Imagine this scenario. You’ve hired movers to help you on moving day. Most of the hard work is done – the packing, the loading, the transporting. You arrive at your new home. Everyone goes inside, and the movers start to unload your belongings. They ask you where to place things – and you have no idea where you want everything. After all the work you’ve done, wouldn’t this be a nightmare? After all, using movers should make your life easier, but if they place boxes and furniture where you don’t want them, you’ll have to sort through everything later. No thanks! You can avoid this scenario by getting organized in advanced with these three tips:
First Things First: How to Organize Your New Home on Unloading Day
· Decide each room’s purpose. Whether you’re moving from a larger home to a smaller one, or vice versa, you need to know how many rooms you have to fill in your new place. Once you know this, you can decide how each room will be used. Will you have a few different bedrooms and an office, or one bedroom, an office and a craft room? Whatever the case, designate each room and then label boxes as specifically as possible. On unloading day, you can place a sign over each room’s doorway indicating its purpose so movers know exactly where to place labeled boxes.
· Consider what worked at your old home – and what didn’t. Did you like having the entertainment center and couches where they were, relative to each other? How about the bed in your bedroom – was it nice under the window or did you not like that? In the kitchen, did you always wish the silverware drawer was closer to the cabinet where the plates were kept? Think about what furniture and other arrangements you would have changed – and see if your new home allows for such changes.
· Create a floor plan. This is the best way to get organized before moving day – so you know exactly where every furniture piece will go, and won’t have to re-move it after the movers leave. To create a floor plan, measure each room (or ask for measurements if you don’t have access to the home beforehand) and then measure your furniture. Arrange furniture cutouts on the floor plan, keeping in mind traffic flow and ease of use. When making final decisions, think about lighting and other considerations.
These tips should help you get organized before unloading day so everything goes more smoothly – for the movers, and for you. And remember – you can always change your mind about where furniture goes after unloading day. So don’t stress out if you can’t figure out the “perfect spot” for it all before you move in!
This article was written by David Shapiro. David Shapiro is a marketing specialist for moving companies like North American Van Lines. He lives in Arizona and, when he isn’t working, enjoys various outdoor activities such swimming, hiking, and mountain climbing.