5 super fun things to do before moving away

The solid combination of logic and reason state that moving house has nothing to do with fun and most moving experts would be quick to confirm that the two concepts are mutually exclusive. You’ve probably heard a number of times that moving to another home is a serious matter – an extremely stressful life event where one’s money, time, energy, and efforts will be at serious risk.

And yet, your own upcoming move doesn’t need to be this way. Sure, moving home is generally viewed as a no-fun zone, but it’s up to you to introduce some sort of pre-move entertainment so that you can at least make an effort to enjoy that unique period in your life. Moving house is about change and if you do believe that that change is for the better, then you’re already on the right track.

Learn the top 5 fun things to do before moving away despite what most moving experts say – what do they know about your own house move anyway?

1. Throw a party with your best friends

Few things will bring more genuine pleasure than organizing a farewell party with your best friends before it’s time for you to move away. And while it isn’t particularly fun to say goodbye to some of your best friends – after all, who knows when you will see each other again, you can surely make this one work.

Goodbye parties can be kind of sad, but the great thing about throwing a farewell party just before moving away is that, by inviting everyone you consider a close friend, you will actually have the unique opportunity to see all of them gathered in one place and to spend some fun time with the people who do matter in your life – talking, reminiscing, discussing, joking, laughing…

Luckily, you don’t have to waste much time in preparation for that informal get-together with your pals – refreshing drinks, delicious snacks and nice music in the background are usually enough to keep the good mood for hours. Don’t forget to exchange your contact information and promise to each other to keep in touch after you’ve moved to another city in another state.

From a practical point of view, you can even decide to mix business with pleasure and organize the moving-away party after your friends have helped you pack for the day – it would be a pity not to take advantage of so many helping hands around, wouldn’t it?

2. Re-visit your most favorite places in town

Hopefully, you won’t have to organize and execute an emergency move, so you should be able to find the time to have one final tour around the town or city you’re about to leave soon. Everyone has their favorite spots in and around the place they live, and so do you, right?

Whether it’s a green area with a small lake, a hiking trail in the forest, a secret beach spot, a large shopping center, or an exciting city museum, it can be a lot of fun to visit those special places again and re-live the memories that you associate with them.

And if you can organize that last tour with one or two of your best friends, then that can easily become the experience that will charge your battery for the tough relocation road ahead. As a bonus, it will give you that important sense of goodbye that should enable you to close the current chapter of your life more easily.

3. Keep the good memories of your home alive

Leaving the home where you have lived until now can be a hard pill to swallow, especially if you have many good memories in it. However, don’t turn the upcoming move into a sad occasion – you just have to believe that the new home you will soon be moving into will be even better.

Make an effort to capture a bit of those great memories by making a farewell video or creating a photo album of your soon-to-be old residence. In reality, you should be able to turn that memorable activity into hours of fun – go from room to room and have each family member or friend tell their favorite stories or memories linked to that particular room. Be spontaneous and honest while creating that video narrative – that’s the only way to actually enjoy yourself during that extraordinary pre-move activity.

Also, use your digital camera or smartphone to take a lot of photos which you can later arrange into awesome photo albums. Let everyone involved in the move contributed to a house moving scrapbook as well.

4. Reward yourself with something you love

In the best case scenario, you will have the perfect residential move from start to finish and you will want to reward yourself after the actual move is complete. Fortunately, your post-move treat for the efforts and energy you invested in the house moving adventure does not automatically exclude the creation of a pre-move reward system to keep your motivation high throughout the ordeal.

Take a break from packing up your stuff and go catch a movie with a few good friends or have an entertaining evening at the bowling alley. Going to a music concert or a theater play is also a good way to recharge your depleted battery in order to have it last you until after the move is over. Having a romantic dinner with your special half at a fancy restaurant is another suggestion to keep things moving in the right direction.

Do something fun, do something you love and enjoy even though the house moving work is not yet done. After all, you should never say no to a proven way to release some of the built-up stress when moving home.

