Move season, it’s real, it’s stressful, and it’s quickly approaching.  It’s estimated nearly 50% of all moves occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day. But why? Summer moves give parents the chance to move their kids without school disruptions. It’s far enough from holiday season that it’s generally a more financially comfortable time to move. Plus, it avoids the inconvenience of moving during harsh winter weather. Summer may line the streets with moving trucks, but move season definitely has its challenges. 

Whoever deemed summer good moving weather clearly didn’t rent in a southern state. If that’s you, there is a good chance at some point during the day you will think, “moving in the dead of winter wouldn’t have been so bad.” You may get the short afternoon rain shower and pray the heat is going to melt away (it won’t by the way). Regardless of where you rent, moving in the summer heat can be brutal.

You wouldn’t wait for the night before Christmas to do your shopping (I hope). Move season should be no different. The months and weeks leading up to a move should be filled with planning. If you’re taking part in summer move season festivities, here’s a few tips to help you prepare for a successful rental transition.

Don’t underestimate how much stuff you actually have, or the work to move it. I’m emphasizing “stuff” because you may be calling it something else at the end of move day. You never truly understand how much you have until you have to load every single piece of it into a moving van. Your body doesn’t care how few hours you have the rented moving van for. Don’t push yourself beyond your limits, recruit the help of anyone and everyone you have ever spoken to. It’s better to have too much help (not possible) than realize you don’t have enough manpower to lift your dresser. Consider utilizing Penske Truck Wizard to ensure you have the right size moving truck. If you’re unsure on timelines for moving day, Additionally, 2Brothers has shared the number of professional movers and the time it takes them to move different properties listed by number of rooms. 

Stock the fridge with nonalcoholic cold drinks and snacks before you start the day. If you are doing a door to door move make sure you think of BOTH ends of the move. If you can’t get one of the rentals stocked, fully stock a drink station (i.e. cooler) in your vehicle. In the heat of the day, it’s really unfortunate to realize all the drinks are at the other rental.

They are like superman without a cape, seriously. These movers carry dressers up to third floor apartments…DAILY. 

Whether your movers are hired or friends helping you out, it’s hard work, so take care of them. Showing gratitude with a few cold beverages and food to people moving all your worldly possessions is a decent thing to do. Plus, providing food on-site saves time on the move. It also offers a little positive reinforcement to take care of you as you have taken care of them. You don’t need to go overboard, after all you are in the middle of a move.  Things like chilled gatorade, waters, and including them in your lunch order are nice gestures.

Things have the potential to get a little dangerous when you’re in the midst of moving, especially in the heat. Know the signs of heat exhaustion and have ice readily available in the freezer. Prepare or buy a first aid kit to have on hand, which you hopefully won’t need. Finally, know where the closest emergency room is, just in case.

The move season is a stressful, exciting, and exhausting season for over 200,000 families who move during the summer. It’s the holiday season of the summer and your present is a new rental home. Deck the halls with boxes and tape….the season is upon us.