Moving on Your Own? 5 Self-Moving Mistakes to Avoid

The process of moving house is unlike any other significant events you can experience in life. It’s definitely not the easiest thing you can do, and gladly, it’s not the hardest challenge you can ever face either. In fact, it’s almost impossible to assess effectively the level of difficulty of residential moves as that can only be done on a case-by-case basis.

Depending on a number of highly influential factors /distance between the two homes, number of household items, previous relocation experience, level of organization, number of helping hands, and of course – the amount of allocated financial resources/, a house move can be anything from a smooth trouble-free experience to a problem-filled relocation disaster.

However, even if your particular case of moving home yourself has all the right ingredients and fulfilled prerequisites for a fairly easy and effortless do-it-yourself adventure, a number of mistakes when moving on your own can really hurt your chances to reach your new home with a smile on your face.

Read on to learn the worst 5 self-moving mistakes to avoid, and once you are familiar with them and the risks they pose for your DIY move, simply do all in your power to stay away from them.

1. I’ll save a fortune when I move on my own.

Hopefully, your decision to take advantage of the DIY approach to moving house has come after careful analysis of your current situation. Interestingly, most home movers tend to assume that moving by yourself is always the more cost effective way to relocate simply because they won’t have to pay for the services of a professional removal company.

But it’s never that easy, is it? In practice, certain criteria will have to be met so that the above assumption can turn out to be true:

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  If you’re moving only a short distance, then yes – borrowing a friend’s pickup truck or renting a moving van until the move is complete can be a financially sound decision, at least as far as the transportation costs go;

• If you’ve moved house before, then yes – organizing your own move and packing up your entire home on your own instead of paying for professional packing services can save you a good deal of money in the end;

• If you know you can rely on your friends to help you move, then yes – you may actually be able to pull off a successful residential move without any professional assistance.

And still, even if you meet all of the DIY-friendly moving criteria above, one of the biggest mistakes when moving on your own is to fail to take into consideration the scores of hidden Do-It-Yourself relocation costs, such as purchasing packing materials, renting moving equipment, buying additional moving insurance, and transportation costs (fuel, taxes, food, etc.). Moreover, don’t forget to include all self-moving risks that could really hurt your budget – property damage due to insufficient move-related experience or personal injuries due to unawareness of the proper lifting techniques, for example.

Moving by yourself to a new city is a risky business and a single wrong step can cause not only headaches, but can lead to a loss of money and nerves as well. The best course of action for you is to weigh in your relocation options carefully, and choose the one that will best work for you. In any case, you should get accurate price estimates from reputable moving companies for moving costs comparison before your final decision.

2. Time management when moving is overrated.

Underestimating the time you have until your scheduled moving day is another of the more serious mistakes when moving by yourself. Be mindful that time starts ticking away the moment your date is set, and you are advised to start the pre-move preparations right away even if you feel like you have ample time to tackle all the tasks you’re supposed to complete in time.

Everyone who has survived a house move before knows the importance of time management, especially if the self-moving option has been selected. So, if you know somebody who has recently changed houses, you can be sure that one of their moving tips for you will be to start the dreadful preparation immediately and keep your pre-move time as organized as possible.

In reality, what you need is a DIY moving house checklist to be able to control your time as best as you can. Also known as a personal moving calendar, this personal checklist of yours will detail all the tasks you need to do to guarantee yourself smooth sailing throughout the relocation.

The hardest jobs should be listed first in that moving calendar /prioritization/ as your energy and motivation will inevitably decrease the more Moving day approaches. Also, all the tasks that are not relevant to your specific relocation instance have no business in your personal timeline either /customization/.

Time management is king! To avoid one of the most common mistakes when moving on your own, keep a close watch on how you spend each hour of the time you are given. Oh, and one more thing – knowing that you’re on the right track will help you control any instances of elevated moving stress. And that’s good, isn’t it?

