When most people move to a new home, they generally have several months to plan the relocation. This period of planning is especially valuable for long-distance moves.
But what if you don’t have the luxury of time? What if you just found out you’re being relocated for work? Or maybe you need to move out of state because of a family emergency?
In any case, there’s no need to panic. Take a deep breath and click here for more information for a quick guide on how to move out of state with no time to spare.
1. Find a Place to Stay in Your New State
First, you need to ensure you have a place to stay when you move out of state. Because this long-distance move is taking place on such short notice, it might be prudent to find a temporary living situation. From here, you can regroup and find a more permanent solution.
Find out if any friends or family in the area have a room for you to stay in. If you need to, you can rent a storage unit in the interim to house all of your belongings. If friend/family lodging isn’t an option, look for extended-stay hotels or short-term apartments.
2. Figure Out What to Do With Your Current Home
Now, it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to do with your current home. If you live in an apartment complex, this transition can be as simple as terminating your lease.
However, if you have several months or years left on your lease, this might mean paying early termination fees. If you explain the situation to your landlord, they might be compassionate and understating, and waive the fees.
An out-of-state move on short notice will be more complicated if you own your home. In this case, you’ll need to think about selling it or renting it out.
Selling it will end your mortgage, which will help you get approved for another home loan in your new location. Yet, selling a home normally takes several months. You might need to have someone in town handle the majority of the process after you move.
Renting your home to tenants, on the other hand, means hanging onto the mortgage and being responsible for the property, which might not be an appealing option. Real estate is a valuable asset to have, and renting out your home will provide you with additional income.
3. Start Organizing Your Stuff
Before you move out of state, you can simplify the process by going through all of your possessions and organizing them into four or five categories. These categories include:
• Keep
• Sell
• Donate
• Trash
• Storage (if you need to rent a storage unit)
Decluttering your home and getting rid of things you no longer want, use, or need will make your life much easier. It means less packing, lower moving expenses, and less stuff going into storage.
4. Begin the Packing Process Sooner Rather Than Later
Now, let’s talk about packing up your belongings. This can be a tedious process if you leave it all until the last minute. We don’t recommend this tactic.
Instead, begin collecting boxes as soon as you find out you need to move out of state. Then, start packing up spare bedrooms, sentimental items, out-of-season clothing, recreational equipment, and all other non-essentials.
You can complete a little bit of packing each day to progressively get your stuff ready to move. An out-of-state move can be stressful enough. Beginning the packing process sooner rather than later will alleviate some of this stress while simultaneously helping you inventory all of your belongings.
Alternatively, you might consider hiring a moving company to do all of your packing for you. In this case, you can wait until your moving day. This option is ideal if you have too much on your plate to handle boxing up all of your things.
5. Change Your Mailing Address
When you lock down your next home, your next step should be to change your mailing address to the new location.
You can fill out a temporary change of address form if you’re not sure how long you’re going to be living at your next home. If you don’t have a physical address yet or will be living at a hotel until further notice, rent a P.O. box at the local post office.
Otherwise, you can divert your mail to the friend or relative with whom you will be staying.
6. Take Care of Your Utilities
Before you move out of state, remember to cancel the utilities and services to your current home. Many people forget to cancel these services and end up paying for several extra months of utilities, internet, and cable after they’ve gone.
We recommend scheduling the cancellation for the day after you move. If you lose power and water while you’re still moving things out of the home, it could prove problematic.
Just as importantly, if you’ve rented a new apartment or home in your new city, be sure to schedule things like water, power, gas, waste removal, internet, cable, and anything else you might need. Long-distance moves are burdensome enough. It would be terrible to spend your first few days at your new home without these essentials.
7. Hire a Professional Moving Team
Finally, let’s talk about getting moving assistance for your out-of-state move. Even moving to a different neighborhood can be tedious, laborious, and time-consuming. If you need to move out of state on short notice, the task ahead can feel insurmountable.
The good news is, you don’t have to do this on your own. Contact local movers to help you with the process. At Moving Butlers, we will go above and beyond to ensure you have a smooth transition out of your current home and into your next.
We offer a wide range of services to make your life easier. We’ll pack up your home and load everything onto the truck so you won’t have to lift a finger.
And if you’re worried about big, bulky, and heavy items, no problem. We offer both piano moving services and junk removal services. We’ll even clean your place for you, which could help you get your deposit back on your apartment.
If you’ve been pushed into a short-notice, long-distance move, the right moving company can make a profound difference in your overall experience and stress level.
Are You Ready to Move Out of State?
We get it. Despite the excitement that comes with moving to a new home, the actual process of moving is a pain, especially if you need to move out of state on a limited timeline. Fortunately, as noted above, you don’t have to do it alone.