Boston Movers Blog

There are ways to make your move less stressful, and allow it to be the enjoyable life event that it should be. You are beginning anew, enjoy it. In order to decrease stress, the more time you give yourself preparing for the move, the less stress you will have during the move. Here are some things to think about well ahead of time (a couple months in advance if you can), in order to reduce stress, stay organized, and stay calm. 

• Make a moving file so all your move information is in one place.
• Make the decision: Will you hire a moving company or move yourself?
• If you are hiring company do your research and hire a moving company.
• If you are making a long-distance move, check to see if there are any special considerations you need to make like arranging for auto shipping.
• Set up a moving budget.
• Do some research on the area you will be moving to and research local schools.
• Find new care providers, like doctors, child care, for you and your family.
• Look into transferring any school or medical records.
• Make a list of who to notify about your move and when. This is a list of friends, creditors, doctors, schools, and any church or professional organizations.
• Start gathering and purchasing moving supplies and moving boxes.

There are plenty of moving checklists and timelines available with the intention of a stress free, or at least, stress free move. In order to set up an appointment for an in home estimate, contact Marathon Moving.

In all of our moves around the Boston area, we compiled a some moving tips, but overtime we have learned from our customers that there are two tips in particular that seemed to make their moving experience much easier. We would like everyone who is moving to know what our customers have learned.
 
Start early. In fact it is never too early to begin packing for your move. As soon as you know that you are moving, you should start organizing and thinking about the move. Moving is a very time consuming process and there are a lot of rooms to pack. If you are not a seasoned mover, most likely you will be surprised at how much time it takes to organize for your move.

Begin packing items you rarely use, like your china cabinet, seasonal clothes or formal living room.

Create “Open First” boxes and pack some suitcases. A big challenge in moving is trying to find what you need in your new home. Solve this by packing a suitcase for each person in your family with the necessary items for about 3 days. Keep these suitcases handy for when you arrive. Also, create an "open first" box for each room. Label these boxes in a different color, so they are easily found among the other boxes. These moving boxes may include items like soap, dish soap, coffee maker and coffee, toilet paper, towels, silverware, and some snacks.  These boxes will make the first overnight in your new home much easier.

For help with your move, or for more tips on moving contact Marathon Moving.

Marathon Moving Company wants your move to go as smoothly as possible. If you have decided to pack your own belongings, we would like to offer the following packing tips to help ensure a safe arrival of all your possessions.

• Use professional packing materials as these will save you time and ensure the safety of your goods.
• Make certain all cartons are taped securely, top and bottom. Use carton sealing tape and not masking tape or duct tape.
• Label all fragile boxes and stack them separately from your other cartons.
• Label all cartons. Cartons should be labeled for contents and destination on two sides of the box to make it easy for your movers to identify where each carton should go.
• Tightly secure the lids to any containers that contain liquids.
• Leave clothes and light linens in bureau drawers. Your movers will be able to move your bureaus full. Any breakables such as perfume bottles or costume jewelry should be removed and packed into a carton.
• Small, 2 drawer file cabinets can be moved full. Four drawer filing cabinets should have the bottom two drawers full. All lateral style cabinets must be completely emptied.
• Empty desk drawers. Desks often need to be turned on their side to get through doorways and loose items may fall out and be lost.
• Make a list of all items you will need for a few days prior to and immediately following your move. These items should be separated and labeled “DO NOT MOVE”. These items should include: soap, towels, toothpaste, toilet paper, cereals, bowls, plates and utensils, cups, sheets, blankets, and immediately needed clothes.
• Pack heavy items in small cartons, i.e. books, records and canned goods, etc.
• Fill all cartons to the top as half-filled cartons tend to crush. Do not, overfill cartons because rounded top cartons are hard to stack.
• Pack all items snugly into cartons using unprinted newspaper for fragile items. Use crushed paper to fill any gaps in cartons to prevent items from shifting

We know that moving into a new home and relocating your family can be a very stressful time. Marathon Moving Company wants your move to go as smoothly as possible. If you have decided to pack your own belongings, we would like to offer the following packing tips to help ensure the safe arrival of all your possessions.

