Moving Tips and Life

We made our mid-week trip out to the house last night to “see the progress.” Wow, I did not know how exciting it would be to see the insulation installed in the house. Now the dream is coming together, one day at a time, piece by piece. This brings me to my next thought… as I have said we have moved ten times since 2006 and I have learned quite a few things about moving.

Here are some tips we have learned along this journey.

Be organized and make lists… lots of lists!
Make goals and keep them.
Research locations, school systems, grocery stores, retail stores, churches and make a list of your favorite areas. You can start this on-line, before you actually move!
Decide if you want new construction, new neighborhoods or established homes and neighborhoods.
Put your home on the market and find a great realtor! This is not the time for “for sale by owner.”
Find a realtor or builder in your new city… Research, research, research…..
Ideally, a “corporate move” is the very best… a crew comes in packs everything, I mean every single item in your house, including dirty laundry if it is sitting out!
If you are moving on a budget and want to be adventurous, then you need to do the following:
- Determine moving date, rent a U-Haul or work with a moving company that will pack your items and move them. We have moved with moving companies and moved ourselves with U-Haul. Always, always find movers to load and unload for you…They know what they are doing and it is worth the cost.
- It is so much easier to start packing your items about 4 weeks ahead of the anticipated move date. You can go room by room, label your boxes and get rid of items you really don’t need any more. The decision comes to have a garage sale, give furniture away or just have Good Will pick it up. It all depends on how much time you have to get organized and when you are moving.
Make a “go kit” for the actual move. Pack enough clothes for several days so you have clean clothes while you are unpacking! Pack a separate box of kitchen “must haves” and take it in the car. Take a small tool kit in the car as well.
Gather your “important papers’ and jewelry… pack it to take in your car… You always want to be able to put your hands on your jewelry and papers!

I could go on and on about moving tips and will be sharing more as we go along this journey. I am hoping we beat the Pettit record of two moves in one year, three if we count moving the jeep to Nashville. So here’s to hoping sheetrock and hardy board siding will be done within the next two to three weeks and then on to the next steps, paint, fixtures, cabinets and appliances…and a fourth Pettit move for 2019!