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A moving experience
May is the beginning of the busiest moving season of the year--bet you could already tell--with more than 21 million Americans changing their residences over the next four months, says Allied Van Lines.
Now's the time to help buyers and sellers prepare for a smooth, stress-free transition.
Here are 10 tips from Allied that you can clip out and pass on to your sales associates so that they can help their clients and customers over the bumps in the road.
Need more info on moving? See REALTOR.COM and Allied Van Lines' Web site at alliedvan.com.
10 tips for a good move
1. Develop a master "to do" list. Your mover is sure to have one. Set up a calendar with dates keyed to when tasks on your list need to be completed.
2. Sort through belongings and eliminate stuff you no longer need. Ask yourself, When was the last time I used this? How does it make me feel? What's the worst thing that could happen if I didn't have it? If you experience a great degree of hesitancy, keep it.
3. Recycle belongings you're leaving behind. Garage sales are great for this as well as profitable. Donations to homeless shelters, hospitals, and schools also can be rewarding.
4. Use up supplies that are not transportable. About a month before the move, use up cleaning supplies and eat your way through the freezer items.
5. Pack "like" items together. Games, pet supplies, photos, and toys are some of the items that should be grouped
by kind and packed together.
6. Organize moving documents and place them in a portable file box to take with you on moving day. Keep important papers together: the moving registration number, the driver's name and vehicle number, and the name and phone number of the moving company at point of origin and destination; include your personal address book
in case you need to reach someone.
7. Put different colored stickers on boxes sorted by room in your new home. Then place a matching colored balloon on the door of the appropriate room.
8. Pack a "survival box" of items you'll need immediately on arrival. This should include such items as light bulbs, linens, paper products, garbage bags, soap, and tools. Take this with you--don't pack it in the van.
9. Schedule your usual rounds. Get hair cut, car serviced, and prescriptions filled shortly before the move. This eases the pressure of finding new services right away at your new location.
10. Send out change-of-address cards. Creditors, insurance companies, friends, magazine subscriptions, and utility companies should be high on your list. Your local post office has change-of-address kits filled with cards and a helpful checklist. Leave a forwarding address with the post office when you know where your new home will be. And have a good, safe move.
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