8 Tips for Moving in the Summer

When faced with a house move, most people will concentrate on the internal factors that play major roles in their impending relocation: general organization, move related finances, fast approaching deadlines, professional relocation services, and so on. In reality, few home movers will give any thought about the most influential external factor of them all – the season of their residential move and how it will affect their decision making process and the overall outcome of their house moving adventure.

Having already discussed the challenges of moving in the winter, let’s turn our attention to the most popular season for moving house and what (un)pleasant surprises you can expect if you’re moving in the summer as most people are. But more importantly, you will learn the best way to prepare for a summer move so that you benefit greatly from your ultimate decision to move during the peak moving season.

Take a closer look at the top 8 tips for moving in the summer and witness how a single smart summer moving choice of yours can tip the scales in your favour.

1. Why you should move in the summer

It’s good to remember that moving house in summer has a number of clear benefits that cannot be easily disregarded. If you plan to schedule your move date somewhere during the summer season, or if you have already done that, here’s why you shouldn’t regret your decision to move during the peak moving season:

• Favorable climatic conditions. Yes, the weather is usually nice in the summer. The lack of snow, ice or sub-zero temperatures automatically turn your relocation project a few degrees safer and more efficient than if you were moving during the cold months. Thus said, summer weather too can be rather unpredictable, so heavy rain, extreme heat or even storms are never out of the question either.

• More free time. The majority of people use up their vacation days away from work during the warm summer months, so you’ll have more time to organize and possibly even execute a house move. What’s more, moving in summer means more friends or relatives willing to give you a hand too.

• School. The school year has just finished which means that summer is the most opportune moment for families with children to move to a new city with minimum disruption of the academic year.

2. Why you should not move in the summer

Sure, moving during the summer has its indisputable advantages, but it can also be a bit tricky as well for a number of reasons:

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  More expensive. Is it more expensive to move in the summer? In most cases, it is. It shouldn’t come as a big surprise that professional relocation services usually cost more during the peak moving season – the demand for quality removal companies is so high that their standard rates can go higher too. So if you’re all set for a summer move, don’t expect to find real bargains as far as moving services go.

• Limited choice of movers. Because most top rated removals are already booked months in advance, you may have to deal with less experienced and less reputable removal firms, which in turn could prove to be a bad decision both for your savings and your possessions. Make sure you know the proper steps of hiring a top notch moving company regardless of the season you’re moving in.

• Inconvenient dates. Due to the fact that the majority of people choose to move in the summer, you may have to make a compromise as far as your move date is concerned. To guarantee yourself a convenient move-out date, schedule your summer move as soon as you can to beat the competition.

3. Planning is everything

Regardless of when you choose to move to another home, the thing that you can’t do without is proper and timely organization. In reality, it’s a well-known fact that the only way to guarantee yourself a problem-free summer relocation is to plan your steps carefully all the way from Day 1 (confirmation of your move) until Day X (the day when the last moving box has been unpacked in your new residence).

Be mindful that the level of relocation organization you’re after should come in the form of a personal moving calendar. The creation of such a moving checklist is more than just a good idea – it’s nothing less than vital for the success of your moving operation. A moving timeline at your disposal will help you:

• organize each hour of each day you have during the peak moving season;

• distribute your tasks in a way that makes perfect sense for you, and thus aid you in completing them one after the other without wasting any precious time;

• avoid the build-up of the notorious moving stress simply by assuring you that you’re right on schedule.

4. What is your budget saying?

As mentioned earlier, professional removal companies tend to charge more during the summer period. As a result, it’s absolutely essential that you learn how to manage your finances without spending money that you don’t have to spend in the first place, or maybe even falling into debt. And the best way to keep your move related expenses in check is to set a moving budget, and then listen closely to what it has to say.

Moving in the summer is all about staying in control of your finances, and that’s exactly where your moving budget checklist will come into play. Having a rough estimation of just how much money you will need for your summer house move will not only get you mentally ready for what’s coming, but it will also alert you if you happen to not have saved enough for the challenge ahead. And if that is the case, then you still have good options ahead of you:

• consider resorting to non-professional assistance as far as packing and unpacking go /read on for more information/;

• look for various ways to further bring down the moving price quoted by your removal firm;

• explore alternative funding options such as selling some of your items prior to the move /see below/.

5. You must call for help

Moving house is a stressful affair, at least in most of the relocation cases, and moving in the summer is no exception. On the contrary, a move during the peak season will likely present more challenging situations due to the increased expenses, tougher choices of trustworthy professionals, and possible scheduling problems.

Therefore, even if you don’t fully understand it in the beginning, hiring the services of a top rated moving company can make a big difference in the course of the entire move. Trained professionals will handle the difficult details of your summer move with an enviable speed, and most importantly – with an excellent level of safety both for your prized possessions and your property. To get your money’s worth, you need to find the best cross country removals and use their quality services to your advantage.

