If you’re not a fan of moving, or if you’re particularly attached to your current home, you may balk at the idea of making a local move. However, sometimes relocating within your state is inevitable. You may need a larger home for your growing family, your older home may be posing safety hazards, or you may want to shorten your commute to work.
When considering whether to move to a new location in the same city or state, you need to remember that any move requires planning and work. A local move may seem simple since you aren’t carting your belongings across the country, but a poorly planned and executed local move can cause serious stress and frustration.
Weigh the following challenges and benefits to decide whether a local move is right for you.
Challenges
Any move requires the individual or family to significantly alter their current life. You’ve likely established a familiar rhythm in your home and community, and it will take some time to set that up again in a new place.
Local moves, in particular, can be hectic because you may not consider the scope of the project. If you’re moving across town, you may not think you need to pack up all your possessions or hire professional movers. However, trying to fill your car with loose items and make multiple trips each day to get everything moved over can quickly turn into a nightmare.
In order to avoid such problems, you need to take your local move as seriously as you would a long-distance move. Plan out the process, including figuring out what needs to be packed together, where each item will go in the new home, and what your timetable will be.
Another challenge you might face is finding a way to fit your old life into your new home. Since you aren’t moving far, it may make more sense to simply relocate everything you own into the new space. However, keep in mind that your current organizational setup was designed specifically for your current home. If your new house is larger or smaller than the original, your belongings may not fit how you like.
Benefits
Choosing to move to a new home opens up many opportunities for you and your family. You’ll have a home that probably better suits your needs and a chance to start fresh.
If you’ve put off cleaning out your attic, garage, or junk room for years, moving is the perfect excuse to finally get rid of the possessions you no longer want or need. Instead of creating a new junk room in your next home, get rid of everything you don’t have a use for. Decluttering will ease the moving process and provide a more simplified new life.
Moving into a new home also gives you a blank slate. Perhaps you’re financially better off than you were when you moved into your current home, so you can afford to upgrade your furniture and décor. On the other hand, maybe you want to move into a smaller space and have fewer possessions, so you can enjoy a simpler minimalist lifestyle.
Whatever your reasons for moving, when you walk into your empty new home, you have a blank canvas to work with. And since your current home isn’t too far away, you could feasibly perform any design changes or decorating before actually moving out. This reduces stress and makes the process easier since you won’t need to navigate around half-unpacked moving boxes as you paint or plan a design scheme.
Another benefit is close proximity to friends who will likely be willing to help you move. Instead of having to find a babysitter in a strange new city as you unpack, ask your friends or neighbors. Even if you hire movers, you may want to have your friends help pack and move since they already know how you like the house arranged. Your friends will likely still be close by and more than willing to offer assistance.
Decided to Move Locally? Some Tips
If you’ve decided the benefits of moving within your city or state outweigh the challenges, there are a few things to keep in mind to make things easier for you. As mentioned above, one of the challenges of moving locally is overcoming the mindset that you can handle everything in a few quick trips. You’ll likely find yourself dumping mismatched objects on the living room floor as you rush back and forth.
Instead, try a few of these tips:
- Hire a local moving company – Professionals can get your possessions transferred quickly and efficiently, saving you the hassle and preventing possible injury or damage.
- Don’t pack everything. You likely won’t need to pack every little thing. For instance, your hung clothes can stay on their hangers and easily fit in your car. Keep the things you will need right away, such as toiletries or electronics, readily available as well so you won’t need to dig through boxes for your toothbrush.
- Organize before you pack. Don’t just throw all the things you need to pack randomly into boxes. Pack all the kitchen items in one box, the bathroom items in another, etc. When you get to your new home, you’ll know exactly where to find what you need. Remember to label every box as well.
Local moves offer many benefits and can feel freeing, but handling one alone can create unnecessary stress. If you’re ready to relocate, contact the local moving experts at Wheaton for advice and assistance.