What You REALLY Want To Look For When You’re House Hunting:

If you’ve spent any time watching home buying shows, you have seen exchanges that go something like this:

Realtor: What are you looking for in a home?

Buyer: At least four bedrooms, three baths, a large back yard, open concept, move-in ready, and walking distance from both our jobs…oh, and a white kitchen.

Realtor (shaking head): Okay, and what is your budget?

Buyer: No more than $250,000.

You don’t have to live in the Bay Area to know that getting everything on that wish list, especially with that budget, is unrealistic. So, what should a homebuyer, especially a first time homebuyer, look for?

Before making your wish list, think about how you use your home

Do you like the idea of entertaining more than you actually entertain?

Don’t pay for space you don’t actually need. Not only will you pay for it in your monthly mortgage, but it’s more space to clean, heat, and cool. If you only realistically have visitors a couple of times a year, it would be cheaper to put them up in a hotel.

Why do you want an open floor plan?

Open floor plans are very trendy right now, but they won’t be forever. In fact, there is already a growing backlash. Open floor plans are great for keeping your eyes on your little ones, but you also sacrifice a lot of quiet and privacy. Unless you always keep your kitchen spotless, an open floor plan can be a big hassle, and a potential source of embarrassment.

What should you look for?

In a nutshell, you should look for a good house. Location is important, but if adding 10 minutes to your commute will buy you a more relaxing home, the trade off is probably worth it.

Even if you are handy, look for the basics, like a good roof, good plumbing and electrical, and a good foundation. You should also look for the minimum amount of space you need, and go from there. Except for the location, all the rest is cosmetic and can be changed over time.

The Start-to-Finish Guide for Moving to a New Place

Moving sucks. There's really no way around that, but it can be a lot more tolerable and a lot less stressful. Here's a look at our best recommendations for an easier and more efficient move.

A lot of moving generally takes place over the next few months, and while everyone's experience and needs vary a little, a lot of the work involved in moving is the same no matter who you are. There's a lot to go over, so feel free to skip around:

• Preparation
• Packing
• Labeling and Managing Your Inventory
• Moving In

Preparation

There is so much to do in preparation for your move: set up mail forwarding, change over your utilities, acquire packing supplies, and so on. The move, itself, is really the easy part as you'll spend most of your time packing and unpacking. If you want everything else to go as smoothly as possible, you'll need to prepare well. It's a time-consuming and detailed process, but it'll ultimately make your move significantly more simple and less stressful.

Transferring Your InformationBefore you move, be sure you know all the utilities you're responsible for and make the transfers. The further in advance you can make the call the better, as sometimes certain utility companies will not be able to come out the next day to make the switch. Another switch you can make in advance is filling out a change of address form, which you can do online. If you change your address online, be sure you have a credit card that uses your current address as the billing address, since that's how the postal service verifies the request.

Finding Packing Supplies On the CheapThere are a lot of places to buy packing supplies, but boxes and tape can add up to quite a bit of money. You can avoid this additional cost by hitting up one of quite a few places handing out free boxes. Most retailers receive a lot of shipments, but your best bet is to contact furniture stores. While your average retailer may be able to provide you with some used boxes, you'll be able to find a greater range of sizes from furniture stores. Be sure to call them up at least a week in advance of when you want to start packing, however, as box disposal isn't necessarily a daily task. If your friends are moving before you, another way to get used boxes is to ask them to give them to you when they're finished. You may also be able to find boxes in the office you work in, or ask a friend to bring home any boxes they can find at the office. For more ideas, check out these tips on scoring free moving boxes.

20 Tips for Moving into a New House: Moving Checklist

The process of moving into a new home requires careful planning in order to be a successful one. And this is where you come in – YOU are going to have to be the one to create that good organization, together with the help of a moving into a new house checklist.

Practically, the list of things to do when moving into a new house can be (almost) endless and strictly individual for each residential move. And that’s why we’re offering you the top 10 things to do before the move, as well as the top 10 tasks to do after you move into your new home.

To help you have a smooth move from start to finish, here are the best 20 tips for moving into a new home:

What to do BEFORE moving into a new home (10 tips)

Getting ready to move into a new home can be as challenging a task as it gets. However, you can still make the whole process much easier for yourself by completing with higher priority these 10 moving tasks.

