When Breaking Up, Make Certain the Move to Your New Home Goes Smoothly
One of life’s big changes, post-divorce, is often the necessity to relocate, across town, to another part of the state, or across the country, depending on your personal preference, family needs, finances and career objectives.
Regardless of whether you’re moving from a small apartment to another apartment, or if your possessions will fill an entire moving truck as you move out of your home, the moving process is going to take considerable time, money, and careful planning. To avoid problems, don’t take shortcuts.
The good news is, if you have good credit and available finances, it’s a buyer’s market in many parts of the U.S., so great real estate deals can readily be found. According to research conducted in August 2007 by Move.com, Families are currently flocking to Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Chicago, and Las Vegas to find great home values and family-friendly communities boasting healthy local economies and abundant job opportunities.
The moving experts at Moving.com report that, “Given the average mover has more than 60 separate tasks to do in order to prepare for a move, there is little time to focus on most decisions.” Despite this time-crunch and need for multi-tasking, it’s essential to take a well-organized approach to planning and executing your move.
DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE
After determining that a move or relocation is in your near future, the next important decisions include: Where you want to move; What type of home you want to live in (apartment, condo, stand-alone home, etc.); When you need to move; Whether you plan to rent or purchase your home; How much you can afford; The quantity of possessions you’ll be transporting.
Once you know where, when and exactly what you’ll be moving, begin making plans for the physical move, which might involve finding and hiring a full-service moving company; or renting a truck, gathering some friends, buying some boxes, and handling the move yourself in order to save money. Regardless, the planning process should start at least 30 to 60-days in advance.
By doing research and visiting web sites, such as Moving.com, Moving.org, Move.com, Uhaul.com and Upack.com, you can compare prices among moving companies, acquire moving supplies, and plan your move more efficiently. Between hiring movers, purchasing moving supplies, buying items for your new home, and paying other moving-related expenses, the average home owner will spend upwards of $9,400 on discretionary purchases within 90 days of moving.
CHOOSING WHEN TO MOVE
The time of year when you move will impact your ability to find and hire an available mover, or rent a suitable truck. Moving.com reports, About 17 percent of the total population in this U.S. will move this year [about 17 million households]. Half of all residential moves in the United States occur during the summer months, with June leading the way at 13.1 percent, and August as a close second at 12.6 percent. About 48 percent of moves occur between June and September, and 60 percent are made between June and October. Moving rates are considerably lower from November to May, in part due to school schedules and inclement weather.
The first and last few days of every month, along with the weekends close to the beginning and end of each month are always busy in terms of moving. Finding an available professional mover, or renting a truck during these times might be more difficult and costly.
HIRING A REPUTABLE MOVING COMPANY
Unless your employer is paying your relocation costs, when it comes to making a move, you’ll either need to pay a full-service moving company to handle the major tasks, or you can do it yourself. You will potentially save a lot of money handling the move entirely yourself, but you’ll need to invest significantly more time into the process. A full-service mover will handle just about every aspect of your physical move and supply all packing materials. For an additional fee, some will also handle the packing.
Hiring a full-service moving company will require you to negotiate a variety of moving-related charges based on the distance you’ll be moving, the weight and quantity of stuff you’ll be transporting, the supplies you utilize, and the number of laborers you hire. You’ll also be responsible for extra charges to move large or heavy items, such as a piano. Expect to be hit with extra fees if the movers have to transport your belonging up and down steps, or more than 75 to 100 feet or so from the truck to and from your current and new home.
The best way to find a professional mover is through a referral from someone you know and trust. Your realtor might also be able to offer referrals for reputable moving companies. Movers advertise on moving-related websites, as well as in the Yellow Pages. Be sure to contact several moving companies to obtain written estimates once you’ve made an inventory of everything that will be moved. The company you hire should be registered and/or licensed by the state’s Department of Transportation.
