Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from T-Square Real Estate Services, a local property management company located in Seattle, about preparing for professional movers.
Even though finding a rental property in Seattle can be tasking and units are expensive, the city is a beautiful place to call home. For starters, Seattle hosts plenty of big-name companies, which means it has numerous employment opportunities. Secondly, Seattle is a city with rental laws that are highly favorable to tenants. No wonder more than half of the population is renters.
If you are looking to relocate to Seattle, you may want to employ a professional moving company to help, such as Gentle Giant Moving Company. Preparing adequately for professional movers can save you from unwanted and unnecessary headaches.
Avoid falling into such undesirable situations by planning well before your Seattle movers arrive. Here are few tips you can use to get ready:
Brief all family members of what to expect
Naturally, the moving process will disrupt normal family life. Moreover, when the movers come to help with packing, things can get hectic if you haven’t planned ahead.
It is wise for you to have a family or housemate meeting to inform everyone of what will take place. If possible, assign to each person a particular role. For instance, one member could be in charge of welcoming and supporting the packers, while another could watch over the kids and pets to ensure they remain safe and unharmed.
Establish a No-Pack Zone
Since you will not be taking all your items with you to your new property in Seattle, it is wise to set aside everything that will stay in a specific room. This makes the movers lives easier, as they will not need to consistently ask you about what goes and what stays. The movers will be much more efficient, and the bill could come out a lot cheaper depending on their fee structure.
Remove unwanted or useless items
After staying in a house for a while, we tend to accumulate items we may never need in future. Instead of relocating them with you to your new home, organize and dispose of what you no longer need.
Bear in mind that the weight and size of your shipment will be a major determinant of the total shipping cost. Making the effort to lighten the load and get rid of unnecessary stuff can help you save on the bill.
Get rid of anything that the movers won’t carry
Just because you will pay the shipping company does not mean that they must take all your belongings. Most movers in Seattle have a strict policy that defines what they can or cannot carry.
Rarely will you find a moving company carrying flammable, corrosive or explosive materials. As a safety precaution, most companies will decline to handle such objects or even turn away a client. The law prohibits the packing and transportation of such materials.
Take an inventory count of all your belongings
While moving, it is very easy for some items to get damaged, lost or misplaced. After all, the moving company does not know every detail of your possessions.
For this reason, it is prudent to itemize all the things you plan to take with you. Understandably, you might wish to forego this process because it is tedious and time-consuming. The list will act as the point of reference when comparing what the company delivered against what you gave them.
Set aside boxes for essential items
Once the professional movers pack and load your belongings in the truck, it will be practically impossible for you to access most of them until you get to your property in Seattle. For this reason, set aside boxes in which you will put essential items.
In one of these cases, you could include important valuables, like family heirlooms, jewelry and precious documents. In a second box, you could pack life-saving survival kits, medication, toiletries, spare clothes, bed sheets and towels. Finally, you could have a third container for stocking non-perishable food, drinking water and essential kitchen utensils. An easier method for you to identify the necessary items is by asking yourself what items you cannot do without for more than two days.
We wish you the best of luck with your move! At the end of the day, planning, organizing and hiring professional movers will make the process as seamless as possible.