1. Find a good mover

Hiring a good moving company is critical for the success of your home move. You’re going to need to find a properly licensed and adequately insured mover that’s also reputable and affordable. All this sounds like a very tough task but in fact, it isn’t that difficult at all.

Regardless of whether you’re moving across the country or locally, trust one of the best professional movers in your area to take care of the most challenging aspects of your move – like packing specialty items and lifting and carrying heavy furniture and boxes.

10 tips for hiring movers

2. Request in-home surveys

What’s the best way to move into a new home? Without a doubt, it’s to let experienced professionals take care of all the relocation details for you. In other words, to let the pros do what they do best. It’s the easiest way too.

Get in touch with top-rated movers near you and ask them to visit your home for a visual inspection. This is a must-do step that will enable them to issue you with accurate cost estimates. In addition to the moving cost estimation, the in-home surveys will also serve as actual risk assessments.

3. Get rid of unwanted items

A great way to get rid of unwanted items AND earn some cash is to organize a garage sale before moving out.

One of the best tips for moving into a new house you can get is to reduce significantly the number of items you’re taking with you. Take only the things that you like and need and intend to use in the foreseeable future.

If you choose to skip this step, then you’ll be forced to lose valuable time to pack those unwanted items, and then pay for their senseless transportation.

Inventory your entire home and gift, recycle or throw away the things you no longer need. Organize a garage sale to earn some cash from your unnecessary stuff.

4. Get hold of packing materials

One great way to save money when moving house is to pack your items by yourself – or at least the ones that you think you can manage on your own. And to be able to do just that, you’re going to need proper packing materials to start the packing process.

Secure the major packing supplies: many cardboard boxes of various sizes, packing paper, bubble wrap, packing tape and a set of color markers. The biggest packing expense will be the moving boxes but the good news is that you should be able to get those cardboard containers for free.

Where to find free moving boxes: Full checklist

5. Start packing ASAP

Sometimes moving between two homes turns out to be a race against time. So, if you wish to know how to move into a new house quickly, then the thing to remember is that you simply need to initiate the packing process as early as you can. The reason? Packing for a move happens to be the most time-consuming task of them all.

Start from the rooms that are the toughest ones to sort out and pack – the storage areas such as your garage, basement, attic, and walk-in closet. Your kitchen can also present a serious packing challenge because of the great number and types of kitchen items in it.

Packing timeline for moving

6. Obtain school/medical records

Moving to a new home situated in another city and possibly in another state as well, means a change of schools for your school-aged children. To be able to sign up your kids at the new school upon reaching your destination, you’ll need to request their school records or arrange their direct transfer.

A cross-country move also means that you’ll need to find a new family physician and dentist. So, visit your current doctor and get your medical records and all the required documentation for registering with a new health care provider.

7. Get your pet ready

It looks like your dog is quite ready for the upcoming home move.

Moving to a new home with pets will inevitably increase the level of difficulty of your upcoming move. Whether you’re moving with a dog, a cat, a bird or fish, you’ll face a distinct set of challenges to prepare your pets for the trip and most importantly – to ensure their safety on the road.

When moving house with dogs or cats, schedule an appointment with your family vet for a full check-up of your animal friend. Also, remember to get copies of their immunization records from the animal doctor.

8. Transfer the utilities

It takes careful planning to move into a new home smoothly. Think about this: you reach the new residence after an exhausting moving day only to find out that there’s no electricity in the place, and no running water either. What’s going on?

One important thing to do when moving into a new home is to transfer the utilities between the two homes – electricity, water, gas, cable TV, Internet, etc. So, contact your current utility companies and schedule the disconnection of the utilities at the old place and their reconnection at the new one. When moving to a new state, you may need to arrange that utilities transfer with different companies.

Guide to moving to another state

9. Change your postal address

Wondering what to do when you move into a new home? What about changing your postal address so that you continue to get your mail regularly and on time?

It’s best to change your address before the day of the move so that no mail delivery interruption occurs during that transitional period. Luckily, the change of address checklist you need to follow is fairly simple: you can complete this task in person at the nearest post office or online by visiting the official website of the USPS (United States Postal Service).