To determine how reputable a moving company is, consider contacting your local Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org), or your state’s Department of Transportation. You can do research about an interstate mover by visiting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website (www.protectyourmove.gov), plus verify the mover’s membership with The American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) by calling (703) 683-7410, or visiting www.moving.org.
The AMSA suggests that movers get three written in-home estimates from potential moving companies. Be wary of phone or Internet estimates. Show the mover everything that will be moved, including items in attics, basements, garages, storage areas and sheds. Typically two of the estimates will be very close together in price. Choose one of these two estimates. The other bid will be very high or low. Avoid that carrier, reports the organization.
The AMSA also recommends that movers avoid offering large down payments to movers, and that they ask a lot of questions, so that they fully understand the risks, fees, and obligations of the moving company. The organization stated, “Valuables, such as cash, coins, jewelry, photographs, and important papers, should be taken with you or sent ahead. Be sure to use a traceable service, such as FedEx or UPS.”
For additional help planning your move, download a free, 15-page guide, called Make A Smart Move, which explains what people should be aware of when hiring a professional mover. The guide is available from www.moving.org, and is published by the AMSA.
MORE MOVING OPTIONS
Another option is to hire a pick-up and delivery moving service. This involves the moving company dropping off an empty truck at your current residence a few days prior to your move. It’s then your responsibility to pack your belongings and load them onto the truck. Once the truck is packed, a professional driver will transport your belongings to your new home, where it will be your responsibility to unload the truck.
Obviously, this is a cheaper alternative to hiring a full-service mover, but a lot less convenient and more time-consuming. Performing a completely do-it-yourself” move is another option. In addition to renting a truck, you’ll handle all aspects of the move yourself. This will involve a handful of additional expenses. For example, you’ll have to pay for the following: Dolly rental, fuel charges (for the rental truck as well as your vehicle), furniture pad rentals, insurance, laborers, lunch or dinner for the friends who help you move, packing materials (boxes, tape, bubble wrap, etc.), tolls, truck mileage charges, truck rental charges, truck rental deposit, warehouse/storage fees.
One of the best-known do-it-yourself truck rental companies is U-Haul (800-468-4285 /www.uhaul.com). The company offers many different size trucks, plus sells a wide range of boxes and moving supplies. The Uhaul.com website offers an abundance of important information and tips for someone planning their own move.
Ryder Truck Rental (800-GO-RYDER) and Hertz (888-999-5500 /www.hertztrucks.com) are other companies you can contact to rent a moving truck for a do-it-yourself move.
TASKS NOT TO FORGET
Among the 60-plus responsibilities you’ll need to handle when planning your move, make sure that your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance will cover your belongings during the move itself. It’s common for items to be damaged or destroyed, whether you hire professional movers or do the move yourself. Also, make sure the movers you hire have their own insurance.
On or before moving day, conduct a physical inspection of your belongings with the moving company. Make notes about the condition of each item and insure you both agree with the written assessment that’s created. Determine which of your items, if any, are already bent, burned, broken, chipped, dented, gouged, rusted, covered in mildew, scratched, warn, torn, soiled, faded or loose. Once your property arrives at your new home, conduct a second inspection and determine if the moving company has caused any damage to your property.
Prior to your move, to contact the utility companies that service your existing home to close your accounts, while initiating service in your new home in time for moving day. This includes contacting the local electric, gas, telephone and cable TV company, as well as your Internet service provider, for example.
Starting about 30-days prior to your move, begin notifying people you know and companies you do business with about your address change. Most importantly, be sure to contact the United States Post Office and complete a formal Change of Address form. This can also be done online at www.usps.com.
It’s also essential that you contact your good friends at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This can be done by calling (800) 829-3676, or online at www.irs.ustreas.gov. Don’t expect to receive a housewarming gift, however.
With all of the potential turmoil in your life post-divorce, the last thing you probably want to do deal with is the hassle and stress of a major move. However, by investing the time, in advance, to carefully plan your move and hire reputable movers, the process will be much easier and less costly.
