Got a move coming up? You can save yourself a lot of hassle and stress by getting organized from the get-go. Creating a home inventory list will help you in the packing and unpacking process, as it helps you keep track of everything you own. Grab a pen and paper or create a spreadsheet on your computer. Your choice.
Then, start walking through your home room by room, documenting everything you plan to bring with you. This is when you’ll decide what you’re bringing with you and what you plan to drop off at a charity, sell or throw out. Here are the steps you can take to make your own home inventory list.
1. Organize Room by Room
Stick with one room at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed. Whether you decide to start in the living room, bedroom or dining room, document the largest items first (appliances, couches, beds, dresser drawers), then trickle down to the smallest (contents of cabinets, drawers, bookcases). Don’t forget closets and storage areas.
What would you like to move, donate or toss? You will save money and headache with the fewer items you bring with you, so if an item no longer serves you, get rid of it in one way or another.
2. Pay Attention to Details
In order to avoid an inaccurately priced move, do your best to prevent miscommunication between yourself and the movers. Details really do matter if you want to get the most accurate quote for your upcoming house move.
This means you have to consider things like getting large items such as furniture through the doors. If they will have to be disassembled first, let the movers know ahead of time. This will tack on extra time and money to your quote. Same goes for awkward and cumbersome items such as pool tables, pianos, and hot tubs. Take measurements of all large and specialty items and make sure you highlight these on your inventory list. Provide the list to your movers well before moving day so they can show up with the right equipment, supplies, trucks and enough workers.
Make sure you check off items that hold particular value to you, either in sentimental or monetary form. This includes jewelry, antique furniture, estate pieces, artwork, prized photos albums and more. Make a separate category for fragile items, such as glass tabletops, mirrors, and china.
3. Photograph Everything
Get out your camera or phone and be prepared to take photos of everything you own. Take up-close photos of everything as well as overall shots of the entire room. Keep in mind it may be difficult to properly capture, measure or describe certain furniture items or artwork, so make separate notes about them on your spreadsheet. If something is custom-made, note it. Take out all the interior items of closets and book cases, and photograph them clearly as a group and individually. Take interior and exterior shots of appliances.
Photos are beneficial to you in knowing exactly what you own and what you want to take with you, but they’re also helpful for your movers to know how many boxes you will need or which supplies they should bring with them if necessary.
Keep in mind some things will pose an extra fee or charge, such as crating services for artwork and or specialty packing of things like delicate kitchenware. If you need any of these extra services, be sure to tell your movers when you speak with them over the phone or when they visit the home for an in-person estimate. This way, they can include those services in your quote, giving you the most accurate pricing possible.
Save and print or make copies of your inventory list to distribute to family members and your movers so everyone’s on the same page. When you arrive at the new destination, you will easily be able to check off the items against your list to ensure everything made the trip safely. This is also a good list to have for insurance purposes later on if there was ever a fire, storm damage or vandalism that compromised your items.
Contact Around the Block Moving Company
Once you’ve created your home inventory list, packed up your stuff and made all the arrangements, you can count on Around the Block Moving Company to show up at the scheduled time to handle your move with ease. For a free quote to get started, contact us at 214-301-3919.
