How to Best Utilize Your Time During a Full-Service Move

When you hire movers to do your packing and unpacking, along with loading and transporting your items, it's known as a full-service move. This type of move will save you time, but what do you do with all that time?

There are still several tasks that must be done. From making sure your utilities are turned on at your new home to cleaning up your old home before turning in your keys, you have plenty to do.

If you're planning to hire The Professional Moving Specialists for a full-service move, here are some of the ways you can utilize the time you will gain back.

Create a Moving Inventory

Before the movers arrive to pack up your belongings, you'll want to create a moving inventory. This is a great way to see what you own and to make sure all your items make it to your new home.

An itemized checklist will ensure you know what was packed and what gets unpacked. You want to be very specific with this inventory and consider taking pictures of anything expensive.

Figure Out What You want to Pack

You may not want movers packing every single item you own. Whether you want to pack your most expensive items or you prefer to pack your clothing on your own, make sure you figure this out ahead of time.

If you're moving a long distance, make sure you set aside a change of clothes and other items you may need. Also, consider packing important documents yourself instead of having movers handle these items.

If possible, designate a room or an area clearly marked for the items you will pack. This area can also be designated as the items you will take in your vehicle with you.

Triple Check Everything

Once the movers start to pack up your items and load them into the truck, you can start triple checking everything. Check cabinets, corners, closets, and other areas to ensure you don't leave anything behind. 

Remove Flammable Items from Your Home

Movers will likely not touch anything flammable, hazardous, or corrosive. You want to remove these items and pack them yourself. These items include:

• Batteries

• Cleaning Fluids

• Gasoline

• Kerosene

• Fireworks

• Firearms

• Nail Polish

• Aerosol Cans

• Propane Tanks

• Fertilizer

Make sure these items are separated or disposed of properly before your movers arrive.

Keep the Kids and Pets Busy

While movers are at your home packing up, you want to keep the kids and pets out of their way. You can keep them busy in the back yard or have one parent take the kids and pets to a local playground. 

Not only will keeping them out of the way help movers work faster, but it will also keep your pets and kids safe. If necessary, you can even consider hiring a sitter for the pets or kids during the time the movers are packing up.

Disassemble Ahead of Time

Some movers will disassemble furniture, while others may not. It can save you a little bit of money if you disassemble items before the movers arrive. This is a good use of your time when you hire full-service movers.

There are many things you will still need to do, even when you hire full-service movers. Make sure you fully understand what your residential movers are willing to do for you and what you will still need to handle on your own.

5 Apps to Help You Sell Unwanted Goods During a Move

Residential moving can be stressful, but unloading some of your unwanted items can make the move a bit easier. There's an app for that, of course. In fact, there are several apps with the ability to help you sell your unwanted items. Let's look at five of the top choices.

LetGo

An app with the ability to save you time and help you sell items locally, LetGo provides an excellent platform for selling things. In fact, The Balance Everyday published a list of their 7 Best Local Selling Apps and LetGo was the top choice.

You'll have the ability to list your items in one of many categories ranging from clothing to games to furniture. In addition, you'll get to tag your items and make it easy for buyers to find what you're selling.

The LetGo App is free and can be downloaded for both iPhone and Android.

Facebook Marketplace

Another good app for selling locally is the Facebook Marketplace. Buyers can find your items and you can schedule a time to meet up together for the sale. The app is completely free and can be used on all platforms.

Carousell

According to MoneyPantry, Carousell is the top choice for selling your unwanted items locally before moving. This app is a bit newer than some of the others on the list and it's completely free to list your items. You can join special groups to help sell your items within your community, as well.

Once you've listed your item with the Carousell app, you can easily share the listing through social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The app is available for both iPhone and Android.

eBay

According to Techlicious, eBay is the bestselling app. With eBay, you can expect to get top dollar for your items, but you should expect to ship your items to the seller once they have completed the purchase.

The eBay app isn't as good for selling items locally as some of the others, but it can be great for selling higher-priced items. With this app, you're likely to get top dollar, but you will need to be willing to ship your items to the buyer.

OffferUp

Another great app for selling your item, OfferUp allows you to easily list and sell just about anything. It's available for both Android and iPhone and it's all about selling locally.

You won't have to ship anything with the OfferUp app and communicating with buyers is really easy. You can even bump your item back to the top of the listings at any time for a fee.

Along with these top five apps to help you sell your unwanted items before a move, there are several other options including:

• Mercari

• CPlus for Craigslist

• VarageSale

• Tradesy

• ThredUP

• Poshmark

• Decluttr

All of these apps offer the ability to sell your items before you move. Whether you're looking to unload a piece of furniture or sell a video game collection, you can use one of these apps to find the right buyer.

How to Prepare a Floor Plan for Your Movers

You may think floor plans only have to do with choosing an apartment, home, or condo. While they are very important in the home search process, a floor plan for your movers is also important when moving day comes around.

Preparing a moving floor plan will help you decide what to take and will also help to direct your movers. It's not as easy as simply taking the things that were in one bedroom and marking them to go into a new bedroom. Here are some of the things to understand about preparing a floor plan for your movers and for your move.

Consider Where Furniture Will Go

Your moving floor plan starts with furniture, as it needs a place to go in your new home. If possible, print out a floor plan for your new home and try to imagine how your current furniture will fit into the new home.

Not only will this help to mark where you want movers to place your furniture, but it can also show you what fits and what doesn't when it comes to your current furniture. Moving is a great time to upgrade or replace furniture, but you may also want to keep some or all of the pieces you currently have.