6-8 WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR MOVE

• Clean out basement, attic, garage, and closets.
• Determine items to keep, discard, donate, or sell.
• Make arrangements for a tag sale for approximately 1 month prior to your move (this will allow time to donate or discard unsold items).
• Contact moving companies to obtain quotes for your move.

4-6 WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR MOVE

• Send furniture, drapes, and carpets for cleaning or repair.
• Research moving companies you are considering with the Massachusetts DTE (licensing board for MA moving companies), through company provided references, and the BBB.
• Do not be afraid to request proofs of insurance from companies you are considering.  Hiring an uninsured mover can leave you with unpaid damage claims, or you can be found liable for property damage and or personal injury claims.
• Select a moving company and confirm your moving date.
• Order packing supplies and arrange for their delivery or pick up.
• Secure elevators, loading docks, or parking permits if necessary.

1 MONTH PRIOR TO YOUR MOVE

• Begin packing seldom used items such as china, holiday decorations and basement or attic storage areas.
• File a change of address form with Post Office.
• Contact charities to arrange pickup of items to be donated.
• Notify utility companies and arrange for transfer of services.
• Notify all banks, insurance companies, brokerage houses, service providers and creditors of address change.

2 WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR MOVE

• Begin packing all but essential items.
• Finalize closing times with real estate attorney or mortgage company.
• Organize all bills, stocks, insurance policies and bank account statements.
• Make special arrangements for children and pets on moving day.
• If not moving locally, obtain all medical, dental and veterinarian records.

Are you moving internationally? At Marathon Moving, we pride ourselves on helping you with a stress free move. Being prepared for your move is the number one way to reduce the stress. The easiest way to prepare is to have a convenient checklist. The following is a checklist to help you prepare for your international move:

8 Weeks or more weeks prior to your move:

• Is your company relocating you for work? If so you should verify what expenses and responsibilities are theirs and which are yours.
• Are you permanently relocating or will you be coming back after a year or two? If you are planning on moving back, you may find it less expensive to store most your items and rent a furnished apartment abroad until you return.
• Track the expenses you do pay for, many moving expenses are tax deductible. You should contact your company’s tax department or your accountant to verify which expenses can be deducted.
• Create a valued inventory for all your possessions being shipped. You will need this for insuring your shipment and for declaration purposes with customs. Download an excel worksheet for your valued inventory from our website. Don’t forget to keep a valued inventory for what is to be donated to charitable organizations. You should keep the list of donated items and their value for your tax records.
• Make sure your passports are valid and have at least 12 months remaining before they expire.
• Check whether any permits are required, e.g. for residency, work, vehicles or firearms.

5-8 Weeks prior to your move:

• Are you moving to a country where vaccinations are required? Check to see which vaccinations are required and contact your physician and/or children’s pediatrician to arrange for them.
• Organize all your personal documents and keep photocopies in a safety deposit box or fire proof file box.
• Notify your lawyer, bank, doctor, dentist, insurance company, building management, schools and theDepartment of Social Security of your move. Obtain copies of your personal records from the above and keep with your other personal documents.
• Cancel subscriptions to clubs, online memberships magazines and journals.
• Keep copies of receipts or invoices for all new purchases (for customs import formalities).
• Begin to organize items to ship by clearing out your loft, attic, garage and shed of all items to be donated or disposed of.
• Contact the Chamber of Commerce, tourism bureaus or go online and subscribe to the local paper in your new community to familiarize yourself with your new location, local government, community and social news and activities.

3-4 Weeks prior to your move:

• Discuss your insurance needs with your move consultant and complete your insurance valuation form.
• Go to www.usps.com and complete a change of address form.
• Schedule final account readings for gas, water, electricity, telephone and cable TV. Keep phone and utilities connected at your current home on moving day. You should also provide your mover with a cell phone number and email address at which you can be reached while your goods are in transit.
• Cancel all rental agreements.
• Start to use up stocks of food and drink.
• Confirm your travel documents and tickets are correct.
• Arrange special transportation for your pets and plants.
• Arrange to close accounts at your local bank and open accounts in your new location

1-2 Weeks prior to your move:

• If you’re moving out of or into a building with elevators or loading docks, contact the building management to schedule use.
• Confirm your moving date with your move consultant.
• Clean any garden tools, bicycles, outdoor equipment etc. All of these items will need to be clean in order to insure no moths or insects are in your shipment.
• Arrange care for children and pets on moving day.
• Close accounts with any regular deliveries such as your newspaper.
• Empty lockers at school and work.
• Drain fuel from power equipment (motor mowers etc).
• Give away perishable food.
• Take pets to the vet for any necessary immunizations and get copies of your pet’s veterinary records.
• Obtain parking permits for moving van if necessary.

