Moving: It's more than boxing up your stuff

It is that time of year.

Leases are ending, new ones are being signed and many are closing deals on new homes. In fact, for the first time in a decade it is a seller's housing market — which means there are a lot of people in the area about to make some big moves.

Moving can be stressful. It is mentally, emotionally and physically draining. There's no doubt it requires a lot of effort and some help along the way,

Hiring a mover eventually becomes a necessity for those who reach that point in their lives where relying on friends and a rental truck is no longer an option. But bringing in the pros doesn't reduce the need to plan, organize and make hard decisions as moving day approaches.

Here are some tips from local experts on how to make that next move as efficient as possible, all while saving time, money and sanity along the way.

Plan ahead

Moving companies do their best to work with tight schedules. However, Kirkland Fishel, marketing coordinator for Two Men and a Truck in Ashwaubenon and Appleton, said it is in the consumer's best interest to contact a moving service as early as possible. He said June, July and August are the busiest moving months of the year, so booking at least two weeks in advance guarantees a spot with a company.

Not only that, Scott Isable, owner of U and I Movers Express in Green Bay, said proper planning allows for extra time if schedules change. No one wants to be the person who hires a service, packs multiple trucks and then finds out they cannot move into their new place yet, he said. A situation he has unfortunately witnessed. Something like this, he said, often results in additional fees and appointments, not to mention a consumer potentially without a place stay or store their belongings — the worst possible scenario.

Be realistic

To be realistic is to actually overestimate.

Dan Gauthier is owner of Dan's Moving Van, a moving company that serves Northeast Wisconsin and upper Michigan. He said while every situation is different, moving takes several hours. He said on move day, moving should be the only commitment on the schedule.

Isabel said moving out of an average 2,000-square-foot house can take anywhere between six and 10 hours.

Nine times out of 10, he said, people do not realize how much stuff they have until moving day. That is why it is important to contract a company that does preliminary estimates. He said an on-site survey with movers is the best form of security.

Fishel said some companies — like his — offer free estimates, but not all. He said consumers should beware of estimating independently because misjudging the amount of trucks needed could mean hefty service fees. All three experts said if a company charges a small fee for an estimate, it is still better to pay that than to rely on guesswork.

Although it might not look like it from the inside, both Isable and Fishel said most family moves require two 26-foot-long moving trucks.

To be realistic also means considering any structural changes made to a home.

Isable said alterations to walls, ceilings, hallways and doors, can make it more difficult to move furniture and belongings out than they were move in.

Purge, pack and organize

Some people might have the idea to throw things away as they go on move day. But Gauthier said this is the wrong approach. Do not wait until the last minute.

"The best thing to do is purge or get rid of unwanted stuff before we get there," he said. "We have a certain system and the more stuff that is in the way, the longer it will take."

Remember, a quicker move means a smaller bill if the company charges by the hour.

Moving companies also offer expert packing services, which can be very beneficial. However, Fishel said consumers looking to save money can pack on their own boxes and simply have the company transfer boxes from home to truck.

Overall, he said packing boxes and labeling them with room designations, as well as cleaning the week leading up the a move, means less work for everyone.

Gauthier said people should strive to have as many items, especially larger ones, on the ground floor on moving day to reduce trips up and down stairs.

Also, it is boxes over bags. Isable said one can never have too many boxes during a move and that in general bags are not strong enough, do not provide enough protection for items and cause more fuss than they do help.

Be attentive 

The job is not done until all items are off the truck.

Isable said those moving into a new home often get so excited that they forget moving is still going on and begin unpacking and decorating. He said the best way to get things done is to be near the entrance of the home and direct movers to where things should go. This is good for consumers, he said, because it saves money on the move and reduces the number of things they might have to subsequently move themselves once movers leave.

Some basic packing tips from Two Men and a Truck:

The heavier the item, the smaller the box

Avoid mixing items from different rooms in the same box

Never use printed newsprint to wrap fine china

Pack important and sentimental documents separately so they are easily accessible

Always tape boxes. Do not just simply interlock the tops

Pack and unpack breakables over a padded surface

Don’t use boxes without tops. No tops make it impossible to stack properly in the truck

sleduc@greenbay.gannett.com 'Like' Shelby Le Duc on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @pghshelbyleduc