In addition, if you own furniture you know won't fit or you don't want anymore, preparing a moving floor plan will help you realize it. Once you know what you won't be keeping, it's time to sell or donate the items you don't want to move. This will help to save you some cash on moving day and make the day a bit easier.

Take Measurements

The best way to make sure furniture and even wall decor will fit into your new home is to take measurements. Get accurate measurements of each room, along with the wall space, if possible. Then, use these measurements to help figure out where things you want to keep will fit.

It's also a good idea to note where light switches, electrical outlets, heating vents, ceiling lights, and cables are found within each room. With this information, you can put together a floor plan for your movers and make their job a bit easier.

Consider Other Items in Your Moving Floor Plan

Furniture is the most important item to place in your moving floor plan, but there are other items to consider, too. Plants you want to place in specific rooms, rugs, and decor items should all factor into your floor plan for the movers.

While some items, such as silverware and the coffee maker are obvious choices for the kitchen, not all items will be so cut-and-dry. Make sure you assign each item a place in your new house and write it out. This will help your residential movers know where to place everything, especially if they are unpacking your items for you at your new home.

Before The Professional Movers show up on moving day, take time to create a floor plan for the mover and for you. Your moving floor plan will help to ensure you and your movers know where everything goes. Of course, you can change your mind later, but a good moving floor plan will save you from having to move large pieces of furniture from one room to another.

3 Tips for a Smoother Winter Moving Experience

Nobody really wants to move in the winter, but sometimes, it's unavoidable. When you need to move during the colder months, it can be difficult. However, you will gain the benefit of moving outside of peak moving season, which means residential moving companies may have more availability.

When you need to move during the winter, there are some things you can do to make your winter moving experience smoother. Here are three of the top tips to help you with moving during the colder months.

Pack With Extra Care

Fragile items, such as dishware and glasses may be more susceptible to breaking during the winter. If these items will change temperatures during the move, you'll want to make sure they are wrapped extra to better protect them during the move.

Anything antique or super fragile items you own may be better of packed and put into your own vehicle. The back of a moving truck will likely not offer any type of climate control, so packing your most precious fragile items in your own vehicle may be a good idea.

Fully Prepare for Your Movers

After hiring The Professional Movers to handle your move, you'll want to fully prepare for the mover to show up. If you have a sidewalk, driveway, or another pathway, make sure it's shoveled and properly salted. The last thing you need is movers struggling to get your items into the moving truck due to a slippery walkway.

You may even want to lay down cardboard or plastic drop sheets to ensure you don't have to clean up much after they are done. This will also help to protect the flooring from stains and damage.

If you're unsure what you should do to prepare for the movers, ask your moving company ahead of time. They will be able to tell you what's best and what you can do to make the job as easy as possible on the movers.

Prepare for Delays

Winter weather can be a bit unpredictable. You may end up with delays due to snow, ice, or cold. Make sure you're prepared by leaving extra time for travel and having a contingency plan.

Things can change rather quickly in the winter and you could end up delayed during a long move or even just a short move across town. Make sure you plan your route ahead of time and be prepared to make changes as the weather and conditions dictate.

Moving during the colder months doesn't have to be difficult. You don't need to be scared of scheduling a winter move. With the right moving company in Chicago, you won't have anything to worry about as your movers will know how to handle the winter months and what to expect.

Along with these tips, make sure you take extra care with your pets and children when moving during the winter. It can be very cold in Chicago and the last thing you need is something happening to those you love during the move.

Should I trust the moving company with my fragile items?

One of the biggest concerns you are probably facing with your upcoming move is the fear of how your fragile items will get to destination safely. It’s scary to think that some of your most valuable items may not make it unscathed and that is a chance someone takes when moving.

Fortunately, you can increase your chances of keeping them safe by hiring a professional moving crew. You may think that you can keep your fragile items safer doing it yourself but you’re actually better off hiring movers. Here is why you can and should trust the moving company with your fragile items on your upcoming move.

Moving is a complicated process

Don’t try to handle a move on your own; hiring a professional moving company means things will get done properly. It’s more complicated than wrapping your china dishes in some packing paper and taping shut the box. There is a method to proper packing and handling everything with the care that only experienced professionals are going to do well and do efficiently.

They have the proper supplies

Not only do they have the expertise in managing your fragile items, but they carry all kinds of packing solutions that will fit even the strangest of items. They carry the proper boxes and packing materials for things like fine art, pianos, electronics, and fine china.

They keep a variety of sizes and specialty wrapping to ensure that your fragile belongings don’t shift, bend, break, or become punctured during a move. While you may be able to locate some of these items on your own, you may not know the proper way to pack it so that it doesn’t become damaged during the transport process.

They know special tricks

Along with their experience and having the right supplies, they will know tricks you don’t because they do this so often. They know that fragile items shouldn’t be fit to the brim of a box but that they should be mixed with soft items to avoid movement in the box.

They know how thick of a box to buy for the right items and they know not to make a large box too heavy making for a higher risk of accidentally dropping it. They know to keep electronics out of extreme weather conditions and will provide you with only new packing supplies rather than anything used that could be damaged or susceptible to problems in transit.

Research moving companies

The best way to feel confident going into your move is to research a potential moving company. Find out how previous customers felt about their move and what their reputation in town is like. Once you see that other customers had a great move and felt like the crew carefully packed away fragile items with care, you’ll feel more confident going into your move.

Any company that rushes through the process and doesn’t bring the proper supplies is not the right one for you. A great moving company will be open with communication, take the time to survey your home before the move, and will bring the proper supplies needed on moving day.

Don’t try to haphazardly pack your own home and move it in your own truck on moving day. Hire a professional moving company that won’t cause you to break your most precious items but will ensure they get to your new home with the utmost care.