Click here to learn everything there is to know about creating and maintaining a personal moving checklist.

3. I can work fast so packing should be a breeze.

Speaking of underestimation, grossly underestimating the arduous task of packing often seems to be one of the major mistakes of every DIY move. Remember that packing is not just another pre-move task you can simply check as complete in your personal moving calendar – packing up your entire home is the most time consuming and energy-draining job you will face while moving to a new home by yourself.

It’s good to keep in mind that moving mistakes are oftentimes poor judgments due to lack of relocation experience, and even if you consider yourself a fast worker, that won’t make such a big difference in the end because of the various packing rules and techniques you should follow. In fact, unless you have hired professional packers to help you out, faster speeds when packing might sometimes also mean substandard levels of packing safety.

We urge you to take a look at and stay away from the worst packing mistakes when moving. In the meantime, here are the principal rules of packing that should prove to be the fine line between major success and moderate failure.

• Once again, you’re racing against the clock. The process of packing brooks no delay so initiate it as soon as you possibly can. Check out our special guide on what to pack first when moving house.

• Sort out your possessions with the help of a moving inventory and start packing only the items you still want and will need in the near future. A costly self-moving mistake is to decide to pack up absolutely everything you own in order to “save” sorting time.

• Stick to your moving/packing calendar and plan more time for packing up a room than you think you will need. You will thank yourself later for that too.

• Make sure you have enough packing supplies before you start as unscheduled interruptions will only slow you down more than you would like.

• Packing up a whole house is not a task for one person. Ask your friends to give you a hand, or call in professional reinforcements if you’ve really fallen behind schedule.

SEE ALSO: How to get rid of things when moving

4. Safety measures? What could possibly go wrong on moving day?

Of all the major mistakes when moving on your own, some safety errors related to packing, lifting and transporting household items may prove really costly for you. In other words, disregard any the essential safety rules when moving by yourself and you may get yourself into a world of trouble.

The top 3 safety rules when moving by yourself are:

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  Use proper moving equipment. Some household items are too heavy to be lifted and carried around by hand no matter how strong and confident you may be. For example, if you’re moving your refrigerator out of your home, you are strongly advised to keep it as upright as possible both for its and your sakes. Also, proper pieces of equipment such as a moving dolly will protect your home from possible damage.

• Avoid personal injuries. DIY mistakes can be not only costly, but they can also be rather painful as well. It’s vital that you use your common sense first, and then rely on your physical strength. Think twice before undertaking a seemingly challenging task. See if you can find an alternative easier way to do something, and most importantly – follow strictly the proper lifting techniques to keep bad injuries are bay.

• Prevent property damage. Moving day safety is a concept that covers the health of humans on one hand (you, your family, your friends), and the well-being of your possessions and property on the other hand. Preventing personal injuries of any kind is your number one concern, of course, but don’t make the DIY moving mistake of underestimating property damage either. Invest in moving blankets, furniture sliders, carpet protectors, inexpensive sheets of cardboard, and so on. Click here to learn more about how to protect your home when moving.

5. I don’t need any help when moving, thank you.

As mentioned earlier, the decision to move on your own should only come after careful analysis of your relocation case. Chances are that it won’t be long until you start asking yourself the question, “Hire a moving company or move it myself?”.

And while the distance to your new residence, and the number and nature of your possessions will most probably give you a good hint about which way to go, the deciding factor often proves to be the availability and readiness of your friends to help you out.

The best self-moving advice you can ever get is to turn to your good pals, for no DIY moving project can be really done without timely assistance from the outside. A big mistake when moving by yourself is to believe that you can complete the myriad of moving tasks with your own two hands. So, instead of trying hard to be a hero,

• reach out to your friends early enough to minimize possible disruption to their schedules,

• be completely open with them about what you expect of them,

• devise an emergency Plan B if your pals cannot give you hand for one reason or another, and

• think of smart ways to reward their efforts and show them your enormous gratitude.

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