leave any cash or other valuable items outside.
• Go through your moving checklist once again.
• Before making any payment to the mover, do go through the terms & conditions of the moving contract once again.
• Be with the loading crew through out the loading process.
• Instruct the loading crew, about items that need to be handled with extra care and caution.

International Move

For a full-service provider that helps you, relocate to the country you want by taking care of all your international moving needs like- dealing with consular documentation, customs clearance, export packing, finding the right shipment, providing a means of auto-transportation and above all, offering affordable quotes to go with them.
Different international moving companies deal with different kind of international moves like door(original location) to door(destination),door(original location) to port(nearest port to the destination),port(nearest port to the original location) to door(destination).

• First decide the kind of your international move based on the above kinds of moves.
• Based on the track record decide at least three good international movers around you who can deal the best with your kind of moving.
• Compare the price and service each mover offers for your move. Do not trust the mover who gives an estimate without an on-sight inspection of your house hold.
• Talk to all of them and compare the price and service each one of them offers. Remember, the best mover always offers or agrees to an on-sight inspection of your household before giving an estimate.
• Do not forget to ask for the license and carriers` documents and also ask about the insurance policies they offer. The best mover never claims that all goods are covered by their insurance. For instance no mover insures breakable goods.
• Ask about the storage facilities provided by the mover. The best mover always provides storage facility. Some time they might charge for storage but it is better than our goods not being stored.
• Insurance: For an international move always take an all-inclusive insurance policy.
• Check if your pet will be allowed into the country you are relocating or not. It might be required that you have to pay a certain amount of duty on carrying your pet. Do take your pet's medical record from the veterinarian before you make a move.

Corporate Relocation Tips

• Choose only reputed corporate mover for your corporate relocation. Do not mistake a corporate mover with a household mover
• Plan every thing well in advance so that the work is in progress even when the packing and shifting is in process. Try to finish the whole process as soon as possible (can finish it over a weekend too).
• Make yourself and the mover familiar with the new location so that you design the new office and make the move a quicker one.
• It is always good to prepare an Office Moving Guide and incorporate all information about the new office and pass it on to all who are connected with the corporation. It should include the location map of the new office, blue print of the whole office, employees seating position etc.
• Contacts play a key role in any corporation's growth and help to sustain. So make sure you do not lose any contact. Also inform the postal department about the change in address so that all your mails will be redirected.
• Always mark the furniture and other things so that they might not be misplaced. For instance an employee must be using a table and needs the same in the new location it will be easy to fix it for him if marked. Mistakes like placing an office boy's table for the head of the corporation may take place.
• While moving technological machines it is always good to hire a professional to unfix and fix. Also do not forget to remove the fluids or any other material that spills over from photocopy machines or printers.
• Move personal or valuable items privately. Things like legal papers, security documents, cash or other valuables should be kept under your control and should be moved privately.
• You should accompany or authorize some body to move with the mover and make sure that the packing, unpacking and rearranging is also supervised.
• Before and after moving inform those people who need to be informed.