5. Bring out the new home designer in you

Of course, the real fun is supposed to start after the move is over when you find yourself in your home and start to slowly but surely turn it into the cozy place you’ve always wanted. Once you have gotten rid of all the household items you won’t ever use again, residential moving proves to be a great chance to start anew, surrounded only by the belongings that you can't-do without.

Nevertheless, you don’t have to wait until Moving day is over to start designing or arranging your new house or apartment the way you like it. What to do before your movers arrive? Find time in your busy pre-move schedule to create a floor plan of your new home – a job that will be both extremely fun and exceptionally helpful.

For example, a good floor plan (How to create a floor plan?) will save you precious time because it will show where each large furniture piece and the big household appliance will be positioned in advance. To make things even better, it’s the ultimate satisfaction to know that you played a major role in designing and arranging the interior of your new place.

What questions to ask neighbors when moving house?

 When moving house, you have the unique chance to create the home of your dreams – find the perfect place to live, set up your living space in a way that matches your practical needs and aesthetic preferences, decorate it to reflect your personal style, and turn it into a happy haven.

Before you can make your new place feel like home, however, you have to find that ideal place where you’ll be able to live happily and comfortably for years to come. And that’s not a simple task – not only do you need to get the right type and size of dwelling for you and your family, but you also need it to be located in the right neighborhood (a safe and prosperous area of the town, close to your workplace, with plenty of local amenities and entertainment options, etc.).

So, even when you find an affordable property that seems to suit your requirements, you still can’t make your final decision – not until you have learned a bit more about the surroundings. The best way to do so is to walk through the neighborhood, introduce yourself to the current residents, and ask them all kinds of questions that will help you get a complete picture of the place you’re planning to settle in. And even after you have already moved in, it’s still your new neighbors that you should turn to in order to get reliable inside information about your new community and the peculiarities of your new surroundings.

At Mr.Move, we have helped hundreds of families to find a place they love in the new city they move in.

But what questions to ask your neighbors? How to get to know your (potential) new neighborhood really well?

Whether you’re looking for living accommodations in a particular area (because of its perfect location, social structure, living standards, etc.) or have found a house you like in a neighborhood you know nothing about, you need to learn as much about the place as you can before deciding to put down roots there. And what better way to find out all about the area than to talk to the people who are actually living in it – your potential neighbors?

1. Is the neighborhood thriving?

Are there good local services and amenities? Can you find everything you need for your daily life in the vicinity? Are there successful businesses located nearby? Are there new developments? Are the streets clean and well-lit? Are the houses well-kept and attractive? Is the neighborhood lively?

You can see most of these signs of a prosperous neighborhood while walking around, but things are not always what they seem to be – the residents will know better.

2. How safe is the neighborhood?

Ask your neighbors the below-mentioned questions :

if they feel safe to go out late at night or to let their children play outside without constant supervision;

if they have security systems and put heavy locks on doors and windows;

Find out how active are the police; is there a neighborhood watch; are there stray dogs running down the street; and any other small details that can make a big difference when living in the area.

3. What is the commute like?

Even if most of the places you’re going to visit on a daily basis (your and your partner’s workplace, your children’s schools, your family physician’s office, your bank, your hobby club, your favorite shops, restaurants, etc.) are located within (or close to) the neighborhood, you need to know your transportation options and be familiar with the traffic patterns.

How good the public transport system is and how well is the connectivity.

 4. Is the neighborhood kid-friendly? (if relevant)

If you have children (or plan to have kids soon), you need to make sure that your new neighborhood will offer them a safe environment and plenty of opportunities – good schools, reliable healthcare, abundant green areas, a variety of recreational and hobby activities, friendly and helpful community, etc. To find out if your chosen neighborhood meets all these requirements, you need to talk to the residents:

Ask about local schools, after-school programs, day-care centers, free kids’ events, nearby parks, playgrounds, favorite hangings spots, popular activities among local children, etc.;

Ask if there is a 24-hour pharmacy and a 24-hour supermarket in the area – you never know with kids!

