You’re ready to leave Miami for a new job and a new life in North-Central New Jersey. Now comes the hard part: selling your current home, finding a new one, and planning a move of more than 1,000 miles.
There are many things to consider in a long-distance relocation. While it’s going to take a lot of work, don’t stress. If you plan out each step in as much detail as possible, you’ll be able to turn your trepidation into excitement as you look forward to beginning your new adventure in a new New Jersey home.
Here are some tips to help get you started:
Take Care of Housing
Once you’ve decided to make the move, either for personal or work reasons, you’ll need to sell your home in Miami and begin looking for North-Central New Jersey homes. You can start your search virtually, but you should also research real estate agents, interview them by phone and hire one.
Once you narrow down some properties, you’ll probably want to make a quick trip to tour them and, if you settle on one, put in an offer and begin the closing process.
If you plan to rent before you buy, you can begin researching apartments or condos online and then make arrangements to sign a lease.
Planning Your Move
Now it’s time to get organized for the actual move. The first task is to pick a trustworthy moving company to get your possessions safely from Florida to your new North-Central New Jersey home. There are several companies known for their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to customer service.
There are several steps to take to assure a smooth move:
Get a Quote
Most companies will come to your home to give you an accurate quote on how much it will cost to move you from Miami to North-Central New Jersey. It will help to have the address of your new North New Jersey or Central New Jersey home if you’ve already closed. If you haven’t closed on a place yet, the moving company will be able to store your items until you have access to your new house.
The estimator will want to see all of your possessions so the company knows the scope of the job. Every moving company has its method of calculating costs. Rather than charging by weight or volume of your possessions, many moving companies will quote a price based on the time and manpower needed to get your possessions to your destination. It’s a good idea to get multiple estimates. You should be able to get a feel for the company by the professionalism of the estimator.
Make sure you show the estimator all of your possessions. If you have items in your attic, garage, basement, or backyard that you want to take with you, let the estimator see them. Neither you nor they want any surprises on moving day that could lead to major headaches. If you don’t want to take items, such as a lawnmower, bicycles, or a personal watercraft, separate them so there is no confusion.
Likewise, moving companies want to know if there will be big pieces of furniture such as a grand piano or a pool table that you’ll be taking to your North New Jersey home. Moving these heavy items could affect the final quote.
Some companies can even ship an automobile if you don’t want to drive to your new home or have multiple vehicles that you want to take with you.
Let the estimator know if you want them to do all the packing or if you will have boxes ready to load onto the moving van. This will also have a bearing on the final cost.
Since every move is different, the average cost range is estimated to be between $2,400 and $5,000. Naturally, moving possessions from a two-bedroom home should be cheaper than if you had a company pack up a four-bedroom house.
Begin Decluttering
Packing up your home can be an excellent opportunity to take inventory of your belongings. Several weeks before the actual move, start decluttering every room. It will help make the move more manageable, and you’ll be glad you did it when you start moving into your new North New Jersey home.
One room at a time, sort your possessions to decide what goes and what doesn’t. Set out two boxes, one for items to be given to charity and the other box for things to be thrown away or recycled. This can include clothes, household items, and even furniture. If you don’t plan to use something in your new home, it doesn’t make any sense to move it a thousand miles or so.
If you plan to hold a garage sale to make some extra cash, set those items in a separate place. Of course, you’ll then have to sort through the things that didn’t sell and decide whether to give them away or trash them.
Don’t forget your attic, garage, basement, or backyard storage shed. You don’t want any surprises on moving day. Check with the moving company to see what items might not be allowed on the moving van, such as solvents or other liquids or materials that might be hazardous. Dispose of those items safely.
Start Packing
If you are going to pack items such as clothing, books, and other personal possessions, go ahead and wade in. Your moving company will have a list of packing tips and can provide you with boxes and other materials such as padding and packing tape. It can be overwhelming at first, but you should get going at a good clip once you begin. Moving companies suggest it will take at least one week to pack.
Pack up the items you know you won’t need right away in your new Central New Jersey home, such as holiday decorations and other seasonal items like winter clothing.
Set aside items you’ll need right away, such as kitchen basics, toiletries, and laundry supplies.
Mark every box by its contents and into which room it will go. Prepare an inventory list of all your items.
Other Steps
Even as you begin packing, you’ll need to be making other arrangements. If you have children, you will need to notify their school that they will be leaving and begin researching school districts in your new town. If you have pets, figure out how you will move them.
If you’re ready to buy or sell North New Jersey real estate in 2021, contact the McGurl Team for assistance.
