Millions of Americans decide to relocate to new homes every year. And while nearly half of all moves take place in the summer, between the beginning of May and Labor Day, autumn is actually the optimal time for moving to a new home. With cooler temperatures and less competition for moving assistance, you’ll often have a much easier time making this transition if you schedule your move for the fall.

However, that doesn’t mean your move will go smoothly without a plan in place. No matter what time of year you move, things can easily go awry if you aren’t careful. If you’re planning on moving to a new home this fall, here are some key dos and don’ts to keep in mind.

When Moving to a New Home in Fall, Do…

Declutter Before Packing: A lot of families make the mistake of packing up every single thing they currently own in order to speed up the moving process. But in so doing, they’ll end up paying much more for their move than necessary. The more boxes and pieces of furniture you have to transport, the more moving professionals will charge you for their services. What’s more, you’ll end up with junk you don’t necessarily need at your new home — and that’s no way to start off this new chapter of your life. Although sorting through your belongings to donate or throw away unneeded items might not be your favorite activity, it’s something you should do before you bring out the moving boxes.
Get New Moving Supplies: Ordinarily, you can save money by getting extra boxes or bins from friends or nearby restaurants for free. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic will most likely still be a concern for Americans this fall, it’s better if you buy new. The novel coronavirus can conceivably live on items made of cardboard or plastic for a few days, and even if you were to disinfect these moving materials to the best of your ability, there could still be some kind of inherent risk. To be on the safe side, make sure there’s room in your budget for necessary supplies like boxes, bins, bubble wrap, packing paper, and tape. It’s also a good idea to secure all of these materials at one time, so make sure you know how much you’ll need before you start packing.

If You’re Moving to a New Home This Fall, Don’t…

Procrastinate on Packing: A huge mistake made by many families is waiting until the last minute to pack everything up. It might seem like you have more than enough time to prepare, but your moving day will be here before you know it. If you procrastinate, you’ll have to rush to get everything done — and that translates to much more stress than necessary. You may not even have a clear head to make the right decisions about what to pack and what to leave behind. This summer provides the perfect opportunity to start packing away items and furniture you don’t use regularly in order to get ready for your impending move. By taking care of a little bit of packing at a time, you’ll remove the anxiety from the situation and can make the days leading up to your move a lot less hectic.
Forget to Contact Your Movers Early: As we mentioned above, the fall is a great time for moving to a new home. Since moving companies are a little less busy during this time of year, you’ll likely have several moving dates to choose from. However, you won’t get to reap those benefits if you put off contacting moving services in your area. Like with packing, it’s better to give yourself plenty of time to find the right mover. If you give yourself time to do your research and to get in touch with the top moving companies in your area, you’ll have a better chance of securing both the movers and the moving date you want for a fair price. But if you wait too long, you might not have many choices available to you. For extra peace of mind, start calling movers around eight to 12 weeks before your move. At the very least, you’ll need to secure movers a month ahead of time, so stay on top of this task.

Now that you know what to do — and what not to do — to prepare for a move this fall, you’ll have a comprehensive checklist that will make moving day that much easier. For more on how our team can make your move stress-free this year, please contact us today.

The Dos and Don’ts of Planning a Move This Fall