How to change your address when moving

10. Ensure Moving day safety

In your struggle to prepare to move into a new home, you may forget to do something extremely important, and that is to guarantee the safety of you and your family during the most chaotic day of the entire move – Moving day.

The best possible way to stay 100% safe when moving is to hire experienced movers so that you can stay away from the packing and moving action. In all other cases, make sure you dress appropriately for Moving day, use the proper lifting techniques, use the tight moving equipment and have enough manpower to handle all heavy objects safely.

How to find reputable movers

What to do AFTER moving into a new house (10 tips)

The fact that you’ve reached your new residence does not mean that your job is completely done. Regrettably, it’ll be some time before you can check all post-relocation tasks as complete as you’re settling down in the new place.

Here are the top 10 things to do as soon as you move into a new house:

1. Check all utilities

First things first – check whether all new-home utilities are up and running, then record their readings.

The very first thing to do when you move into a new house is to check whether all utilities function properly. You did remember to transfer the home utilities before your move-out day, didn’t you?

There should be electricity and running water in the new residence. Find the electricity and water meters and record their readings. If there are any problems, contact the new utility companies as soon as possible to resolve the issues.

Non-essential utilities such as the Internet, cable TV, and phone can wait a while until you’ve moved in properly.

2. Inspect all delivered boxes

Check against the detailed inventory sheet each box as it is carried inside your new home. If you find out that a cardboard container is missing or if you notice any damaged boxes, inform your movers right away and don’t sign any documents until all issues are resolved. Follow the link below to learn how to file a complaint against a moving company in case of a problem.

And as long as all moving boxes are labeled correctly, your movers won’t have any difficulties to take them to their destination rooms for easier unpacking later on.

How to file a complaint against movers: Step-by-step guide

3. Tend to your children and pets

The safety and well-being of your children is a top priority, especially if you just moved into a new home with a small child. Keep your loved ones away from any dangerous zones, preferably in a room far from the traffic. Arrange for somebody you trust, for example, your spouse or another adult member of your family, to stay with your kids while you’re dealing with movers, boxes, and furniture.

When moving with pets, you’ll need to tend to their needs too. Secure all house exits (doors and windows) so that they don’t escape. It’ll be some time before your pets can acclimatize to the new surroundings.

4. Unpack your Open-Fist boxes

Once you know that your loved ones are safe, it’s time to focus on the things to do when you first move into a new home. Now it’s time to unpack your Open-First boxes that contain absolute essential items that you’ll need immediately after the move. Keep in mind that your essentials boxes will be true lifesavers in case the rest of your belongings are yet to be delivered by the moving company.

Get immediate access to toiletries, medication, kitchen items, bedding, clothes, basic hand tools, electronic devices, and so on.

How to pack an Open-First box when moving

5. Document the current condition of your home

One good piece of advice when moving into a new house or apartment is to document the condition of the place immediately after you move in. This task is especially important when you’re a renter because you may need to prove later on that you’re not responsible for some of the damage that existed before you came in.

Your landlord may have already asked you to fill out a condition report. Either way, use your digital camera and photograph any problematic areas that you think may become an issue when the time comes for you to move out.

6. Re-assemble large furniture

Experienced furniture movers can re-assemble the bed and other large furniture in record time.

Another thing you should do after moving into a new house is to put together the major pieces of furniture – the ones that had to be disassembled at the old home in order to be protected well and moved safely.

Of course, the piece that you’ll be most eager to unpack and re-assemble will be the bed – in case you’d decided to haul it in the first place.

When you hire furniture movers to transport your furniture pieces, the professionals will be responsible for putting those pieces back together after the move.

Safety tips for moving furniture

7. Install electric appliances

It’s never easy to prepare to move into a new home as there are many important decisions to make prior to the move. And one of those essential decisions is whether or not to move some of your large household appliances such as your fridge, washing machine, dishwasher, cooking stove, and so on.

And in case you did make up your mind to take a large and heavy home appliance with you, it’s time to install it properly right after you move into your new home. If you’re not sure how to do it correctly, it’s best to hire a professional to do it for you.

