You have come to the moment in your life where settling for a smaller place sounds fantastic, but if you have never relocated before, especially if you are moving after retirement, it’ll be that harder to leave everything behind. Ask your close ones for help, or hire a cross-country moving company for a complete service, as you should be aware of the high risks of injuries at your age.
Relocating in the Golden Years? Here’s Our Top 6 Moving Tips for Seniors
Leaving a home in which you’ve spent so many years and created countless memories is never easy, especially if you are relocating for the first time in your golden age. Our moving tips for seniors will help you through this big transition if you don’t know where to start with the relocation process.
The Main Benefits of Relocation and 6 Tips That Will Help You Prepare for It
There are many reasons why people move, but most of the time, they are aiming to improve their lifestyle. For starters, know that downsizing will save you money in the long run. It will reduce your mortgage payment and upkeep stress, as well as save you money for long-planned travel. Also, a change of pace might be good for you.
Relocation to the new community will allow you to make new friends with similar interests. There are countless benefits to making such a change, and here are our tips that will help you avoid common mistakes and relocate hassle-free.
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#1 Make a Plan for the Move
Planning on time and months ahead of the relocation is a must. People usually don’t buy a new home with downsizing in their minds. As they enter retirement, owning a large place with uninhabited rooms, stretching their savings, and conquering stairs are getting harder every day. That’s why you should follow our relocation guide and get the best senior moving help with our tips.
Create a Senior Moving Checklist
You can be sure that you’re tackling every important task that has to be done by making a senior moving checklist. It will provide you with a thorough understanding of the impending relocation dates so you can stay on schedule and make your transition successful.
Two Months Before the Move
Take into consideration your current and future mobility when searching for a home. If you don’t have problems now, it won’t hurt to think ahead of time and choose a house with easier access.
Try to go through your belongings and cut on some stuff, no matter how sentimental or valuable they are. This will help with your move immensely, not just during packing, but it will save you money too by lowering the costs of hiring a long-distance moving company.
Start looking for full quote estimates from cross-country moving companies so you get a clear picture of the costs if you are relocating on a budget and prevent surprises on a big day. Try to book movers as soon as you find a good offer and set the relocation date.
One Month Before the Relocation
This is a good time to start organizing your relocation and sorting stuff for packing. Set aside important documents, valuables, and essential items that will move with you. Stick to your relocation plan and avoid changing long-distance moving services with your moving company of choice.
Inform your doctor’s office about your departure and new address, so you can be sure that your medication is up to date and your prescriptions get to the right location. Also, don’t forget to ask for a recommendation to find a new doctor before you move.
A Week Before Your Departure
Arrange for the charity van to pick up the stuff you prepared for them. Pack personal bags and keep medication close to you. Don’t forget to arrange that your mail gets to your new location and inform all the important billers about the new address.
The Big Day
Go through your house one last time, look for the stuff you might have skipped, and make sure that your home is in good condition before you hand it to the estate agent.
Pay attention that the logo of the company you picked is on the side of the truck and the movers’ uniforms before you read through the papers, review the fine print and sign your moving documentation.
#2 Find a New Home Before You Start Packing
By measuring your furniture, you could determine which of your current possessions would fit in the new space. Knowing the layout will enable you to plan which items you will move and prepare your setup in advance.
Whether you intend to relocate to an active adult community or a single-family house close to where you currently reside, it is crucial to tour that residence in order to get a sense of what it will be like to live there.
Check if you can improve your feature home and if it offers all the housing alternatives you require, such as a universal design for mobility, grab bars in the bathtub, and a spacious bedroom. To ensure you have enough time to decide if the house is the perfect spot for you and to arrange any necessary renovations, schedule an inspection anytime before you move.
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Consider Downsizing Your Living Space
Your new living space might be considerably smaller than your current place. Keep that in mind when deciding on what of your bulkier stuff will get onto the truck.
It is hard to say goodbye to the things we are familiar with, but decluttering your belongings will be rewarding. Involve younger generations to help during the process and ask them if they are interested in anything before you sell, throw, or donate anything.
#3 Decluttering Is the Most Important Step in Any Relocation
Think about the last time you took something from that “important” box laying in the garage. Downsizing for a relocation means that exactly those long-forgotten things and bulkier stuff should be sorted through.
Decide what is worth keeping, what can be donated, and what you should get rid of. The best method to go through all of your possessions is to pack and declutter room by room. It will help you save money for relocation.
