As a nation, we move – a lot! Millions of Americans change their home each year, and many do so many times over in their lives. The dream of opportunity and necessity of work drive American families to relocate. In this, they are aided by many honest and hard-working moving companies that help them take their whole lives to the new home, even if it’s literary on the other continents. But, what happens when we move within a single town? How important are moving companies then? What are some unique challenges of moving locally?
To answer this exact question you should look no further but this article below. Enjoy!
It looks easier
So the first problem with local moving arises from its name. It is different when you are relocating to Manhattan from LA, then moving just a few streets from your previous Brooklyn apartment. What we are trying to say is that one of the challenges of moving locally is that it is local. It sounds so easy!
We naturally compare it to interstate or international moving. Compared to hauling your things from Seattle to Miami, moving few blocs down certainly doesn’t sound so bad. However, all is not as it seems. You may easily find that you haven’t prepared properly, tricked by promises of an easy move.
You might just think that your apartment is close and you will get everything over a course of a few days, so your move day becomes a move week or even a move month. This can make it a prohibitively expensive and unwieldy process. Let us explore that option some more…
Unprepared for challenges of moving locally
Moving locally naturally means you are not moving that far away. Following the previous example, it surely means that you are hiring local movers Manhattan, but for how long, and how much work? Maybe your fashion that you can do a lot of the boxes later and move it yourself. Maybe you are not in a hurry to sell your past home.
This second mistake is especially dangerous. If you are not careful and you do not sell your previous home, you might find yourself “living” in two homes at once. Or, better said, you are paying for two homes at the same time. This is a terrible mistake, and you would be wise not to make it.
As for the previously mentioned “I will pack that later” conundrum…
Not thorough enough
When you are moving locally it is easy to overestimate the time you have, and therefore, not prepare fully. This especially goes for moving less essential stuff.
Checklists are the mother of all organization. Learn how to make them and utilize them. Go around the house and truly mark everything you want to move, and things better thrown away, given away or stored for some period of time. And be honest with yourself in this process. We have a hoarder in all of us and are in need of self-discipline to fight it. Don’t let unwillingness to give up your stuff one of the challenges of moving locally.
After you pick out what you want to move, make concrete plans on how you ought to achieve this. Don’t leave anything for tomorrow. A moving day is a hectic affair, made more so if you are trying to figure out problems on the fly which you could have taken care of weeks ago.
Take special consideration for special items. Have a really heavy piece of furniture or instrument, hire special moving services for that. You can’t just leave that piano because you didn’t hire piano movers Manhattan.
A helping hand
You may think that moving short distances can be done without professional movers. After all, if you are moving to the same city, and some very good friends offer their assistance, what is there to lose? Why should somebody from Upper west side pay Upper West Side movers instead of having a helping hand from Upper west side neighbors?
Well, there are a few reasons why a helping hand counts not among benefits, but among challenges of moving locally. Chief among them is that they are not professionals. They do not have the know-how and the tools to transport your valuables to your new home. They do not possess resources for big moves, etc. Most likely they also don’t have all day, and it is hard to synchronize many such friends.
Despite their goodwill, which is to be commended, they offer no insurance, times schedule, efficiency or quality. All of these things good, honest movers will always provide.
Cost of the move and more
When it comes to rising costs of such things as not selling your home in time and/or prolonging your moving day, we have already addressed these particular challenges of moving locally. However, there is also a financial challenge of a moving quote.
If you are moving for a distance not greater than 50 mi, you are to be counted as a local move. In these types of move time is the most important metric. Weight of your items is, of course, important, as well as the number of people that will be needed for the job of the move. Size of the truck, all of those things. But, it is the hourly rate of the workers that is the most important. To cut the cost be sure to:
- Not count unpreparedness among challenges of moving locally
- Call for an on-site estimate to weight your things and make a quote
- Hire professionals – they are cheaper in the long run
If you prepared as you we have told you to, your relocation time should now be minimal, which is great for both your wallet and stress levels
In conclusion
Be prepared. Local moving is not simple, but it can be smooth if you make it so. Good luck!