8. Secure your new home

Moving into a new home will mean that you’ll also have to inspect carefully that new place and determine how secure it is. For starters, you may want to contact a local locksmith to change the locks of all outside doors – you can never know who might have a copy of the keys. Also, you can consider installing a security alarm against burglars, especially if the new neighborhood has a bad reputation.

Also, inspect your new home from the inside and double-check whether all windows and doors close tightly and lock securely. Change the batteries of all smoke detectors, if applicable.

9. Initiate the unpacking process

Are you familiar with the term UNPACKING PARTY?

Of all the things to do after moving into a new house, unpacking seems like both the most urgent and the least urgent task before you. Yes, you’ll want to get it done and over with as soon as possible but at the same time, you’ll always have more important things to tackle, especially in the first week or so.

Needless to say, you should start unpacking from the rooms you use on a daily basis and work your way towards the ones you will occupy much less frequently, like your storage areas and guest rooms.

How to unpack after moving

10. Organize a housewarming party

What to do when moving into a new home? Organize a housewarming party, of course!

You may wish to celebrate your successful house move by organizing a small informal get-together where you can invite friends (if you have any friends in the new city), co-workers and neighbors. In reality, a humble housewarming party is a good way to meet the folks next door – who knows, you may even become good friends with some of them.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, a housewarming party after the move is supposed to bring good luck to both the home itself and its occupants, which in your case are you and your family members.

Good luck!

Getting weight tickets for a military move

One of the biggest concerns when completing a Personally Procured Move (PPM), also known as a Do-It-Yourself (DITY) move, is getting reimbursed. While there’s other paperwork to complete, weight tickets are a vital component. If you’re using a rental truck, you have to figure out how to get them, and if you’re hiring a moving company, you have to make sure they take care of everything. Learn more about what weight tickets you need, how to get them and how U-Pack simplifies the PPM process.

getting military weight tickets at a weigh station
What are certified weight tickets?
Each branch of service requires specific information for reimbursement, and it may change depending on the service you use. Before your move date, confirm the specifics with the Transportation Office. Typically, military weight tickets need to include:

The name/location of scales
The moving equipment identification
Weighing date
The Weight Master’s signature
The accurate weight of the belongings
You will have a set of weight tickets — one showing the loaded weight (vehicle with a full tank of gas, belongings, but no driver or passengers) and the other showing the empty weight (vehicle with a full tank of gas but no belongings, driver or passengers). These measurements are used to calculate the weight of your household goods by subtracting the empty weight from the loaded weight.

Obtaining certified weight tickets
If you’re doing a complete DIY move, you’ll be responsible for weighing the vehicle at an approved location and providing the information listed above. It’s important to note that not all weigh stations on the side of the interstate are certified. Find out where the nearest certified weight station is on this map from Move.mil.

If you’re using a self-moving service like U-Pack®, you’ll need to make sure they can provide them. U-Pack can provide certified weight tickets as long as we know that weight tickets are required before the move date. We have military specialists who will ensure you have everything you need for reimbursement. After your move, a U-Pack military specialist will email the DITY move weight tickets to you so you can submit them for reimbursement. Contact us at 877-610-5790 for additional copies or assistance.

Still figuring out the moving process? Learn more about everything that goes into military moving from start to finish.

Why it’s worth the money to hire movers! (And how to do it right)

Are you sick of hearing me complain about how HARD moving is? Seriously, Freebs, I feel like I'm about to die. And, spoiler alert, since misery loves company, I probably won't quit complaining any time soon. But there's hope! Amidst the misery there is light at the end of the tunnel by way of tips, tricks, and lessons learned along the way to hopefully make your experience as good as it can possibly be. (And don't worry, I'm sharing tons of #ThePageProject before and afters on Instagram and Facebook so follow over there to see the progress – aka MESS – we are making!)

When I asked y'all for moving advice one of the most common pieces of advice was…HIRE MOVERS! This came as a shock to me because it's so darn expensive (or so I thought), I was sure most people would think it a luxury rather than necessity. Boy, was I wrong! We had used them before and only had a so-so experience. But thanks to my Freebs' advice (plus the fact that I'm 33 weeks pregnant…) we hired movers and decided…

…it was worth EVERY PENNY!

