residential moving

Don’t get caught up in a panic when wondering where to start planning for your residential relocation. Having a strategy and staying organized can help you overcome this overwhelming task. Here are some planning tips to help you manage your upcoming household move.

Establish a Packing Schedule

Staring at the entire contents of your home may send you into tailspins of worry. In this scenario, don’t look at the big picture. Starting weeks or months in advance will help you break this task down into manageable increments. Establish a packing schedule where you only pack one room at a time or items by frequency of use.

While you pack, you’ll likely discover items you don’t use often or no longer need. Set these items aside to take to a donation facility like Goodwill or the Salvation Army Store. You can also have a garage sale to get rid of unwanted items.

Start Calling Moving Companies Now

Everything has a season, which is true of your residential movers. Certain times of the year are known as peak moving months. Typically, people relocate when the weather warms up and their children are out of school.  Conversely, the slower season typically occurs during the winter months and holidays. 

Calling professional movers ahead of time will ensure that you are more likely to be able to hire the moving and storage company you want to move everything you own.  

Coordinate with Local Utilities

Moving day will have its challenges. You don’t want to wait until the last minute to schedule services to be turned off at the old location and on at the new one. Weeks in advance, call the local utility companies at both origin and destination, providing the date for service shut-off and start-up.

Plan for Food Items

Go through your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to get an idea of what food you have on hand.  Make a meal plan in the weeks leading up to your move to use up those items. Moving costs are often calculated by weight, and you might not want to pay to relocate perishable food.  Any unopened, nonperishable foods can be donated to a local food pantry. At Preferred Moving, we work closely with Move for Hunger -- our team will pack any unopened, non perishable food items on moving day and take them to Gleaners Food Bank for you.

Make Arrangements for Children and Pets

Doors will need to be left open on moving day. It can be organized chaos and stressful for children and pets who don’t understand what is happening. To reduce their stress (and yours), arrange for children and pets to be supervised at a separate location or at least in an area of the home out of the traffic areas. 

Experienced long-distance movers make the best relocation partners. They have industry insider tips to make the process easier and more efficient. Preferred Moving and Storage has been serving southeastern Michigan for nearly four decades. Contact us today for a free estimate on your upcoming residential move.