Downsizing To An Apartment? Follow These Tips When Hiring Movers
Sometimes, people think of hiring professional movers as something you only need to do when moving from one big house to another. But hiring residential movers can still be helpful when you're downsizing to a smaller apartment. Even if you only have a few pieces of furniture and a few dozen boxes, it's often easier to pay someone else to move them than it is to move them yourself. So, what tips will you want to follow when hiring movers for a downsizing move? Here are a few to get you started.
Get rid of extras before you get a moving quote.
Chances are, if you are downsizing, you don't plan on moving all of your things to your new home. You probably want to sell, donate, or otherwise get rid of some of your items. Do this before you have moving companies come and give you quotes for the move. This way, they (and you) will have a better idea of what you are actually hiring them to move. They can be more accurate with their quotes.
Let the movers know if it is an upstairs or a downstairs apartment.
Moving into a ground-floor apartment takes less time than moving into an upstairs one. Carrying things up the stairs really adds to the work. So, as soon as you know whether you're moving into an upper or a lower, let your movers know so they can plan accordingly. They may send more movers or plan on spending longer on your move if you're upstairs. Also let them know whether there is an elevator, or if they need to take the stairs.
Measure your large items before paying to have them moved.
Are you planning to move anything large, such as a sofa or cedar chest? Measure large items beforehand, and make sure the measurements are smaller than all of the door openings on the way into your new apartment. If something is too large, there is no sense in paying your movers to move it to your new apartment. You'll want to get rid of oversized items before your moving date. Of course, you can also check to see whether large pieces of furniture can be disassembled. Many moving companies will disassemble them for you, although they often do charge an extra fee for this.
Downsizing can be relieving, but also a little bit challenging. Following the tips above will make things easier for you and your movers.