My friends at HireAHelper.com asked me to try movers from their database and give an honest review, so I accepted the challenge! Now I'm sharing it with you as well as my best tips first on

1. HOW to afford hiring movers,
2. WHY it's worth the money, and
3. how to do it the RIGHT WAY and not get scammed or get all your stuff broken in the process.

Let's get on with it, shall we??

Why you Should Hire Movers, How to Afford Them, and How to Do it Right!

When Bubba and I moved from our first home 4.5 years ago we decided to hire movers because we had a newborn. It was a huge stretch for us financially, but we did it anyway. I did what I knew how – did a quick google search, called around and found the best price, and booked two guys to help us for a few hours.

Over-all the experience was…ok. Yes, we got help moving our stuff! And that was great. But they were late, I'm pretty sure one showed up high, the other was about half my size and 3x as lazy, and I recall being annoyed that there was a lot of standing around, figuring out what to do next. It put a mildly bitter taste in my mouth and we decided that next time we moved we would just enlist the help of family and friends (to the point of being blacklisted) and save the money.

Flash forward to now…moving from a much bigger house with way more stuff, über pregnant and not much help, 4 little kids running around. We decided to follow the advice from the bazillions of you who commented on my cry for help and hire out again.

Around that same time the Heavens parted and a website, HireAHelper.com, reached out and asked if I would try their site.

At first glance I assumed it was a site to help you find the best deal on movers, which I was not interested in, because we learned that simply shopping for the cheapest price results in a lot of wasted time and broken furniture. I looked into it further and realized their site takes on more of the role of a general contractor, of sorts. They partner up with moving companies that they've qualified and know are good workers, you hire the movers (of your choice) through HireAHelper, then HireAHelper becomes your “general contractor” and manages them and is the one you go to with any problems or mishaps. If they are late, don't show up, break your stuff, show up high, whatever, HireAHelper has got your back!

I wrote about how their website works in detail below. But basically I scanned their site, compared prices (because I'm no fool, after all), looked into the ones that I liked and found the best fit, booked them, secured a truck (trucks are separate), and BAM. Done.

Now, in general here are some tips and things to consider when hiring movers:

1) It's worth the money…but it's definitely an investment.

I was completely jaded.

I thought “we don't have that much stuff, and we've already taken a few loads over in our truck – I'm sure it'll only be a few hours at most”. BOY was I wrong. 8 hours later we were scrambling to finish in time. EIGHT HOURS!!! We moved within the same city, so it was a very short move. Sure, it would've only taken a few hours to load things up…but I didn't factor in the time to drive to the new house and unload everything into it as well. Just know going into it that hiring movers isn't “cheap” and you should have the mindset that it's an investment; a want, not a need, and if you want it (which, I mean, who doesn't…) you'll just need to go into it with the right mindset and cut dollars from other budgets to make it fit!

Which leads us to my next point…

2) Work it into the budget!

Hiring movers to help you move all day can easily approach $1,000+, depending on how many guys you hire and how big of a truck you need. Here are some things you need to keep in mind when budgeting for movers:

• Assume it's going to take all day and calculate accordingly. Then, if it goes faster than expected you'll be pleasantly surprised and not blind sighted!

• Ask if there are taxes, fees, mileage, or overages involved in their pricing, and factor that in to the budget as well (and try to avoid additional fees at all cost, of course).

• Cut out spending or make extra money to pay for it! If you did a spending freeze just before moving (which should be easy because really, who wants to go grocery shopping right before moving day??) you could save several hundred dollars to put toward hiring movers! We decided to sell as much stuff through the classifieds as possible, and held a big yard sale which brought in a few hundred dollars. See “how to become a yard sale ninja” for my best tips and tricks!

3) Save money WITHOUT sacrificing quality.

Because I'm Jordan, and it's in my blood to stretch every dollar, I will say that there are definitely ways to hire quality help and stretch a buck at the same time. Here are a few quick tips:

• Enlist help from friends and family. Just because you are hiring a company doesn't mean you can't bring reinforcements! After all, “many hands make light work”. The more, the merrier! Have the movers focus on the furniture and extra heavy stuff, and put fam/friends to work on boxes and smaller things. No shame in recruiting backup!

