Okay, so these aren’t necessarily deadly, or sinful, but these are seven mistakes that we frequently observe clients making. We know moving can be stressful and time-consuming, but making the following mistakes could make the experience far worse. Here we offer some tips to keep you from making these mistakes:

1. Procrastinating

Waiting until the last 48 hours to start thinking about the execution of your move isn’t the best plan of action. As soon as you find out about an impending move, start taking steps to prepare. Start by downloading a moving checklist and work your way through it, one check-box at a time. Obtain moving quotes for your move and secure a mover and moving date. Then, designate a space each evening that you are going to tackle – this could be an entire room or just a small closet depending on the amount of time you have. Pack one box at a time, making sure you start a Goodwill pile for unwanted items (see “not purging” below). By taking small steps everyday, you’ll arrive at moving day prepared and ready to go.

2. Refusal to Purge

Whether you’re paying movers by the hour or a flat fee based upon the size of your move, the more you take with you, the more the move will cost you. Consider the benefits of purging your house of unwanted things. It can be almost therapeutic tossing out all of your unused and unnecessary belongings. You get a chance at a fresh start in your new place! Sometimes our homes become so crowded with our old junk, that they become nearly impossible to organize, so we get to the point of hiding things anywhere we can… under the bed, in the attic, in closets, in drawers, until our house is brimming with things we likely forgot we even owned. Be thankful that this move gives you the opportunity to slough off your extra weight! Remember the less you move, the less your move is going to cost you.

3. Pride (Trying to do everything on your own)

It was one thing to take this approach in college, when everything you owned was cheap and could be squeezed into a couple of carloads, but now that you’ve grown up, you probably can’t fit all of your belongings in your car and you may have larger or more expensive pieces that need extra care. The professionals at Apple Moving have thousands of hours of experience – we move bulky items like armoires and precious pieces such as your generations old china everyday. We know how to load the moving truck quickly and efficiently while still exercising our utmost care. It’s also important to consider the value of your time. Could you be doing something more productive than spending hours trying to move everything yourself? Consider the fact that for most in-town, residential moves, Apple Moving can have everything moved within a matter of hours.

4. Running Out of Time to Clean

Make sure when planning out your moving dates, that you leave at least an extra day for the final clean-up and walk-through, if applicable. It’s easy to underestimate just how long a final cleaning will take, especially if you’ve lived in a place for several years. Pay particular attention to the following details when cleaning, as landlords frequently deduct portions of the deposit for the following items:

• Nail holes in the dry wall – spackle costs about $3 at any home improvement store
• Painted walls – remember when the lease said if you changed the paint color you’d be responsible for painting it back to the original white? Better roll up your sleeves and get to painting, or you may have a big fat reduction to your deposit.
• Dirty ovens – yeah it’s a terrible job but someone’s got to do it. Thank goodness for Easy Off.
• Pet Stains – If you own pets, make sure you have thoroughly scoured the carpet for accidents. However, keep in mind that even if the top of the carpet looks good, some apartments will pull up the carpet to see if there are stains underneath, so you still might get fined.
• Baseboards – These often get overlooked in the weekly dusting, but are easily fixed with the help of a vacuum wand extension.
• Bath tubs – Scrub a dub dub that old tub until all traces of mildew and soap scum have disappeared.
• Windows – You can show them you really care about getting your deposit back by pulling up the blinds and windexing the inside of the windows and vacuuming the window sill.

5. Bad Packing Technique

As you start to pack up your old house, make sure you are considering where everything is headed in the new house. Make it easy on your movers and yourself by labeling the front and top of each box with the destination room and a brief description of the contents. This will not only help you prioritize as you unpack, but will also help alert movers to any fragile items like dishes.While we’re on the subject of moving boxes, let’s discuss proper wrapping technique. With breakable items like glassware, dishes, and picture frames, you want to make sure to individually wrap each item. Newspaper will do the trick, but if you prefer not to get ink all over your hands, you can also purchase packing paper. Make sure items fit snugly in the box – if there’s a lot of extra room, items may shift around and break during transport. You can always fill extra space with packing peanuts or bubble wrap.

6. Foolishness (Using an uninsured moving service)

Cheaper doesn’t always mean better. As with anything, it’s smart to shop around and compare quotes from different moving companies, but beware if a deal sounds too good to be true. There are some moving companies that may be able to quote you a better price because they are not fully insured. Apple Moving is a fully insured mover, meaning that in the rare event that something happens to your belongings, you are covered.

7. Failing to Transfer Utilities

Make sure you think about both turning off your old services and initiating your new utility services. We address this issue in more depth in our blog Setting Up Austin Utilities. There’s nothing worse than trying to clean with no water and no electricity, so make sure you schedule a turn-off date that doesn’t precede your move-out. You’ll also want to have these services up and running at the new house when the moving truck arrives.

CBD/Photo by Forsaken Fotos via flickr