Still, it’s good to know that, under specific summer moving circumstances, you can also attempt to move without professional guidance and assistance. For example, a short distance move within the same city or to another close-by destination can easily tempt you to choose the do-it-yourself approach to moving to another home. In which case, it will do you a world of good to know the best way to get your friends to help you move.

6. Re-finance your summer move

Of all the money saving techniques you may use while getting ready to move out, the one that will let you save the most is to move with as few of your belongings as possible. This seemingly obvious and simple cost saving tip will make you a winner on several levels:

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  Having fewer items to pack, transport and unpack means less time spent on fairly unnecessary activities;

• Having fewer items to move to your new home leaves more money in your pocket simply because the relocation price is directly connected to the total weight of your shipment;

• Moving fewer belongings into your new home will let you have more space there and even re-shape the new home décor as you see fit;

• And still, the best part of having good choices before you is to get rid of unwanted things prior to your summer move. Inventory your home, sort out all wanted and needed items from the ones that will no longer serve you well, and attempt to add fresh money to your costly moving endeavour by selling the things that still have a decent market value. Selling them online is a good decision but you will need to have sufficient time to set up the individual listings at respected online trade websites, and then wait for potential buyers and possible purchase transactions. An excellent alternative to online selling is to organize a yard sale or do a car boot sale to try to get rid of your unwanted stuff faster and with a good profit.

7. Be the summer champion of packing

Our tips for moving in the summer continue with some solid advice on one pre-move task that you can’t really do without – packing.

• Being the peak moving season, the first thing to keep in mind is that packing materials are usually in high demand, so it’s a great idea to prepare them well in advance. By having the proper packing supplies by your side, you won’t have to interrupt the process of packing up your home and will end up saving valuable time altogether;

• Cardboard boxes in good condition (understand strong, clean, and dry) will be what you will need the most because they are generally accepted as the most inexpensive and versatile moving containers to be used during residential moves. Now, if you can afford to purchase all of your moving boxes brand new, then you should definitely do it. Local removal companies or specialized shops will be happy to sell you the quantities you need. However, if you’re desperately trying to spend as little money as possible, then you should attempt to get the required number of packing containers for free, or almost for free;

• Think of a good packing strategy to save time and minimize the chances of a nervous breakdown. Remember that to pack an entire home is a tough job, and packing is considered to be by far the most time consuming challenge you will ever face during your preparations. The best 2 pieces of advice we can offer you for guiding your summer house move, speeding up your packing speed and minimizing the packing stress are 1) advice on what to pack first, and 2) the top 10 packing mistakes to avoid.

8. Adopt good safety measures

As mentioned earlier, moving in summer can turn out to be a rather hectic period, and when there are too many move related activities happening at the same time, then relocation safety becomes an important issue that should be addressed with the priority it deserves.

Here are some of the major moving day safety points to keep in mind when relocating during the peak moving season:

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  If you’re somewhat worried about keeping yourself or your family members safe during the moving preparations or especially on Moving day, then you should definitely consider turning to a trustworthy team of removers who will know that to do. Reasons to be nervous about when you’re relying on your own resources may include relocation inexperience on your part or the presence of expensive or specialized items to transport, such as antique furniture, heavy household appliances, a piano, a pool or snooker table, and so on;

• On the other hand, if you’ve assessed the entire situation and have reached the conclusion that you can make it on your own, then your very first safety measure should be to plan a few steps ahead each and every action you’re about to undertake. Visualize how large items will be lifted, secured and carried out/wheeled out of your home in the safest way possible. In simpler words, think before you act;

• Hire proper moving equipment and use adequate personal protection gear to minimize the chance of self-injuries or property damage;

• Be sure to use universally accepted lifting techniques to avoid harming your body;

• Check whether the hallways in your home and the paths leading out of your residence are free of obstacles of any kind. Moving day accidents can occur in split seconds so take a slow walk along the intended moving pathways and inspect the areas for possible dangers;

• Small children and pets have no business whatsoever near the moving day action, so take all necessary measures to keep them safe during the most accident prone day when moving in summer.

Bonus summer moving tip: Keep a close watch on the weather

Finally, let’s finish our tips for moving during the summer with a bonus piece summer moving advice – keep a close watch on the weather. Summer weather is notorious for changing too quickly, so you should definitely keep checking the weather forecast a few days prior to your move date and act accordingly.

• For example, if rain is expected on Moving day, take additional steps to making sure the packed boxes that are taken out of your home remain dry until they are safely loaded onto the moving van;

• If your Big day is set for record high temperatures, dress accordingly, offer cold beverages for all participants, and set properly your internal air conditioning to make things comfortable for all;

• If much worse climatic conditions than rain or heat are expected to hit your area, speak with your removal company to re-schedule your summer move for a more favourable date, if possible, or discuss the newly presented conditions until the best summer moving decision is made.

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