Moving Your Valuables – 6 Tips

6 Tips for Keeping Your Valuables Safe During Your Move

If you’re hiring the best moving company in Orange County, you may feel that you can just leave everything up to your movers. And, to an extent, this is true. Great movers will treat your things like their own. They’ll ensure that your goods, valuable or not, get to your new home safe and sound.

Still, though, you’ll want to take a few steps to ensure that your truly valuable items are protected during the move. Here, we’ll talk about simple ways to keep valuables, whether expensive items, sentimental ones, or important pieces of paperwork, safe during your move.

1.Take inventory

Protecting your valuable goods starts with knowing what you’ve got. You may think you have a good idea of your items that are worth something either financially or sentimentally. But chances are you’ve forgotten about some things. This is why it’s important to take time to make an inventory of your stuff before you move.

When you make an inventory list, you’ll also be able to check that list when you settle into your new home to make sure everything is accounted for. If possible, get receipts or current values for the items you’re inventorying. Use a spreadsheet to keep track of your inventory before, during, and after your move to stay organized.

2.Consider storing certain items elsewhere

What if you’re dealing with truly valuable items, like family heirloom jewelry or essential documents? In this case, you might feel safer if you move these items off site during your move. Moving gets so hectic that it’s easy for items to slip through the cracks, figuratively.

A few weeks before your move, consider renting a safety deposit box with your local bank. Or if you have trusted friends or family members in your area, take a box of your most valuable items to their home. This can just help give you peace of mind on moving day.

3.Mis-mark certain boxes

The packing and moving time period can be a prime time frame for break-ins. Thieves, unfortunately, find that your stuff is easier to rifle through and is all labeled appropriately, to boot.

One way to ward off this possibility is to mark boxes incorrectly. Put your valuable items in the bottom of a box of dishes, and mark it “kitchen stuff.” Or stuff jewelry boxes in with the Christmas decorations, and mark it as decor. Just be sure you remember which boxes your stuff is actually in!

4.Have your movers pack expensive items

Theft isn’t the only potential problem for valuables during your move. Another possible issue is damage. Often times, damage happens because items aren’t properly packed. Even the most careful movers can’t protect your Grandma’s heirloom dishes if they’re tossed haphazardly into a box without padding.

If there’s any question about how to properly pack expensive items, defer to your movers. The best Orange County movers will employ expert packers who will be able to ensure that all of your stuff is appropriately packed and ready for a bumpy van ride to your new home.

5.Take small stuff in your own car

It’s always a good idea to keep certain items, including important paperwork and even small valuables, with you during your move. You should pack these items in a separate box, or just place the filing cabinet with your essential documentation in your own back seat. Again, this is just something that’s a good idea for your own peace of mind. Plus, it helps to ensure that essential items like the deed to your new home or your new apartment lease paperwork are within easy reach should questions arise on moving day.

6.Ask about insurance

Finally, be sure that when you’re vetting your Orange County moving company, you ask about insurance. The best movers will offer insurance for the basics, such as items that are broken due to negligence. But you may need to fill out declaration forms that give your moving company an inventory of your items to take advantage of this insurance.

If your moving company’s insurance isn’t adequate for certain items, consider insuring them on your own. Check with your homeowner’s insurance policy first, as it may cover items to a certain extent while they’re in transit. Or ask your movers about insurance riders that can increase the basic coverage for your items.