HOUSING

PLANNING YOUR MOVE
YOU'VE DECIDED TO MAKE THE MOVE to Ventura County. Will you be living in a rental unit while storing your furniture during your search for a home to buy? Or did you already buy a house? Is your company (or the military) paying for your move? Or are you paying out of your own pocket? If you are paying for your own move with professional movers, a good idea is to get three bids and then compare services provided against the proposed cost. A reputable mover will come to your home to view your possessions before preparing the bid. Whether moving across the country or across town, you want all your items to arrive intact. If you are paying for your own move, the best way to save money is to rid yourself of anything that is not worth taking. If you are not going to have use for an item in a new location, have a garage sale or yard sale. Sell it for what you can get for it. If you haven't used something in more than two years, you probably don't need it.

PACKING AND PREPARING
Make sure you pack all belongings. Then, get a floor plan of your new house or apartment. Having a floor plan, (even if it is drawn up by you) can help you plan your move. Mark each room with a color code.You then can mark each moving box with the corresponding color as you pack. Then give the movers the floor plan before your move. The movers are then able to use the color-coded plan to pack the truck, which will help you have the items you need first when the movers unpack the truck.

A good tip involving color coding is to print a large dot with each of the colors used for your boxes on your home printer. Before your movers start unloading your boxes, go to each door in your new home and post the big dots as a guide for the movers.A mistake that most people make is to mark boxes with information that someone outside the household doesn't understand (i.e., Jimmy's room, Kathy's closet, etc.).

Having a fllor plan that is drawn loosely to scale can also help you arrange your furniture in your new home. Just cut out small boxes and mark them sofa, coffee table, etc.—then move them around on your plan. Sometimes what seems to Vt in your old home may not Vt in your new home. This can save you a lot of time and money because if it doesn't Vt in your new home, why move it there? Sell it before you move. A common scenario is starting to move into your new home and finding out at very awkward moment that the previous occupants have not left you any toilet paper. To avoid this awkward situation, pack and mark OPEN ME FIRST moving boxes and ask the movers to load them at the back of the moving van.