Moving into a New Home: 12 Hot Tips

The following is a list of 12 useful tips for when moving into a new home.

#1. Bribe your friends and family (and heck even co-workers if you have nothing to hide) with a BBQ, pizza, beer, etc.

#2. If you don't have any friends or family or co-workers you can trust then hire a professional moving company. Try to get a company that is local and trustworthy. ie. If you live in Montreal and looking for a "déménageur Montréal" then I recommend adtmoving.com just because I really like their video (shown below).



That video alone proves to me that Déménagement Montréal is a solid company. Yes, I may not speak the best French, but the video really impressed me.

#3. When carrying everything in put them all in the center of the rooms so you can paint the walls if you want to without having to move everything two extra times.

#4. If you're moving into the new home and planning to flip it later don't paint the walls willy nilly. Choose colours that everyone will like and will match your decor. This way when you later flip the house for a profit the new owners will like the paint colours and that may earn you some extra cash during the flipping process.

#5. Label all your boxes with what is in the boxes. Give each box a colour and a number. The colour is so you know which room it is going in and the number is so you can find that specific box later. The colours also help the moving men know which room everything goes in.

#6. Create a master list of the box numbers, colours and any important contents (ie. toilet paper).

#7. When in doubt move all the breakable things yourself if you don't trust anyone else to carry them. That way if you break them its YOUR fault.

#8. Always let larger / stronger people carry the big things like your grand piano. Why break your back when you don't need to?

#9. Always have a map and directions of how to get to BOTH places, your old place and the new one, and give copies to everyone. This will save time later and remove any confusion. The last thing you want is people getting lost on the way to the new place. The same rule applies for your cell phone number.

#10. Have a box of commonly used tools handy. Screwdrivers, etc in case anything needs to be disassembled before it can be carried down the stairs.

#11. If you do go the BBQ / pizza route with family and friends ask them in advance what kind of things they want to eat, what toppings they want on their pizza and what kind of beer they like.

#12. When carrying things for many hours have a 5 minute to 10 minute break every hour. It will give people a chance to catch their breath and get a drink, eat an energy bar, etc. People will be able to carry things better and be more sure-footed if they aren't exhausted or hungry.

BONUS TIP: Buy a box of energy bars for everyone.