Organize a Garage Sale, Donate, or Throw Unnecessary Items
Make a moving checklist of your belongings and decide what items to keep, what to prepare for selling, how to have a successful garage sale, and how to decide what to get rid of before you head to a new home.
Follow this list for faster organization.
- Things you will keep should be boxed up and secured with care before moving cross country. Categorize and pack for relocation by room so that you can keep track of everything. Ask family and friends to help with boxing up.
- To organize a successful garage sale, sort all of your belongings by categories, estimate the price of your goods fairly, and label it as you go. This will help with sales immensely, as buyers will navigate through the sale easily.
- Donating stuff is always a good way to go. Well-preserved items could still make someone happy. Consider contacting Goodwill or Salvation Army first and check if they need some stuff in particular before you donate to a local charity.
- Throwing away unnecessary items will lighten your move up. Everything you haven’t reached out to in a long time, have put in dark storage and forgotten about it, or it’s lying around broken and waiting for reparation falls into this category.
#4 Seek Help From Professional Cross-Country Movers
Consider your health, physical endurance, and proximity of family members when weighing for or against cross-country moving service help. This is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during your relocation.
Keep in mind that you might go through muscle and back aches, stress, and the higher price of doing it alone if you are relocating across the country. That is why if you want everything packed, secured, and moved, you should hire professionals to do it instead of you.
Pro Tip – Use a Variety of Cross-Country Moving Services for Seniors
When you are considering hiring a relocation company, you have to ask yourself if your health is worth compromising by doing it all alone.
Hiring movers will bring with it many benefits, like more time for saying goodbye to friends and throwing a going away party, saving yourself from injury, and better protection of your fragile and bulkier belongings. The whole process will go much faster with movers and more affordable if you are relocating far away from your family.
#5 Don’t Strain Yourself and Keep Your Mental Health in Check
Everything revolving around relocating can be tiring for anyone, especially for the elderly. You could fall into depression, disorientation, and anxiety due to exhaustion and stress over planning. Try to relax more, keep in check your stress levels, and start the relocation preparations on time.
Reach out to your loved ones and ask them to assist you during the relocation. This way, you will have enough time to process everything, which will keep your anxiety and stress levels at bay.
#6 Ask Your Family Members for Help With Cleaning
With the assistance of your family, bring everything into the center of the room when you’ve finished packing and pick what to take with you. This way, you can inspect the plumbing, patch up holes left by hanging pictures, and see if anything needs to be repaired.
You should give your house a final polishing round whether you decide to sell or rent it. Clean every room thoroughly, and don’t neglect your backyard. Your ceiling lights and wall corners should be cleaned of dust, cobwebs, and debris. Walls, windows, sills, and window frames should all be washed and freed of mold. Clean your bathrooms, with more attention on the showers and toilets. Your carpets and floors should be vacuumed and mopped before you hand your keys to the estate agent.
Watch this video to help you prepare for the move-in cleaning when you arrive at your location.
Don’t Forget to Prepare Your Home for Long-Distance Movers
This much work invested into packing and cleaning shouldn’t go to waste. Prepare your clean surfaces with coveralls and give your movers easy access to your belongings. Tell them where the bulkier stuff is and point to the boxes with fragile contents, which will make the move much smoother and faster.
Provide your movers with bathroom access and refreshments. After everything is securely loaded into the truck and your private vehicle, don’t forget to reward your movers with a generous tip.
Have a Bag With Essentials for the Big Day
Unpacking will take some time, so keep in mind that you should prepare a bag with personal items and take it with you. Think about all the important documents and valuables that will be safer with you.
Don’t forget to pack your clothes, medications, and toiletries. Be sure to bring a set of dishes, smaller appliances, towels, and fresh bedding. Prepare enough food and water for the journey ahead.
Have a Smooth Transition By Following Our Moving Tips for Seniors
Radical change is not easy when you are at a certain age and when you are used to a routine. Take into consideration your well-being and overall health before you decide to do everything yourself.
The Cross Country Moving Company has the utmost respect for your age and will consider your health during the whole process. We will provide you with the best packing service and impeccable, professional moving service and carefully plan the process of unpacking after the relocation.
Our team of skilled professionals will make your relocation a breeze and personalize the move to your exact needs. Let us care for your belongings, and you will have more time to relax and rest. Secure the best relocation experience by contacting Cross Country Moving Company today.
