4 Tips for Moving on Short Notice Using Websites and Apps
Moving on short notice is often cause for a great deal of anxiety, but with a little bit of planning and the right tools, it doesn’t have to be difficult. The key is to break down the process into individual steps, and check them off one at a time. When you do this, what may at first have seemed overwhelming suddenly seems surmountable. Here are four helpful tips (in order) for moving on short notice.
1. Find a Place to Live
The hardest part about moving on short notice is finding a place to live. Finding apartments for rent in NYC or LA is challenging enough, let alone on a tight deadline. But it is possible. With online services like ForRent, you can filter through thousands of options to find places that meet your needs. By weeding out apartments that are outside of your budget or ill-suited to your lifestyle (for example, too few rooms or no accommodation for pets), you can focus on those apartments that are right for you. And once you get to this point, the rest is downhill.
ForRent.com advanced search
2. Get Rid of What You Don’t Need
Much of the difficulty involved with moving has to do with all of the stuff that we accumulate. Moving is a perfect opportunity to purge your house of unwanted and unneeded things. Thankfully, in this day and age, there’s no shortage of ways to get rid of stuff. If you are looking to earn a little extra money (not a bad idea), you can sell your wares online. Craigslist, OfferUp, 5Miles, and Ebay all make it easy to get rid of things; some may be more convenient than others, so choose the platform that works best for you. You can also donate your used goods. Organizations like the Salvation Army have drop-off locations throughout the country, and even pick up.
OfferUp App
3. Hire Reputable Movers
If you are budget-conscious or a do-it-yourselfer, you may be tempted to move yourself. And truth be told, when you have time to prepare in advance, that may not be a bad idea. It can help you save money, and provide peace of mind knowing that all of your goods will arrive in one piece. But when you’re in a time crunch, you will likely find that hiring movers greatly helps reduce your stress.
Too many people have stories about being burned by fly-by-night moving companies. Either they end up with broken furniture, a huge bill, or the movers don’t come at all. Yelp is the first place many people go to check the reviews of movers, and many times, the companies offer deals if you find them on there.
Amazon has also gotten into the moving game. With Amazon Home Service, you can now hire a mover and different companies can “bid” on your request.
Remember, physically moving your property from one location to the other is one of the most difficult aspects of the entire moving process. Make this someone else’s responsibility, and your time suddenly opens up!
4. Change Your Address and Get Mail Forwarding
Prior to your moving date (or a couple of days after), change your address with your bank, the Post Office, your employer, the department of motor vehicles, and any credit card companies that you may have accounts with. Additionally, sign up for mail forwarding with the Post Office to ensure that you receive your mail in the interim. You may also want to check any online retail accounts that you maintain (for example, Amazon Prime) to ensure that packages don’t get shipped to your old address. Make a priority to take care of these small but important tasks in a single day, and you will find yourself with a large weight off of your shoulders.
What apps or websites do you use during the moving process?
Samantha Rivers is a freelance writer who lives in Chicago (Go Cubs!) and loves writing anything in the lifestyle, tech and career realm both online and print. When she’s not running the Upward Onward blog, she enjoys reading, finding new restaurants, being active outside, and indulging in a glass of wine or two.
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