Moving out for the first time is never easy but when that relocation takes you across the country to another state, then things tend to become a bit more complicated than you need them to be.
It’s the lack of house moving experience that will make you feel pretty nervous and anxious and stressed out about the upcoming residential move. Most of the time, you won’t be sure what to do, and even if you did, you wouldn’t know exactly how to do it simply because you’ve never done it before. Simple as that.
The following 5 tips for moving out of state for the first time will help you get a better feel of what’s ahead of you, providing you with enough information to complete a successful out of state move.
1. FOLLOW a moving out of state CHECKLIST
Moving out for the first time can be a rather confusing period simply because you’ve never organized a house move before. And that’s exactly why you’ll soon find yourself wondering where to start your preparation and how to organize your time efficiently so that you can be completely ready when the day of the move comes along.
Of course, some moving tasks will have much higher priority tags than others, so it’s important to take care of those essential tasks first. The problem is that you have no idea what the must-do jobs are and what’s the best way to tackle them.
And things seem much more complicated when you’re moving out of state for the first time!
A house move involves an overwhelming number of things to do before moving out, and your only chance of having a successful state-to-state move is to organize those tasks into a specialized to-do list known as MOVING CHECKLIST.
A moving checklist will not only list everything that you have to do before, during, and after your residential move, but it’ll also tell you in what order to complete those moving tasks for maximum efficiency. For example, labeling the boxes before you have the chance to pack them up won’t really work, will it?
Possibly the greatest advice for moving out for the first time is to follow a good moving checklist in order to organize your time perfectly and remain stress-free knowing that you’ll be 100% ready before your movers arrive on Moving day.
Just borrow this MOVING CHECKLIST and customize it to reflect your own house moving needs.
2. DON’T MOVE everything you own
Due to the lack of house moving experience, you’re much more likely to make a costly mistake than a person who’s been there and done that. Some mistakes will be costlier than others, of course, and the biggest blunder you can make when moving to another state is to pack and move absolutely everything you have in your home right now.
What to know when moving out for the first time is that the cost of your upcoming interstate move will be calculated on the basis of several factors, including the overall weight of your shipment. What that means in reality is that the more household item you choose to take with you to the new place, the more money you’ll have to pay for their transportation.
And seriously, will you need all those things in the new home? Really use in the future every single item currently found in your place?
When moving out of state for the first time, it’s almost always a big mistake to move all your possessions – in addition to the higher moving costs and extra packing expenses, you’re also going to lose valuable time to pack needless items and precious storage space in the new house or apartment.
Do the right thing and declutter your home before moving interstate for the first time. Follow the link below to learn the best way to get rid of unwanted items, thus saving money, time, and space in the process.
See also: How to declutter your home before moving
3. PACK by yourself to lower the moving costs
Naturally, you’ll be worried about the cost of moving out for the first time and whether you have enough money to cover all the inevitable moving costs and expenses.
The amount of money you pay at the end of your interstate move will depend on the distance between the two homes (nothing you can do about it, obviously), the weight of your shipment (declutter, declutter, declutter), the state-to-state moving company you choose (see below), and the number and nature of extra services you request from your mover.
Now, packing is the most common service offered by full-service interstate movers, and it’s not the cheapest moving service either. For a 2-bedroom home, packing labor alone should cost around $450-$600, add in the cost of packing materials ($150-$250) and you get the idea. For a 3-bedroom home, packing labor alone will cost around $600-$750, with the cost of packing materials going for around $250-$350.
One of the things to consider when moving out for the first time is that you can actually save that money by packing up your things by yourself. Think about it: why should you pay professional packers when you can pack almost all of your items on your own or with a little help from your good friends?
All you need is a detailed PACKING TIMELINE that will guide you through the house packing process. The great news is that you can even get most of your packing supplies without paying for them.
Good advice: How to get free moving boxes
Cost-saver: Where to get bubble wrap for free
4. TAKE care of the important stuff: address, utilities, paperwork
When moving out of state for the first time, you just have to tackle a few important tasks that are directly connected to your impending relocation to a new state:
Address
You’re moving to another state, and that automatically means that your address is changing too. So, in order to continue to receive your mail without a problem, you’re going to have to initiate a change of address (COA) procedure with the USPS.
Click here to learn how to change your address when moving to a different state.
Utilities
You’re moving out for the first time, so you probably don’t have much experience with unpacking cardboard boxes in complete darkness. That’s right – failure to transfer or change your home utilities may force you to find your new home without electricity and running water.
Arrange for the transfer or change of your home utilities: schedule their disconnection around 1 day after you move out of your current home and their reconnection roughly 1 day before you move into the new one.
Click here to learn how to change your utilities when moving to a new state.
Documents
Yes, you’re going to have to take with you all your important documents such as IDs, birth certificates, driver’s licenses, property deeds, insurance policies, bank documents, etc.
However, you’ll also need to get your medical records from your current family physician, school records if you have school-age children who are transferring schools, and even documents from your vet so that you can register your pet with another animal doctor in the new state.
Good info: Pros and cons of moving to another state
5. HIRE the best interstate movers in your area
The thing to remember when you’re moving out of state for the very first time is that organizing a DIY move is not the recommended way to transport your belongings from Point A to Point B. And the main reason for that is the great distance between the two locations – hundreds or thousands of miles across the country.
When moving out of home for the first time and going to a place that’s multiple state lines away, then the best thing you can do is trust a top-rated interstate mover in your city or town.
Understandably, you may feel a bit nervous when using a moving company for the first time – you have no idea how to find a good mover and you don’t really know what to expect from professional movers either.
The truth is that finding one of the best interstate movers in your area is easier than you think and the price they quote you will most likely be far lower than you ever expected.
Get a free quote from reputable state-to-state movers and organize a textbook cross-country move.
Read also: What to know when using movers for the first time
