Upgrading your home – bad idea? today? An important factor many people overlook is the distance of the move. If you are relocating to a new home in-town or just a short distance away, you may feel comfortable estimating your truck needs on the low end. After all, you can always make two trips if you run out of truck space. On the other hand, if you are making a long distance move, it is not practical to make multiple trips. Estimating on the higher end may be beneficial. If you get in a bind, you can always rent a trailer to tow behind your car for additional space.The steps that you take to prepare for moving day can make or break your overall moving experience. Apply these tips to estimate better the truck size that is suitable for your needs. While using a truck rental company’s estimate when selecting the right size of truck or trailer to rent may be helpful, keep in mind that this is merely an estimate. Some people have much more substantial furnishings, more things, and tons of stuff crammed into every closet and cabinet. Other packrats even have entire garages jam-packed with items from floor to ceiling. A smart way to better estimate a suitable truck size is to attempt to cluster your things together, such as in an unused formal dining room, a garage or another large space. This effort also helps you prep for the move. When you pack a place full of items and measure the area, you will have a better idea about the right truck size for your needs.

Decluttering before you sell means that you only move what you really need – and you will not only save money by doing so, but you will also save time in the new house by not having to unpack and deal with all that stuff in the future. Before you rent a truck, you should assess how much stuff you have and try to sort and get rid of things you don’t need or haven’t used in a very long time. It will not only save you time and money when packing and unpacking but also ensures you start off in your new home without too much clutter.

Moving house costs. A lot. Why would you want to add to this cost by paying to move things you don’t use or need? We all have items in our house that have long been forgotten – usually ending up in the garage, loft or shed, but they could be lurking anywhere. Before you start your packing is the perfect time to go through everything and have a good sort out. Moving is a fresh start, so the last thing you want to take with you are things that you don’t need or use any longer. Decluttering before you sell means that you only move what you really need – and you will not only save money by doing so, but you will also save time in the new house by not having to unpack and deal with all that stuff in the future. I call that a win-win! If you own items that you want to get rid of but are too valuable to just give away, start selling on eBay, Etsy, or Craigslist at least six weeks before moving. It’s an easy way to make you feel like you aren’t procrastinating, and you might be able to make enough money back to pay for the entire move itself. But it takes time for things to sell on Etsy and eBay, so you’ll want to plan accordingly. See even more information on our moving house experience. So you found a new place! It’s all wonderful and exciting until you start to think about how much crap you have. If you’re moving locally this should be a no-brainer. Truck rentals used for local moves are billable at a per day and mileage rate, the daily price may vary by $10-$20 depending on the size. In other words, spend the extra few bucks and get the larger truck just to be sure. Medium truck sizes are best used for 1-2 bedroom apartments as well as small homes. We typically don’t recommend this size to anyone with more than 1200 SqFt of living space. Most small moving trucks have rear wheel wells that stick out and reduce the amount of flat cargo space.

Also worth considering is what you actually have in your new home. Is anything being left (carpets/curtains/furniture etc.), is there fitted storage etc..? For example – if you’re moving from a house with all fitted wardrobes, and the new house has none, then you will need somewhere to hang your clothes asap – you may therefore want to invest in some rails for the interim while you decide on suitable furniture etc. Or if you are leaving the curtains in your old house, you will definitely need some sort of window covering at least on the bedrooms windows in the new house (it may be worth asking them if it’s possible for them to leave certain curtains for you). It will be worth making a shopping list and getting things sorted ahead of time, I’m sure you agree! Once the moving date is confirmed, make a start on packing as soon as you can. Get together a plan of action with a room by room checklist of how you will pack along with all of the packing material you’ll need.