Five Tips For Navigating A Very Short Distance Move Successfully

Very short distance moves fall into their own special category, and whether you are moving down the block, across the street or to another apartment in the same building, you need tips customized for short moves to help you. If you want your super short distance move to go smoothly, take a look at these tips. They will help.

1. Do not underestimate a short distance move.

When you only have to move a few yards away, the biggest risk is that you will underestimate the move and end up simply not being out of your old place in time. To avoid this risk, treat a very short distance move as seriously as you would any other move. After all, even if the distance is short, you still have to move every single thing that you own to another place.

Start early. Focus on organization, and if possible, go through everything you own to determine if you want to pack it, throw it away or give it away.

2. Maximize each trip.

The benefit of moving a short distance is that you can easily walk between your old home and your new home with a single box or a handful of items, but unless you want your move to take weeks, you need to avoid moving items one at a time.

Instead, maximize each trip to your new place. For example, rather than carrying a single box down the hall to your new apartment, take the same amount of time to move five boxes using a dolly. Similarly, if you are moving across the street, don't just haul a single box or armful of clothes across the street; instead load up your car with as much as it can hold and then drive across the street.

3. Prepare your creature comforts early.

One of the biggest advantages of a very short distance move is that you can typically get in your new house early. In contrast, if you are moving across the country, you cannot get into your new house until you arrive. Take advantage of this fact, and set up your creature comforts as soon as possible.

In particular, move your bed or at least your mattress right away, and set it up with sheets and pillows. Also, take some time to clean the bathroom, hang a new shower liner and make sure you have a couple of clean towels. That way, when you are done moving, you have everything ready to take a shower and fall into bed.

4. Hire movers.

Even if you are only moving a short distance, movers can be helpful. If you are moving to another apartment in the same building, they can help you move furniture or other large items to your new place. If you are moving down the block or across the street, you should certainly hire movers if you can afford them. Keep in mind that a short distance move is almost exactly the same as a long distance move -- you still have to load the truck and unload it, and the only difference is that the drive is shorter. However, if you like, you can save money by hiring the movers to only move big pieces of furniture and then move the small stuff yourself.

5. Buy or rent an appliance dolly.

Unless you have professional movers do everything, you should get a bit of help from an appliance dolly. These dollies allow you to lift much more than you would be able to without a dolly, and they come with straps so that you can secure anything from your washing machine to a heavy end table to a stack of boxes to them.

For more tips on short distance moves, contact a moving company or visit websites like http://www.wheatonworldwide.com


Share