RELOCATION AND TIPS ON HOW TO PACK AND MOVE
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This information was provided by Joy Dale, relocation real estate specialist.
503-432-3445 |
Moving across town means packing and hauling your current home’s contents, renting or hiring a moving van, and usually taking a weekend to accomplish the daunting task. Most people find moving stressful and exhausting even in the best of circumstances. Relocation brings its own crate of challenges. Relocation planning can save you stress and anxiety as you move through this transition. From my experience of relocating to London and back, I've learned a few things between moves and hope to share some tips you won’t find on relocation websites. Let’s talk destination.
Selecting & Researching Your Destination
Your relocation process begins with a destination in mind. Maybe you are moving for family or work reasons, or maybe it's just time to start somewhere fresh. A great starting point to investigate a city or town is going to be the local chamber of commerce website. Parks and recreation websites will tell you what kind of natural surroundings the area offers.
If you are looking to move somewhere in or around Yamhill County you have just struck gold. We not only work here, we vacation here! We love it here. Yamhill County has so much to offer all year round. We actually have less rain than the Big Apple and our moderate temperature lends itself to all kinds of outdoor enjoyment.
Our website offers a rich resource of community information for each Yamhill County town as well as surrounding popular communities. Each town offers a different feel and vibe, whether a city feel or small village environment. Find out what suits you best by reading personal descriptions of our communities written by Bella Casa agents.
When looking at a big city don’t discount neighboring areas as you might find a better match for your lifestyle. When we moved back to the states from London we were focused on a specific city, but were also open to a wider region and we ended up in the least likely city. We love it and it is an easy commute to the other cities we frequent. Take time to research what the city or town has to offer. As a local expert on the area, I am more than happy to visit with you as you research your new home area options.
Packing
What to take and what to leave behind? There are things we brought to London that didn't return with us. Depending on what type of relocation you are doing, you might want to rent a storage unit. In our case a storage unit would have been a wash. Shipping across the county is spendy -- across the pond is expensive. My rule would be that if it does not have sentimental or legal value, then leave it behind. Some friends of ours moved from Australia with only 9 suite cases! It means starting over, but in their case they felt it was the easiest and most cost-effective method.
Other tips:
- If packing for international, you cannot pack liquids. So if you want to take wine or spirits, check your airline for quantity in suite cases or look to ship it with UPS or USPS.
- When shipping any pictures framed with glass, buy blue painters tape and criss-cross all around the picture center out to the edge of the frame, at least 8 strips around. If the glass does break, the tape will hold the glass pieces in place and prevent damage to the photo. Use cardboard corners to protect the edges.
- Bubble wrap is your best friend, and your best price is going to be online. Go big as you will use a ton of it. They also have plate and dish sleeves now that protect dishes. Not one of my dishes or glass items broke during our ship.
- Space bags are a great invention and can be used for all things fabric. We packed pillows and blankets, linens and clothes. They truly are space saving and a great way to keep your items dry and clean.
- Pets are another area where you need to research options. We brought a 14 year old feline and he had to get a passport and shot updates. He needed a special carrier for the plane but rode underneath the seat and did just fine. Between flights we used a family designated bathroom so that he could get out of his carrier and stretch his legs for a few minutes. His ticket was reasonable. We did however, find it hard to locate a hotel that would accept a cat. Dogs are more welcome in hotels. We called at least 10 hotels and could not get a yes for a one night stay.
- Electronics are another item to put some thought into, obviously if you are relocating within the United States it is fine to take electrical items with you. If you are making an international move, forget bringing those types of items. It is a headache to find converters as voltage differences can blow your source easily. The exception that we found was my iMac; it converted power on its own and ran beautifully with just a standard plug converter.
Moving and Shipping
Now that you have a destination in mind, when you are ready to begin your move make sure to interview at least two national or international moving companies.
- Find out how they pack your belongings: do they put them on pallets and shrink wrap? are they put in wooden crate boxes, like puzzle pieces? I've experienced both and had less damage from the crated box packing.
- Ask about shared containers if you don’t have a full container; sharing can save you some cash. Everything is labeled and the chance of lost items is slim. Moving twice, I did not lose a single item.
- Make sure you get a contract that discloses all charges associated with delivery as well (I was not expecting fees from customs).
- Timing is also an obstacle; ask about length of shipping time. I was quoted a 6 week delivery time and in fact it took 13 weeks. If there are items you will need right away, it is best to keep them with you or ship UPS or USPS.
Wherever your move takes you, bring your sentimental treasures along. You can’t replace them and you will miss them. Best of luck - and if you need any help, advice or an ear to bend, give me a call. If I don't have an answer I might have a good idea of where to get one!
Other Resources
Contact Realtor® Joy Dale at 503-432-3445 to learn more about relocation, and buying or selling real estate throughout Yamhill County and the Portland Metro region.
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