While moving is never fun, the best part about moving into your new custom home is that, provided nothing life-changing happens soon, you won’t need to move again anytime soon! At Hagen Homes, we know how much of a hassle moving is, but we want to help you make moving into your custom home easy! We’ve put together the following list of tips to help you on your way.

1. Start with the Logistics

Your first step is going to be either hiring a moving company or renting (or borrowing) a truck, depending on if you’re going to need professional help with your move or you’re planning to do it yourself. If you are using movers, search on Google or an online directory to find a list of reputable movers in your area. If you’re renting a truck, get quotes from two or three companies and then make a decision right away. The sooner you have the logistics of your move sorted out, the sooner you can get to work on everything else!

2. Get rid of the things you don't need

The less you have to pack, the easier packing will be. Go through each room, closet, and cabinet of your house or apartment and pull out items you no longer want or need. Separate these items into three piles: donate, recycle, and throw away. Think practicality, not sentimentality. A move is a great time to edit down your things, and a hurried move gives you even more incentive to travel lightly. Resist the urge to just pack everything with the idea that you’ll get rid of things once you’re unpacking in your new home. It’s much simpler to sort these items out pre-move and save your time and energy for the things that really matter.

3. Pack a "Moving Essentials" Kit

Before you start packing, put aside a small duffel bag and fill it with the essentials you can’t afford to misplace in the ensuing chaos. This includes any medications and important documents you have, chargers, day-to-day toiletries, and maybe a couple of changes of clothes. While this is something you would want to do even if you weren’t moving in a hurry, it’s especially important during a last-minute move, when things are likely to get a bit messier and more exhausting. Once your essentials bag is put together, you can get started on the big project: packing.

4. Don't think: PACK!

The goal here is to get all of your things from your current home to your new one intact, and if you have a short time-frame, it means that you can’t optimally sort items or keep an itemized list of what’s packed where, so be it.

Pack now and sort later. Don’t worry about keeping like items together or having a “theme” for each box. Put things where they fit, even if it means packing the water glasses with the board games and the spare light bulbs with the contents of your filing cabinet. As long as everything is packed safely and securely, you can deal with sorting once you’re in your new home. And it’s okay to skip labeling boxes, but do make sure to note on a box if there are fragile items inside.
Use soft items like socks and towels to wrap breakables. Fill two needs with one deed by wrapping breakable items like vases and glassware in soft items you need to pack anyway, such as socks, towels, and clothing. As a bonus, you’ll also save money on packing supplies.
Set up boxes as you need them. Keep your space as clear and manageable as possible by only setting up boxes as you’re ready to fill them. Once a box is filled, tape it up, move it out of the way, and set up a new one.
Pack clothes as they are. Save yourself a ton of time and boxes by packing up clothes as they already are. For clothes hanging in the closet, wrap a strong garbage bag around them, starting from the bottom and tying the bag’s strings around the hangers. Keep dresser drawers intact and simply remove each drawer and wrap it in packing materials or keep the entire dressers as is (provided it’s not too heavy to move).

5. Ask for Help!

Moving is a big task, particularly when it has to get done quickly, and it’s totally okay to turn to your friends or family for some helping hands. Having one or more helpers can help you stay on track and prioritize, in addition to assisting you in just getting the job done faster. Truly time-consuming tasks like packing up your kitchen cabinets and getting items dropped off for donation become significantly more simple when you’ve got another person (or persons) helping you out. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but do be sure to show appreciation by ordering in a meal while they’re helping you pack or baking your helpers some cupcakes once you’re settled in your new home.