• Work alongside the movers. Don't plan on it being a day off! You should be sweating and working right next to them. Again, many hands make light work and every set of hands makes a difference!

• Quality control!! Working alongside the movers not only cuts down on hiring time, but also allows you to keep a close eye on what's going on to make sure they aren't dinging your walls or breaking things in the process.

• Prepare as much of your furniture as you can BEFORE they come! As I explain in my moving hacks video, you can buy some packing saran wrap online and wrap furniture, take out dresser drawers and wrap them, wrap paintings and art, etc. The less they have to do on the day of the move, the faster it will go. Our philosophy was “we are hiring them to HAUL our stuff, not PREPARE our stuff” which helped cut down on time (believe it or not).

• Rent your own truck. Many moving companies don't even have their own truck; they rent it as-needed from Uhaul or the like…and they are up-charging it! You find the best deal on a truck and secure that yourself, then just hire the labor from a company. Chances are you'll save a pretty penny that way.

4) DON'T HIRE BASED ON PRICE ALONE!

I can't stress this enough. Based on personal experience and horror stories from people I know, just trust me on this one. Just because someone is the best “deal”, doesn't mean they are licensed, insured, or even legit. Sometimes it's a guy with a google number and he'll bring along whatever buddies need to earn money that day. Who knows if they are trustworthy, safe, or hard workers! Stop the insanity!

One thing I like about HireAHelper is that they are open about the fact that you can find cheaper prices elsewhere. Their specialty is making sure it's quality service and a good experience for you. So something to consider is “if I'm going to pay for this, I want it to be done right” and you may need to pay even a little extra to do so.

The movers (helpers) you see on HireAHelper do loading and unloading jobs for a living. Many are professional labor-only moving companies (cheap movers without a truck) that specialize in load and unload services. Others are full-service moving companies willing to send their workers out on labor-only moving jobs.

So there are my best tips!

Hopefully they help you make your (exhausting, stressful, difficult, sleepless, inconvenient…) move much more enjoyable for you and your family!

Now, here's how HireAHelper works:

#1 – Compare Prices

Simple, and upfront pricing. With straightforward hourly rates, it takes the guesswork out of comparison shopping.

See availability. The “helpers” themselves manage their availability on HireAHelper, so you know exactly when someone may, or may not be available for your job.

Customer reviews. Every single customer has the opportunity to leave an honest, and unbiased review. You will see EXACTLY what other people are loving most on HireAHelper, which may help you make your “helper” decision!

Business details and credentials. Equipment lists and business credentials are clearly listed for every helper; you know exactly what they will have, no questions asked!

#2 – Book Your Moving Labor

Select the helper you want on HireAHelper, and select your preferred start time. You get to pick!!

Reserve with a credit card. It's fast and secure. Your card won't be charged until the day before your move. No sneaky hidden charges, it's all very upfront, and I LOVE that.

They'll call you to confirm. Your helper will give you a call to confirm the details. You can ask any questions you may have, and get a good feel for how the move will operate — I'm a planner, so this is super appealing to me!

Straightforward cancellation policy. Cancel up until 24 hours before your job start time with no fee. And, though I am a planner, I have been known to change my mind on things, too! Being able to cancel, and reschedule within 24 hours? That is AMAZING!

#3 – Enjoy a Stress-Free Move

Your payment is held in escrow by HireAHelper. When the job is complete, we'll send payment to your helper – this means it's in their best interest to show up, on time and ready to get the job done!

#4 – Leave a Review

Honest customer reviews are what make HireAHelper awesome. Reviews are what can help make, or break your opinion, right? RIGHT! The reviews on HireAHelper offer peace of mind, and reassurance that others have had a good experience with your selected “helper”, and that chances are, so will YOU!

*     *     *     *     *     *

Whew! Lots of info but hopefully it saves you money, time, stress, and that oh-so-precious back of yours  But I have to say, I'm curious…

…Do you agree that movers are worth the money? What are your best tips? Share with us below!