Making a moving inventory list is one of the essential parts of the moving process even though it doesn’t look that way at first glance. Still, preparing this list is a complicated task that requires a lot of time, attention, and energy. If you never moved before, and never made a moving inventory listing, in this article Fairfax Transfer & Storage will show you how to do it properly and with ease. Take a look.
Start preparing the list as soon as you can
As we already mentioned, preparing a moving inventory list requires a lot of time, attention, and energy. Still, while attention and energy are things that you can control, the flow of time is something that is not under your control. That is why it is very important to start preparing this list as soon as you can, in the early stages of the pre-move process. That is, however, not the only reason why you should do it right away. An inventory list will allow your residential movers VA to give you a precise online estimate.
That way you can avoid waiting for a moving company representative to come to you to do an in-home estimate, which is especially good if you are planning to get estimates from multiple companies in order to get the best deal. Moreover, if you are planning to pack on your own, having this list in your hands will make it much easier to determine the number of moving boxes that you will need to prepare for packing.
First, remove the junk
Preparing a moving inventory list is difficult. Not so much physically but mentally. Moreover, if you do not prepare for this task it can become impossible to complete properly. The only way to do it right is to declutter and get rid of all the junk and unnecessary items from your home before you begin. Decluttering is one of the essential parts of the moving process anyway. And you will have to do it before your movers Springfield VA arrive regardless of the inventory list. That is why we suggest that you declutter before you start making your list. Of course, bear in mind that decluttering itself is time-consuming and requires a lot of effort. Luckily, after you complete it, the process of making your inventory list will be much easier at least.
List one room at a time
After you finish decluttering and selling, donating, or recycling your excess items, it is time to start making your moving inventory list. Of course, the difficulty of the task depends on the size of your home and the number of items you have to catalog. However, even if you do not have too much stuff to deal with it is still better to try to make things as easer as possible. And the first step towards that goal is to make some sort of method. Our suggestion is to start cataloging one room at a time. That way you will have things under your control, it will be impossible to tangle yourself into too much mess.
How to do it
It is important to keep order while you are making your inventory list. However, the list itself also needs to be neat and organized. Prepare a table of contents if you want. You can make it on your computer and print it out on your printer. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way with a pen and paper. Also, you can download an inventory app for this. There are many great solutions in Google and Apple stores these days. However, in our opinion, the best way to do it is with a pen and paper.
Be as detailed as possible
When you are preparing your list, make sure that you add as many details as possible. As we already mentioned, this list will allow your Falls Church movers to give you a precise estimate, help you determine the amount of packing supplies, but it will also help you inspect your items upon delivery. That is why it is important to have as much information about your items as possible on that list. So besides the names of your items, add their dimensions, weights, colors, serial numbers, and you can add a brief description of your items’ condition. This might sound like too much work. But it can prove valuable if you get in some sort of a dispute with your movers.
Take photos of your items
Another thing that you can do that can be a valuable add-on to your inventory list are photos of your items. Maybe you do not have to take a picture of every possible item that you have on the list. However, make sure that you take photos of fragile items, items that are hard to replace, and generally items that are valuable to you. Some inventory apps have an option that allows you to add a pic with every item that you catalog. So that can be one of the advantages those apps have. Also, if you are getting moving insurance, a company that is providing it might ask you to provide them with photographs of broken items.
Make a digital copy of the list
Once your list is complete, double-check everything. If everything is all right, make a digital copy of the list. In this day and age, you never know when you are going to need it. Digital copy will probably look neater and easier to read than your handwritten version.
Never move without doing an inventory
As you can see making a moving inventory list does require time and effort. However, it is an important part of your pre-move process and a thing that will make your possessions safer during a move. Make sure that you do it next time you move.
