Moving

Whether you're moving down the street or thousands of miles away, your relocation adventure awaits. With more useful moving tips you can do much better:

• Take an active role in the process, starting with the pre-move survey. Make sure you account for everything that needs to be packed and moved.
• Do not include precious or valuable items in your pre-move survey. Items like jewelry, currency, important documents and photos should be something you keep with you during the move. Most valuation policies will not cover things like cash, jewelry.
• Assess the value of your items before the move. Take video or pictures of everything you're moving, then list the items in a spreadsheet with an approximate replacement value.
• If you have expensive items, it would be a good idea to get a professional assessment of their value before the move.
• Avoid moving plants. Many moving companies will not move live plants and some states have laws prohibiting moving them across state lines.
• Be "present and engaged" on move day. Be available to answer the movers questions without distraction.
• If you have young children, arrange for off-site babysitting services. Moving day is extremely hectic, and if your attention is pulled between the kids and the movers, it will make it much more stressful for everyone involved.

For both relocation professionals and home buyers, the first - and most important - thing to remember is that planning is everything. Those who take the time to prepare are more likely to enjoy a successful move

There is a good possibility that it can, there are some details that you should be aware of:

• some sofa have detachable arms
• some have detachable legs

Even if the sofa does not have the above options the design of the arms of the sofa will be your biggest hurdle, try to pass it through the opening at a diagonal, hopefully the clearance on each side of the doorway will not obstruct your move. You can also gain some doorway clearance by removing the door and or doorstops/jams.

No professional movers can transport items that are combustible, flammable, or explosive. To give you an idea of some the items that cannot be transported, here is a short list:

• Fire Extinguishers
• Household disinfectant cleaners
• Oil, gasoline, or antifreeze
• Propane cans or tanks
• Perishable foods
• Pool chemicals
• Charcoal

Again, this is just a short list, but should give you a general idea of what movers and storage facilities will not move or store with your household belongings. Please note, most moving companies will provide you with a list of what not to include with your shipment.

Whether you're moving across town or across the country, you're furniture will need to be prepped for moving. You can either do this yourself, or hire a professional mover to do it for you. Here are a few examples on how to prepare your furniture:

Larger items: Collapse anything that can be collapsed, as long as it will be relatively easy to reassemble. This includes anything from bed frames to television cabinets. If it can't be collapsed, ensure heavy items being stored inside the furniture are removed. This will make it easy to carry and manoeuvre. For example, remove all books from bookshelves, and china from cabinets.

Breakable items: Wrap all glassware, china, and plates in newsprint, bubble-wrap or cloths and pack into a box. If there are any gaps in the box, fill with more bubble-wrap or cloths.

General items: If there are any sharp edges or delicate parts, cover in bubble wrap for protection. All smaller items should be packed into boxes or bags to make them easy to transport. Ensure the weight of each box is suitable to be carried by one person. Hiring a professional moving company can help organise all of this for you.