4-7 days prior to your move:

• Separate all personal items which will be traveling with you, e.g. keys, documents, passports, tickets, certificates, money, clothing, etc.
• Disconnect, clean and dry any electrical appliances that you wish to ship.
• If you are splitting air and ocean freight, identify the air freight items and clearly label.

2-3 days prior to your move:

• Defrost your fridge and freezer if shipping.
• Pack a box of personal items that will be needed immediately at your new home. Have this box loaded last or carry it with you.
• Contact your Marathon Moving consultant to confirm the arrival time of the moving van, as well as to notify your mover of any last minute details or changes.

Moving Day:

• On moving day, relax and let Marathon Moving do the work!
• Remain on hand in case the packers/loaders have any questions.
• Be sure to check all rooms, cupboards and walls to make sure nothing is left behind.
• Record all utility meter readings (gas, electric, water).
• Remember to review, sign and get a copy of the inventory of goods moved.

Moving can be a very stressful process. There are dozens of tasks to accomplish in a short period of time, as well as many important decisions to make. This leads to a high potential for making mistakes. Most moving mistakes turn out to be minor, but there are a few that can have long-term implications. There are two of the worst moving mistakes that you should avoid at all costs. Don't worry we will reveal them to you in this post.

The first biggest mistake is moving without a plan or a moving checklist. Many people facing a move simply jump right into the process without fully planning ahead. Similarly, they try to manage through tasks without having a detailed moving checklist. There have been endless productivity studies demonstrating that having a written plan boosts productivity, and similar logic implies that a moving checklist helps you manage the details of a move. Not having a checklist can have a impact on your whole move. The biggest impacts are loss of time, added stress, and the chance of forgetting critical tasks. The solution however is simple: Use one of the many free, excellent download able checklists as your preliminary moving plan.

The second biggest mistake is providing too little time for proper packing. People tend to drastically underestimate the amount of time required to pack a home, meaning they have too little time to complete their packing. This causes a mad rush just before moving day to get everything accomplished in time for the truck. It becomes a little bit like the scene from Home Alone when the whole family wakes up late. Not giving yourself adequate amount of time for packing can be a recipe for stress and for sloppy packing, potentially resulting in damaged goods at your final destination. To prevent this mad rush allow at least 5 hours per room, and pack the 3 most cluttered rooms first. If they are completed faster than that, you can scale back your schedule. If not, you’ll have enough time to complete all your packing.

Avoiding these two common mistakes during a move can ensure a smooth and successful move to your new destination. Should you have any other questions about moving or packing be sure to contact us today and we'll be happy to assist you in any way possible.

A moving checklist is so much more than just a collection of things that need to get done before a move - it will quickly become your lifeline during a very stressful time. Before your movers show up at your door on moving day, you will have to organize a hundred little details in order for your removal to go smoothly - this is even truer of international moving situations. In order to get more organized, you should find a master moving checklist made especially for international moving situations.

Not only are these useful lists broken down into what you should do in the months preceding your move, you can also find moving checklists that are broken down into more specific categories such as people and organizations to call to have your address changed, things to do if you have children making the move with you and checklists for your pets in case you are moving internationally.

Your moving checklist is the kind of handy tool that will go a long way toward helping you focus on the important things that need to get done now. Instead of haphazardly going about organizing your international moving day, you will have a very clear path of what needs to get done and when you should be doing it.

Despite what you might think, a moving checklist is not something set in stone. You can add to your list and cross off those items that do not pertain to you. However, if you get a very good moving checklist, it can help you remember things you may never even have realized that you needed to do - for instance, international moving requires that you check out the work permit requirements in your new country. Some countries require you to apply for a very specific kind of visa first before you can apply for the work permit. Having a checklist of all the things needed to get done before your move will prompt you to look into such things to ensure that nothing is forgotten or left to the last minute.