3 Common Last Minute Moving Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

17 December 2015
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 The frantic pace of moving day means that there is a lot of room for mistakes, and if these mistakes occur at the last minute, they can give you major headaches. To help you avoid this, below are three of the most common last minute moving mistakes people make and how to avoid them:

Not Accounting for Your Pets

Pets can sense the emotional state of their owners, and if you're showing signs of stress and anxiety, your dog will start to become stressed and anxious also. Moving day is a stressful enough event on its own, you don't need a barking dog or a nervous cat getting in your way whilst you try and move your belongings to the moving van.

If you're at all worried that your pets may get in your way come moving day, it's best to try and remove them from the house whilst you keep a handle on the rest of the family. If you have friends or family nearby, ask them if they can watch over your pets for a day or two whilst you sort out moving your stuff. If this isn't possible, consider hiring a professional dog walker or pet sitter to keep your pets company for a while.

If you've tried all avenues and you can't seem to offload your pets for a day, you're going to need a plan to keep them as calm as possible. If you have dogs, take them for regular short walks and make sure they are well fed and watered throughout the day. If you have cats, allow them to roam around your back yard whilst you deal with moving your stuff. Making sure your pets are exercised will stop them from becoming anxious and excited, allowing you to get on with moving day without any unnecessary interruptions.

Not Having a Contingency Plan

Contingency plans are key to ensuring your moving day strategy is bulletproof, and accounting for potential mishaps will save you major headaches when it comes to moving homes. However, many people get caught up in the excitement of moving home and forget to plan their moving day strategy well in advance. This can often lead to problems occurring on the big day as minor things that could have been avoided start to have more and more of an impact on the day.

One of the major things people forget to plan for is a lack of resources. They leave packing to the last minute and quickly realize that they don't have enough cardboard boxes or storage bins. Now, this is fine if there are a few days left until the big move. However, if this happens on moving day or the day before moving day, it can really cause some major problems. Therefore, to avoid this happening:

  • Create a packing schedule a few weeks in advance to ensure everything is sorted and ready to go come moving day.

  • Realize that boxes are going to break and you are going to run out of sellotape. Mitigate the extent of this problem in advance by purchasing additional supplies to ensure you always have a safety net should things go wrong.

  • Don't overload your boxes! Rather, discard any items you won't need at your new property. This will not only save you headaches, but will save you money as you won't need multiple trips back and forth.

Not Planning for Transportation Problems

So you your pets taken care of and you have ample resources for packing, you're in the clear, right? Well, unfortunately, you may not be in the clear just yet. Whilst taking care of the first two problems will make your day go much more smoothly, it's important to have a plan in place in case your minivan or rental truck breaks down.

Broken down vehicles can be a nightmare on moving day. Whether it's not enough gas in the tank or a broken tire, a vehicle that won't get you to your new property is pretty much useless. Of course, these problems can be fixed; however, they will add unnecessary stress to your day and can really put a dampener on the move itself.

The best way to avoid these problems is to use a professional moving service. These companies are able to ensure your belongings will be transported safely and securely to your new property, giving you the peace of mind you need that the move will be carried out on time. If vehicle problems arise, professional movers are able to deal with the problem quickly and efficiently, ensuring that your home move isn't delayed. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary stress and unwanted headaches on moving day, consider delegating the tricky logistics to a professional moving company.