5. What is the community like?

To find out more about the type of community in the neighborhood and get an idea of the community life, you should ask your potential neighbors:

whether you can expect events like neighborhood meetings,  or festivals on the weekends or block parties on a regular basis;

if people socialize a lot or prefer strict privacy;

if there are lots of young people, or families with kids, or seniors in the area;

if most of the residents have pets;

if it’s peaceful and quiet at night;

if there are loud parties and lots of noise;

what the major concerns in the neighborhood are, etc.

6. What do they know about the house you consider buying?

No one knows what’s going on in the property next door better than the neighbors. All you need to do is ask and you’ll learn every little detail that there is to know about the house you consider buying – what kind of people lived there before, how well they kept the property, if there have been any recent accidents (floods, fires, etc.), if the house is rumored to be haunted, and so on and so on. Besides, the neighbors can tell you about any worrying issues all homeowners in the area share – a high water table, root problems, or other hazards.

The answers you get will help you determine whether the neighborhood is going to fit your lifestyle and if you’ll be able to feel “at home” in your new surroundings.

Once you make your decision and buy (or rent) a property, however, you’ll be faced with another challenge – adjusting to your new environment as soon as possible after the relocation. Your new neighbors can be of great help once again – they can not only provide you with plenty of useful information and good advice but may also become good friends of yours and help you blend in with your new community and fight off loneliness.

At Mr. Move we can help you dilute all the above problems and make your moving to your next house seem like a cake walk.

What Is Valuation?

At Mr.Move, we’ve dedicated the last 5 years to provide professional moving with great customer service. We provide value-added services to make your next move as smooth as possible.

Valuation Coverage versus Insurance

Believe it or not, insurance developed as early as 2,000 BCE to reduce the risk for merchants who needed their items shipped across the water. Ship captains or banks would promise to deliver their goods and pay the difference for any cargo that was lost at sea. Modern insurance is essentially unchanged, and it’s expanded to cover homes, automobiles, valuable personal property, and more.

When you’re moving, talk with your current insurance agent about your coverage options. You may be surprised to find that your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover the value of your belongings while moving, and you’ll want Protection Coverage from your movers for extra peace of mind. Valuation Protection is a tariff level of carrier liability that is common among moving companies

At Mr.Move, we offer all levels of Valuation Protection including Basic Coverage, Third party Insurance, and Full Value Replacement. It’s our job to help you understand the unique benefits of each.

Basic Coverage Protection

Basic coverage is our most economical level of protection; it provides a released value of 60 cents per pound per article. This coverage is offered at no additional charge. Basic coverage is usually priced per pound and no consideration is given to the items’ actual financial value in transit. This might be an option for families or individuals who don’t have a large amount of valuable personal property to move.

Full Value Protection

Full Replacement Coverage is our most comprehensive coverage available for the protection of your shipment. This option provides for the lesser of the repair, repair estimate or the replacement cost for an identical or a like kind and quality item at today’s replacement cost. This option is available with or without a deductible.

Third-party Insurance

The cost of this insurance is not included in the basic move and must be purchased separately by you. This is not valuation coverage governed by Federal law—it is optional insurance regulated by the law.

If you purchase this coverage, the mover remains liable for the amount up to 60 cents per pound per article; but the rest of the loss is recoverable from the insurance company up to the amount of insurance you purchased. Your mover is required to issue the policy or other written record of the purchase and provide you with a copy at the time of purchase.

You also have the option of purchasing insurance from a third-party insurance company. Before purchasing insurance, check your homeowner’s insurance policy to see if you’re already covered.

No matter which option of coverage you choose, you’ll want to make sure it’s selected on your bill of lading. If you have additional questions about coverage or specific items, check with your moving specialist.