10 Tips for Moving During COVID 19

If you are planning to move during the COVID-19 outbreak, it is best to take precautions and be as safe as possible. When moving, you will come in contact with a lot of people who do not live within your home, so being vigilant is essential.  

However, you are still in an exciting transitional period in your life, so as long as you are safe, you can still enjoy the pleasure of moving into a new home.  

To help you navigate the process of moving during the pandemic, we have compiled a helpful list of what to do so you can move safely and efficiently.  

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Tips for Moving During COVID

Here are some helpful tips to help minimize the amount of contact you and your family have with others outside of your household and to keep everyone safe during your move.  

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Expect Additional Precautions

During the pandemic, many realtors will expect buyers to sign COVID-19 disclosure forms before allowing them to view the home. Realtors will also typically set up a station in front of the house that is equipped with gloves, hand sanitizer, and shoe covers that viewers must use before viewing the home. Sellers are also asked to keep their lights on while showing their home to prevent others from needlessly touching the switches.

Moving companies have also incorporated new regulations to ensure the safety of their workers and clients. Those selling the home may have to vacate the property as the workers move their belonging, among other precautions.  

These are just a few examples; every company, seller, and realtor is different and may enforce different precautions.  

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Sanitize Your Home Frequently and Enforce Mask-Wearing  

Make sure you keep your home clean and sanitized both before and after you have someone viewing the property. With so many people coming in and out of the home, the potential for the virus to transfer from one person to another grows significantly, so sanitizing regularly is a must.

Others will be in your home frequently during your move, exposing you and your family to the outdoors. This is why it is essential to enforce hand sanitizing and mask-wearing on everyone that walks into your home.  

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Give Yourself Extra Time

With COVID things are constantly changing and it can be hard to depend on appointments and consistency.  

To minimize stress, give yourself ample time to move. Plan well in advance and book appointments early so that if something goes wrong, you are prepared.

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Buy More Packing Materials than Needed

We all want to be in public as little as possible these days, so having to go to the store repeatedly increases your exposure to others and potentially the virus. Be sure to buy more than enough packing supplies when you start your move. Not only will this be a safer option, but it could also save you a considerable amount of time in the long run.  

To find out which packing supplies are best for you, give our ‘Packing Supplies: Cardboard vs Plastic’ article a read.

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Do-It-Yourself  

The best way to keep everyone in your home safe and prevent your belongings from being contaminated is to do all the loading and packing yourself. The DIY method is also much more convenient and reduces the chance of your belongings being damaged as you will ensure they are packed and transported safely.  

If you are considering the DIY route, our ‘Great ways to save on a DIY move’ article will provide some great money-saving tips to help you out!  

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Use a Moving Container

Renting a moving container is a great DIY solution and ensures that you are in complete control of your move. Only you can access your container and pack your belonging in it, and you hold the key.  

To learn more about moving containers, check out our ‘Why portable moving containers? Pros and Cons’ article.

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Ask Moving Companies About Their Sanitation Guidelines

When shopping around for a moving company, it’s wise to ask for the details of their sanitation guidelines. Ensure you know what precautions and safety protocol they are using throughout the process.

If you are contemplating whether or not to hire a moving company, our ‘Why hire a full service moving company? Pros & cons’ is an excellent read that will help you make up your mind.

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E-Sign and Get a Virtual Moving Estimate

Many companies now offer moving quotes virtually while also allowing all of their documents to be signed electronically. Doing everything virtually reduces the amount of human contact needed to get your moving process started. You may even find some companies that make the entire moving process contactless.  

To learn more about how best to move into your new home, check out our ‘Guide to Moving, Packing, and Storage’ article.  

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