Everyone understands the concept of moving: you leave your old home behind and take up residence in a new place. It’s pretty simple. But most don’t realize is that no two moves are ever the same because no two people are the same. You don’t have the same stuff as someone else, and the many details of your move are going to be different from someone else, even if your situations are similar. That’s often why it pays to work with a moving professional with a diverse scope of experience across moves of all types.
The type of move you’re undertaking also has an impact on how the relocation will shake out. There’s no such thing as a general move. Here’s a look at all the different relocation scenarios and how they affect the dynamic of your move.
- House to house. Home-to-home moves are the easiest to coordinate because they’re generally dealing with the same amount of space. You don’t need to worry about renting storage to downsize items from two apartments or try to work around the logistics of a condo building as you move out and into a house. A house to house move is generally very straightforward.
- Apartment to apartment. Like home-to-home, apartment moves are generally simple. You’re going from one space to another of roughly the same size. The biggest complication of apartment moves is the difference between complexes. Going from a first-floor apartment to a fourth-floor walk-up, for example, is going to take some extra legwork (literally). There can also be considerations for access control or parking.
- Apartment to house. While it’s not often that people move from a house to an apartment, apartment to house moves can be pretty simple because you’re going from a smaller space to a larger one. There’s also benefit to going from a confined apartment complex to a house where you have more room to maneuver around. Finally, you’re not dealing with other people coming and going as you move into a home like you will with an apartment complex.
- House to condo. Some people choose to downsize from their home to a condo. While this presents some of the same logistical challenges as moving into an apartment complex, condos are generally nicer facilities that have more opportunities in place to make moving simpler. Freight elevators, larger hallways and on-site personnel to unlock doors are often part of the condo-move-in experience. And while it’s not always as seamless as a home move, it’s easier than an apartment move.
- Dorm to apartment. Moving out of a college dorm into an apartment? There are some considerations to make ahead of time. First, college campuses often have specified move-in and move-out dates and times. Second, college dorms can be a maze of hallways and corridors, with exits constantly in-use. As you can imagine, the biggest struggle of a dorm-to-apartment move is just getting everything out!
- Home to assisted living. Downsizing is the first and most prevalent concern when moving seniors out of their homes and into assisted living facilities. Most often, this means renting storage facilities to house all non-essential items that don’t have a place in new facilities. There’s also a safety aspect to consider, since seniors may need some assistance with mobility as they ease out of their old home and into a new living space. Thankfully, most assisted living facilities are designed to make move-ins simple. Once they’re out of their old abode, getting seniors settled into assisted living is fairly simple and straightforward.
- Local moving. Local moves are often quick and to-the-point when they’re handled by professionals who know the area. If you’re moving uptown, downtown, out to Brooklyn or somewhere on Long Island, it won’t take more than an hour to get from where you are to where you’re going. Working with local NYC movers also means working with someone who can get your items on-to and off-of the truck quickly. The entire process is quicker when you don’t need to go very far.
- Long-distance moving. Long-distance moves present a variety of obstacles. Not only is there significant distance to cover from where you are to where you’re going, there’s also the prospect of time. Factor in the many uncertainties that come with a road trip and the logistics behind a long-distance move are many. It’s also important to consider cost, since that’s generally higher when distance is involved.
The context of your move plays a big role in how it will transpire. It’s a smart idea to consult with a moving company to make sure all the variables are accounted for. The more you can anticipate the challenges of a move, the smoother it will go. And that’s a good thing to remind yourself of when you consider that no two moves are ever the same!