Winter Moving Tips From Gold Coast Realty

Posted by Leo Clark. on Monday, January 5th, 2015 at 10:57am.

Winter Moving Tips

In case you haven’t noticed, it seems the second we welcomed in 2015, winter, at least as Chicagoans know it, also settled in around the area—which for most of us, certainly isn't an ideal way to kick off what’s sure to be an exciting year ahead (we're already dreaming of living in a Florida condo)!

Moving during any time of the year isn’t exactly fun, but moving during the cold season is about as unpleasant as it gets here in the Windy City. If you were lucky enough to get your move out of the way last month, you definitely lucked out, as it seemed to be one of the most mild Decembers any of us can remember.

On the other hand, if you're still facing a move sometime in the coming weeks, you’re likely in for  a much tougher experience. But like most things, if you prepare and take all the necessary steps towards making a winter move as easy as possible, it might not be that bad after all. So before you load up that truck and begin your journey to a new and [hopefully] improved place, here are some winter moving tips you might want to consider that are sure to go a long way during what’s probably the worst time ever to relocate.

Make sure ALL your utilities will be turned on prior to moving

Although this may seem like a given now, forgetting to schedule utility service well before your move date is something that can easily slip through the cracks. Don’t take any chances and also make sure you get your service transferred well before your moving day. No heat or electricity is no way to spend your first night in a new place!

Keep some warm drinks on-hand

It’s pretty common to have a bottled water or sports drink with you when moving on a hot summer day, right? Well, the same should apply for a winter move, although instead of something cold, keep some hot chocolate nearby or the coffee pot brewing. Although hot drinks won’t help you get all those boxes moved physically, they sure can keep you in good spirits, not to mention pretty warm as well!

Stock up on cardboard and plastic

If there’s snow outside or if it’s just plain wet and muddy, the last thing you want to do is make a mess inside your new place as you’re moving in. Unpacking and arranging your furniture will surely take long enough, but when you have to clean up snow, salt, or mud on top of it, your moving day just became a whole lot worse. Protect your floors and lay cardboard out all over the place and thank us later for this little piece of advice.

Have a back-up plan

If there’s one thing about Chicago winters, it’s that they’re about as unpredictable as it gets. If a storm blows in and your moving company isn't on time or has to postpone the move, ALWAYS have a back-up plan in place. Speak to your landlord to see if you can stay an extra day or two, or have a hotel/motel in mind in case you’ll need somewhere to crash and ride out the storm.

Keep an emergency contact list with you

If you’re moving to Chicago from out of town, make sure to have a list of emergency phone numbers handy in case the worst happens. Roadside assistance, the highway patrol, and nearby friends, family, or colleagues are just a few ideas, but also keep your new landlord’s number on hand as well in case you need to re-schedule a move-in time or date due to unexpected travel issues. 

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