Are you planning a move soon? Something about the prospect strikes fear in the hearts of many of us — we start thinking of rushed all-nighters, frantically working until the very last minute. But moving can actually be a (mostly) pleasant experience if you take some time to prepare in advance. So, if you’d like to set a reasonable pace for your move and avoid much of the stress, here are some ideas to make your St. Louis move a success:

Begin With a Plan

Take some time here, the more detail you can add to your plan in the beginning, the better the chances you’ll pull it off exactly as you envisioned. When you begin with a structure in place, you allow yourself all the time you need to make progress without having to sacrifice all the other responsibilities in your daily life. Blocking off an hour here and there throughout the week for specific tasks will ensure you’re making progress, and it will make the days leading up to the move (usually the most stressful) considerably easier.

Bring in the Professionals

If you have it in your budget, hiring movers will make the day-of moving process so much easier. If you don’t lift appliances and heavy furniture for a living (or often), you shouldn’t attempt it in your own. Moving companies are insured, so if there’s a mishap, you’ll be covered. They’re also trained to carry heavy things in and out of trucks and up and down stairs. You just want to find a moving company you can trust. Do some online research and ask your friends and family for recommendations. It’s worth investing the time here to find the right professionals to work with so that your movers make the process less stressful, not more.

Pack with the Unpacking in Mind

This is a great mindset for homeowners starting to pack everything up. Imagine opening all these boxes in your new space. What would make that unpacking process easier? Things like labeling boxes, properly wrapping breakable items, and keeping boxes to a weight that’s manageable to carry can make the moving-in part of the process a bit easier. Though it can be tempting to focus on simply getting everything in boxes and on the truck, thinking about the future ‘you’ who will have to unpack everything can help you pack in the best way possible.

You Don’t Have to Bring Everything with You

This is another strategy that you’ll be thankful for in the new house. It might feel like a timesaving measure to put everything into boxes and deal with it when you arrive at your new home. But there’s no point in packing up things that you’re not going to use. Use the project of moving as an opportunity to declutter. Don’t put anything into a box to move without considering if it’s something you actually need and want to keep. It’s so much better to declutter on this end of the process as opposed to the unpacking end. Not only does it save you on how much you actually need to move, but it also prevents you from bringing clutter to your new space.

Moving your belongings from one house to another doesn’t have to be a stress-filled nightmare.

Start early and chip away at it little by little, and you’ll find that moving isn’t that big of a deal after all.

If you’d like a recommendation for a reputable, local mover, or if you need to get prequalified for a mortgage, please reach out to us. We’d be happy to help.